Are You The Next JK Rowling? Are You The Next JK Rowling? by Suzanne Harrison Harry Potter. The name brings instant recognition from people all over the world. The books have sold over 350 million copies worldwide. When Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was published in 1997, Joanne Kathleen Rowling was a previously unpublished author. So how did she do it? The answer to that question lies not in what she did in those ten years between the publication of the first book and the publication of the seventh, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The answer actually lies in what she did in the seven years prior to the first book's publication. So if you're an author who is yet to be published, you're actually in the best possible position. Quite simply, JK Rowling followed a four-step writing process that you too can adopt to write your very own list of bestsellers. Planning This is by far the most underrated of the steps in the writing process. Would you attempt to build a house without plans? And who knows?
Give it five minutes A few years ago I used to be a hothead. Whenever anyone said anything, I’d think of a way to disagree. I’d push back hard if something didn’t fit my world-view. It’s like I had to be first with an opinion – as if being first meant something. It’s easy to talk about knee jerk reactions as if they are things that only other people have. This came to a head back in 2007. And what did I do? His response changed my life. This was a big moment for me. Richard has spent his career thinking about these problems. There’s also a difference between asking questions and pushing back. Learning to think first rather than react quick is a life long pursuit. If you aren’t sure why this is important, think about this quote from Jonathan Ive regarding Steve Jobs’ reverence for ideas: And just as Steve loved ideas, and loved making stuff, he treated the process of creativity with a rare and a wonderful reverence. That’s deep. There are two things in this world that take no skill: 1.
Plot, Theme, the Narrative Arc, and Narrative Patterns In the world of fiction, just as in the world of your life, events occur. In life, people often try to determine what events mean in their own life and in the life of others. In fiction, authors will create meaning by introducing conflicts in the life of a character. The way a character responds to these conflicts is part of what gives a story meaning. Understanding plot, conflicts, structure, and their relationship will help a reader understand the meaning in a story. Plot is not just what happens in a story. Similarly, the plot in a film is not just what happens. The pattern for narrative was largely handed down from the Greek tradition in drama. Exposition In section one of a narrative, viewers are exposed to information that will later be necessary for them to have if they are to understand the unfolding story. Characters: The lead character in the narrative — the character who faces the conflict — is called the protagonist. Rising Action Resolution
Using Weather Symbols in Fiction Post and Artwork by Sylvia Nica, Age 14, USA Symbols. They may bring back memories of boring literature lectures, but they can be a great way to add meaning and depth to your writing. Like clues scattered around you writing, symbols can hint to your reader the meaning of an event or alter the mood of your story. So, let’s take a closer look at some of these weather symbols: Rain. Fog. Rainbow. While there are other weather symbols you can use in your writing, such as sun and snow, the ones above are common symbols many people will recognize. So how do you add these weather symbols into your writing? One way of incorporating these devices is to use a weather symbol to represent a certain event. You want to be careful that you don’t get too heavy with symbolism, or else your story will feel muddled and heavy. Sylvia is a writer who “draws inspiration from the world around her.”
Color Symbolism - What Do Colors Symbolize? Since times immemorial, color symbolism has been used to depict beliefs, traditions, and behavior. Colors are used to represent life, death, fear, hatred, anger and joy. Most of the color symbolism represented today is handed down from generation to generation. Due to this fact, we often find that there is no uniformity in such color associations. People’s traditions, beliefs and values all play a role in these connections and associations. Take the example of weddings. Using Color Symbolism In many English speaking nations, commonly used phrases also depict color symbolism. Experts thus caution color symbolism to be used very carefully by firmly establishing the context. Color symbolism: Then and Now We take colors for granted. Today, there is a great deal of research being carried out on color symbolism and color associations. Color symbolism thus forms a huge part of our daily lives.
