Writing Tips for Fiction Writers Effectively Outlining Your Plot by Lee Masterson Have you ever had an idea for a novel, and then just sat down and began writing without knowing exactly where the story was going? It happens to everyone at some point, but most people begin to realize that the events in your plotline get confused, or forgotten in the the thrill of writing an exciting scene. There are those who continue to write on, regardless, fixing any discrepancies as they work, or (worse!) those who do not check that events are properly tied in place to bring their stories to a satisfying conclusion. And then there are those writers who believe that creating a plot-outline is tantamount to "destroying the natural creative process". Whichever type of writer you are, creating a simple, inelegant outline to follow s not the same thing as already writing the story, and it could save you an enormous amount of time and rewriting later. Of course, this brings us to the problem to what was discussed above. Synopsis First
WriteWorld 8 Basic Writing Blunders 1. Morning-routine cliché Clichés come in all shapes and sizes. There are just as many clichéd scenes as phrases and words. For instance, how may times have you seen a book begin with a main character being “rudely awakened” from a “sound sleep” by a “clanging” alarm clock? Have you written an opening like this yourself? Compounding that cliché is having the “bleary-eyed” character drag himself from his bed, squinting against the intruding sunlight. Are you cringing? I know you want me to suggest alternatives to those hackneyed constructs, but inventing fresh ways to start a story and describe a character is your job. Mortal dread. 2. If your character gets a phone call, resist the urge to have her look up, startled, then rise, cross the room, pick up the receiver and say, “Hello?” “Hi, Mary?” “Yes.” “This is Jill.” “Hi, Jill. (Or if you’re a mystery writer): “Hi, Jill. Enough already. 3. The tinny ring echoed through the dark house. You get the idea. Late that night, Mary phoned. 4. 5. 6.
Writing Historical Novels Writing The Perfect Scene: Advanced Fiction Writing Tips Having trouble making the scenes in your novel work their magic? In this article, I’ll show you how to write the “perfect” scene. Maybe you think it’s impossible to write the perfect scene. After all, who can choose every word perfectly, every thought, every sentence, every paragraph? What does perfection mean, anyway? Honestly, I don’t know. But structure is pretty well understood. The Two Levels of Scene Structure A scene has two levels of structure, and only two. The large-scale structure of the sceneThe small-scale structure of the scene This may seem obvious, but by the end of this article, I hope to convince you that it’s terribly profound. Before we begin, we need to understand how we keep score. Your reader is reading your fiction because you provide him or her with a powerful emotional experience. If you fail to create these emotions in your reader, then you have failed. Large-Scale Structure of a Scene The large-scale structure of a scene is extremely simple. GoalConflictDisaster
The Empty Manuscript, How can you know what belongs in your book? Graphic Novel Writing & Illustration Online Program Program Description Emerson College's Graphic Novel Writing and Illustration Online Program offers the perfect opportunity to develop your writing and illustration skills and adapt your creative talents to the exciting graphic-novel medium. Through the program, you will explore your interest in picture books, novellas, and comic strips in courses designed to chronicle the literature and artwork of graphic novels. You also will delve into the world of graphic-novel writing and illustration through a course of study focused on specific story-writing and image-creation techniques. Participants who complete four core courses and the final Portfolio Project course from the non-credit graphic novel and illustration series will earn the Graphic Novel Writing and Illustration Certificate. Who Should Enroll Core Courses Participants may enroll in one or several of the following core courses, to broaden their knowledge of graphic novel writing and illustration techniques. Summer Intensive Courses Mr.
