The Two Minutes It Takes To Read This Will Improve Your Writing Forever — An Idea For You The Two Minutes It Takes To Read This Will Improve Your Writing Forever You’re busy, so I’ll keep this quick. Following are the simplest tips I can give you to easily — and forever — improve the quality of your writing. Delete the word “that.” At least 90% of the times you use the word “that” can be removed from your writing and it will instantly make your sentence stronger. Example: “You believe that I’m lying, but I’m not.” becomes “You believe I’m lying, but I’m not.” Delete the words “I think.” It adds nothing. Example: “I think this is a good sentence.” becomes “This is a good sentence.” Avoid words that end in “-ing.” In most cases, the “-ing” softens your word and adds no value. Example: “The experiences we’re seeking end up being underwhelming and even disappointing.” becomes “The experiences we seek often underwhelm and disappoint.” Short sentences. Most sentences can be cut in half. Keep paragraphs to less than three sentences. White space is your reader’s friend.
Welcome to Awareness Magazine, Southern California's Guide to Conscious Living The Language of the Birds Coming Into Resonance with Mother Earth as We Speak (and Write) By Laurel Airica Speak a new language so the world will be a new world.” — Rumi A concept that has gone in and out of fashion among linguists for decades is that words affect perceptions. So, what would you do if you knew that the words in your mind-mouth-ears — and throughout the at-most-fear — were literally ‘bugged?’ As one who has spent a lifetime playing in the magical undercurrent of word symbols and sounds, I have come to the conclusion that English is largely a fear-based language of limitation and persuasion toward conformity and mediocrity. Betrayed By Our Own Tongue “The Women say the language you speak poisons your glottis tongue palate lips. Consider the sad ring of ‘mourning’ that greets us each new day as we come ‘a wake’ from our nightly immersion in our personal Life’s Dream. What a somber vision of a fallen life such words conjure together when shown in trance-lation. “…. 1 See Dr.
TolkienBooks.net - Languages and Alphabets What follows is a listing of articles that reproduce previously unpublished notes and essays by Tolkien concerning his invented languages and alphabets. They started to appear in significant numbers in the 1980s, and in recent years have formed the bulk of the newly published writings by Tolkien. Further details of the contents of the journals and can be found on the website of the Elvish Linguistic Fellowship. Details of unpublished and "slightly published" manuscripts can be found on the website, although please be aware that this site has not been updated for several years. Tolkien Journal. Quettar. Quettar. Parma Eldalamberon. Beyond Bree. Mythlore. Beyond Bree. Vinyar Tengwar. Vinyar Tengwar. Vinyar Tengwar. Parma Eldalamberon. Vinyar Tengwar. Vinyar Tengwar. Vinyar Tengwar. Mythlore. The Library of Richard Manney. 1991. Vinyar Tengwar. Vinyar Tengwar. Mythlore. Vinyar Tengwar. Basic Quenya. Vinyar Tengwar. Vinyar Tengwar. Vinyar Tengwar. Vinyar Tengwar. Vinyar Tengwar. Top
The 7 Story Archetypes, and How They Can Dramatically Improve Your Marketing. Did you know that there are only 7 basic plotlines throughout all story telling? Christopher Booker author of The 7 basic plots distills all of story telling to 7 basic archetypes that make up all of storytelling throughout history. The 7 story archetypes are: Overcoming the MonsterRags to RichesThe QuestVoyage and ReturnComedyTragedyRebirth Now why do I tell you this? How does this possibly relate to marketing? Well, actually it has everything to do with marketing. And in each of these types of stories, there are individual characters that play a huge role in the development to how that chapter in your personal story plays out. Ever meet the wise stranger that gave sagely advice out of nowhere when you needed it the most? The reason I bring this up is because your customers are going through one of these plot lines at this very moment in their lives. Overcoming the Monster In the stories, this is where the hero must destroy the monster to restore balance to the world. Rags to Riches The Quest
What is writing? Writing is a method of representing language in visual or tactile form. Writing systems use sets of symbols to represent the sounds of speech, and may also have symbols for such things as punctuation and numerals. Definitions of writing systems Here are a number of ways to define writing systems: a system of more or less permanent marks used to represent an utterance in such a way that it can be recovered more or less exactly without the intervention of the utterer. From: Daniels, Peter T. & Bright, William, The world's writing systems, P.3 (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1996) a set of visible or tactile signs used to represent units of language in a systematic way, with the purpose of recording messages which can be retrieved by everyone who knows the language in question and the rules by virtue of which its units are encoded in the writing system. From: Coulmas, Florian, The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Writing Systems (Oxford, Blackwell, 1999), P.560 See also
Resources for Writing Fiction UPDATE 1/10: Dead links removed, new links added, as well as Revision and Tools and Software sections. Are you still stuck for ideas for National Novel Writing Month? Or are you working on a novel at a more leisurely pace? Here are 102 resources on Character, Point of View, Dialogue, Plot, Conflict, Structure, Outlining, Setting, and World Building, plus some links to generate Ideas and Inspiration. Also, I recommend some resources for Revision and some online Tools and Software. Too many links? 10 Days of Character Building Name Generators Name Playground The Universal Mary Sue Litmus Test Priming the idea pump (A character checklist shamlessly lifted from acting) How to Create a Character Seven Common Character Types Handling a Cast of Thousands – Part I: Getting to Know Your Characters It’s Not What They Say . . . Establishing the Right Point of View: How to Avoid “Stepping Out of Character” How to Start Writing in the Third Person Web Resources for Developing Characters Speaking of Dialogue