Lessons learned in a writing journey Author Michael Smart (see my chat with Michael here) has a pet peeve about using too many words when fewer would do. If you haven’t read his riveting Bequia Mysteries, set in the unusual locale of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, you’re missing out. All three are tightly-woven, action-packed, and sprinkled with the authentic island culture of their Caribbean setting. Michael published “Kill These Words! 10 Easy Rules to Enliven Your Writing” about a month ago on his blog and has given me permission to republish it here: Lessons learned in a writing journey… The use of weak verbs, plentiful adverbs, and unimaginative words, is a malady I encounter with increasing frequency among many indie-published authors. In our everyday lives, we all use a functional vocabulary, words we employ regularly and frequently in conversation and correspondence. Here is a small sample of weak words I’ve learned to aggressively seek out and destroy in my writing: Final thought. More on words: Like this:
Time [The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy] Time is what we use a clock or calendar to measure. It provides us with a measure of change by putting dates on moments, fixing the durations of events, and specifying which events happen before which other events. Yet despite 2,500 years of investigating time, many issues about it are unresolved. Consider this one issue upon which philosophers are deeply divided: What sort of ontological differences are there among the present, the past and the future? There are three competing theories. That controversy raises the issue of tenseless versus tensed theories of time. Table of Contents 1. Philosophers of time tend to divide into two broad camps on some of the key philosophical issues, although many philosophers do not fit into these pigeonholes. However, there are many other issues about time whose solutions do not fit into one or the other of the above two camps. A full theory of time should address this constellation of philosophical issues about time. 2. St. 3. a.
Greek and Roman Mythology About the Course Myths are traditional stories that have endured over a long time. Some of them have to do with events of great importance, such as the founding of a nation. Others tell the stories of great heroes and heroines and their exploits and courage in the face of adversity. Still others are simple tales about otherwise unremarkable people who get into trouble or do some great deed. What are we to make of all these tales, and why do people seem to like to hear them? Course Syllabus Week 1: Homer, epic poetry, and Trojan legends Week 2: Heroes and suffering Week 3: This World and other ones Week 4: Identity and signs Week 5: Gods and humans Week 6: Religion and ritual Week 7: Justice Week 8: Unstable selves Week 9: Writing myth in history Week 10: From myths to mythology Recommended Background No special background is needed other than the willingness and ability to synthesize complex texts and theoretical material. In-course Textbooks Suggested Readings Greek Tragedies, Vol.
The Ten Best Weather Events in Fiction There are many ways to organize a bookshelf—by author, title, genre, date of publication, color, size—but, prior to writing about the role of weather in literature for the magazine this week, it had never occurred to me to mentally rearrange my shelves by meteorological phenomena. Once I started thinking that way, though, I couldn’t stop. Jane Bennet is thrown into the company of her future husband by a rainstorm; a drought prompts the Joad family to migrate west in “Grapes of Wrath”; a possessed child seems to conjure a storm in “The Turn of the Screw”; the underdressed clerk in Nikolai Gogol’s “The Overcoat” likely wouldn’t crave that garment so desperately if winters in St. Petersburg weren’t bitterly cold. Fictional rain, fictional drought, fictional storms, fictional cold: having wandered into this obsession with imaginary weather, I figured I might as well try to find the most interesting instances of it. 1. 2. Hark, what Himalayas of concussions! 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Color Symbolism in Literature: What Do Colors Mean in Literature and Poetry? Colors have been used in stories since as early as the first story was told. Writers and poets use colors to create concrete images of their characters, scenes and events.Language itself uses a system of symbols, either verbal or written. Therefore, color symbolism in literature imparts a deeper meaning to the words which, in turn, help transform the written content into a more powerful instrument. Naturally, the reader must also have prior experience with the color in order to interpret the symbolism (that the creator has in mind) correctly. This is the main reason why poems and books mean different things to different readers. Let us study different colors and what they mean in different forms of literature across the world. Color symbolism in French literature As early as the 12th century, French writers and poets used only 7 colors to depict romance, characters and emotions. Color symbolism in fairy tales Color symbolism in Gothic literature Symbolism of the color yellow in literature
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