Writers and Authors Freelance writers may have to manage multiple assignments simultaneously. A college degree is generally required for a salaried position as a writer or author. Proficiency with computers is necessary for staying in touch with sources, editors, and other writers while working on assignments. Excellent writing skills are essential. Education A bachelor’s degree is typically needed for a full-time job as a writer. Other Work Experience Writers can obtain job experience by working for high school and college newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations, advertising and publishing companies, or not-for-profit organizations. In addition, Internet blogs can provide writing experience to anyone with online access. Those with other backgrounds who demonstrate strong writing skills also may find jobs as writers. Training Writers and authors often need years of writing experience through on-the-job training before their work is ready for publication. Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations
A Simple Novel Outline – 9 questions for 25 chapters « H.E. Roulo Just as every tree is different but still recognizably a tree, every story is different but contains elements that make it a story. By defining those before you begin you clarify the scope of your work, identify your themes, and create the story you meant to write. At Norwescon 2011 I sat in on a session called Outline Your Novel in 90-minutes led by Mark Teppo. Here are the 9 questions to create a novel: 1.) 2.) 3.) 4.) 5.) 6.) 7.) 8.) 9.) Now, with those 9 questions answered to your satisfaction, try to fill in a 25 chapter, 75,000 word outline. Chapters 7-18 are the middle of your book. Chapters 19-25 depict the heroic act to victory. Wasn’t that easy? Okay, sure, the work isn’t done yet. Using the idea that there are 25 chapters, I outlined my current work in progress. I hope that was helpful. Tell me what works for you. Related 6 Steps to Masterful Writing Critiques June 7, 2013 In "Writing Tips" 8 Novel Editing Steps - The Basic Overview Writers love to write. December 2, 2011 In "News"
jimbutcher: The Great Swampy Middle Every writer runs into this, generally in every single book. The middle. It lurks between the beginning of your book and the exciting conclusion, and its mission in life is to Atreyu you right down into the yucky, mucky mire in order to prevent you from ever actually finishing. The Great Swampy Middle (or GSM) knows no fear, no mercy, no regret. And it laughs at you. The smug bastard. Okay. The middle of books is HARD, especially for beginning writers. It's like a swamp. Man. It's when an author starts getting lost that the book's middle becomes the Great Swampy Middle. Those of you who have written this much of a book already know exactly what I'm talking about. News flash: the reader is going to get that, and it's going to kill their fun. But most won't have that kind of patience. (That's bad.) But I say unto you, fear not. Here we go: The problem with GSMs is that most writers don't have a very good idea of exactly where they want to go. Same thing applies in the story. There. Jim
12 Tips on How to Create a Graphic Novel <img alt="Image titled Create a Graphic Novel Step 1" src=" width="670" height="449" class="whcdn">1Edit step1Learn a drawing style. Manga and US Comic styles are popular, or you can draw humorous cartoons and give it a quirky edge. There are many resources available to learn how to draw. Your local library or bookstore is a great place to find "How to draw" books, but the only way to really improve your drawing skills is to practice. To accelerate the process, have a skilled artist such as a teacher or friend give you lessons, or look over your work and give you pointers. Often just watching a talented artist work is enough to open your mind to the techniques and possibilities.
Important Writing Lessons From First-Time Novelists KIRA PEIKOFF (kirapeikoff.com) is the author of the acclaimed thriller Living Proof (Tor Books). She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from New York University and is a candidate for a Master of Science in bioethics at Columbia. She has written for The Daily News, Newsday, The Orange County Register and New York magazine. For several years, she worked in the editorial departments of two major publishing houses; currently she teaches writing and is at work on her second novel. She is represented by Erica Spellman Silverman of Trident Media Group. Here’s something most published pros know well: In this business, there are no absolutes. The journey to bookstores seems to be a lot like that old snowflake cliché—No two are alike. And no one illustrates this fact better than debut novelists. —by Zachary Petit, former senior managing editor of Writer’s Digest Consider Lissa Price, Melinda Leigh, Carter Wilson, Kira Peikoff and Eyre Price: One pursued publication for 30 years. E. L. E. L. E.
Easy Novel Outline – Free Writing Lessons and Worksheets Here you'll find easy novel outline techniques to plan your book step by step, along with worksheets for planning characters and scenes. This is just one of many pages on this website with creative writing worksheets and advice. At the bottom, you'll find links to related pages on how to write a novel. An outline for your novel A novel outline is a plan for a novel. If you are doing this for yourself and not for an editor, then the good news is there are no rights or wrongs. Why outline your novel? It can make it less intimidating to start writing. Advertisement: Dangers of a novel outline A reason some writers prefer not to work with a detailed outline is that they feel that the outline stifles their creativity and makes them less spontaneous. Top tips for your novel outline Know yourself, and figure out the method that works best for you. A simple way to outline Here is an easy system you can use to outline your novel if you find it helpful. Who will be your main character? Examples:
Create Structure in Your Fiction Using Index Cards I was reading through some of our older science fiction titles, and I came upon Worlds of Wonder by David Gerrold (published in 2001). As I was flipping through the book, I read an opening line that intrigued me: “All writing is list-making. Nothing more. The trick is knowing what to put next on the list.” This seemed a puzzlingly simple notion–that developing the plot of your story was in some way akin to the act of jotting down your grocery list. The thing about Lego bricks is that you can build just about anything you can imagine–if you’re patient enough. David goes on to suggest this exercise, which I share with you below. Get yourself a stack of index cards. Now, take all these separate cards and shuffle them together and start laying them out on the kitchen table in the order you think they should go. When you have all the cards laid out in order, go through them as if you’re reading a comic book or a storyboard and see if they read like a story. Rachel’s Pick of the Week