8th Grade Test From 1912 Shows How Far American Education Has Been Dumbed Down; Can You Take It? By Kristan T. Harris A Kentucky 8th grade exam from 1912 was donated to the Bullitt County history museum. The questions feature the fundamental foundation of education that we seem to have lost due to the dumbing down of the American education system. Now with the common core epidemic we can see our youth transformed by a cookie cut education system and a near total loss of critical and independent thinking. If you can not read the fine print or zoom in, then here are some examples of 8th grade level testing in 1912. Define the following terms of government: Democracy, Limited Monarchy, Absolute Monarchy, Republic. To what four governments are students in school subjected? Name 5 county officers and the principal duties of each. Give 3 duties of the president. Give at least 5 rules to be observed in maintaining good health? Define Cerebrum; Cerebellum Name the organs of circulation. How many parts of speech are there? Stumped? Kristan T. Editor's Note - Here are some consolation resources:
The WWW Virtual Library 7 ways writing by hand can save your brain It's time to put pen to paper. Our tech-dependent society has put keyboards at the tips of our fingers at all times, from our smartphones to our laptops. But when was the last time you wrote by hand? Science shows that handwriting can benefit our minds in a number of ways. We spoke to Dr. 1. Writing a calming sentence is a form of graphotherapy, Seifer says. "This actually calms the person down and retrains the brain," Seifer says. 2. Writing something in cursive, that beautiful archaic form, can coordinate the left brain and right brain. 3. For young children, writing by hand is an imperative tool in improving cognitive skills. 4. Taking pen to paper inspires more creative thought, because it is a slower process than just typing something on a keyboard, Seifer says. 5. Writing by hand is a great tool for baby boomers who want to keep their minds sharp as they get older. 6. Let's say you're taking notes in class. 7. "One key difference is movement. Have something to add to this story?
Creative Writing These OWL resources will help you with the basics of creative writing. This section includes resources on writing poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Fiction Writing Basics This resource discusses some terms and techniques that are useful to the beginning and intermediate fiction writer, and to instructors who are teaching fiction at these levels. Pattern and Variation in Poetry A brief rundown on the basic concepts of pattern and variation and how they can be used when writing poems. Pattern and Variation: Aural A brief exploration of the various aspects of sound that can be utilized when making a poem. Pattern and Variation: Visual A brief exploration of the various visual aspects that can be utilized when making a poem. Characters and Fiction Writing These resources discuss character creation and development in fiction writing. Poetry Writing The following resource provides the reader with a better understanding of invention and invention strategies for poetry writing.
Story Starters Gripping Story starters are essential. They grab the reader’s attention. Make them want to read more and keep them reading. Some of us are born with a unique talent and have a natural flair when it comes to connecting words, some of us don’t. Find below a selection of story starters from a variety of different sources. From A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens) It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way-in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only. Recommended Links
Creative Writing 101 RJ Great article. Morning is definitely the time where I am most creative. I think it’s because my mind is the freshest and the least cluttered at this time of day. Doug Rosbury When I write, it is with an emphasis on the sharing of wisdom arising from my life experience. Wether one could reasonably term such writing as being creative or not I don’t necessarily concern myself with. The creative aspect which I believe is part of a writing nevertheless may be found in how I address people with careful consideration regarding how I may come across to them.
Carlos Castaneda - Book Series In Order Carlos Castaneda was an American author that built a reputation out of the mystery of his person and the enigma surrounding his work. The controversy surrounding Carlos’ books has always revolved around the question of whether they are fact or fiction. Even though the books were published as fictitious works, many of Carlos’ fans have since come to the conclusion that his accounts of training to become a Shaman under the mysterious Don Juan Matus are actually true and represent an accurate testament of the things Carlos Castaneda endured. +Biography Carlos Castaneda was born in Cajamarca, Peru in 1925 to Susana Castaneda Navoa and Cesar Arana Burungaray. He author eventually met and married Margaret Runyan in 1960, though their relationship has since become the source of debate and controversy. Carlos’ journey to fame began while he was studying anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles. Even after he acquired his Bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. Carlos Castaneda died in 1998.