17 Pin-Worthy Pinterest Tools Pinterest referral traffic is growing at an alarming rate. In fact, a recent study from Piqora found that the average visit-per-pin increased 172 percent in the first half of 2014. Moreover, the average revenue-per-pin grew by 67 percent in the same time period. This data proves that Pinterest offers many opportunities to brands who are taking advantage of the platform. » 3 Charles Dickens Characters You Don’t Want to Meet The great English writer Charles Dickens is known for his well-crafted characters. While some of the characters we meet in Dickens’ novels are endearing heroes, others are sinister villains. Here are three Dickens characters you would never want to meet. Bill Sikes in Oliver Twist A career criminal, violent abuser, and murderer, Bill Sikes is at the top of the list of characters to avoid. This is how Dickens describes him: “…a stoutly-built fellow of about five-and-thirty, in a black velveteen coat, very soiled drab breeches, lace-up half boots, and grey cotton stockings which enclosed a bulky pair of legs, with large swelling calves—the kind of legs, which in such costume, always look in an unfinished and incomplete state without a set of fetters to garnish them.
Alignments, Allegiances, and Loyalties So, you want to write about a villain who stops being so villainous, and perhaps even becomes a hero? Or do you want to write about a hero who becomes more of a "dark" hero, or even an outright villain? Or a character who just plain switches sides? This is a subject that is often handled badly, with the character progression coming off as forced and contrived. So, here are some tips that should help you write a more plausible shift, whether you're writing an OC for a roleplay or fanfiction or a character for an original work. How to Write a Synopsis of Your Novel by Glen C. Strathy* To sell your novel, you may need to know how to write a synopsis, even if you are a pantser-type novelist who can write a whole novel without making an outline first.
20 Tools for Creating and Delivering Amazing Presentations If you're in business, you need to know how to create captivating presentations. Whether you're trying to convince your boss to support a new campaign, talking with a prospect to close a deal, or building a new piece of marketing collateral, you need to know how craft a presentation that won't put people to sleep. The best (and easiest) way to do that? Use the right tools to create and deliver your presentation. If you're not sure which tools to use, look no further than this blog post.
9 ways to trick yourself into writing a novel November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo, for short). This is the year you complete the book of your dreams. Sometimes all you need is a little motivation. Trick yourself into completing your novel this month by trying one (or all) of the strategies below. 1. Plotting, Conniving, and Manipulating Plotters, connivers, and manipulators are a popular character archetype, showing up as villains and heroes alike. The recent Doctors. Loki. Batman. Rumplestiltskin. They're absolutely amazing to see when they're done right... but unfortunately, many people don't do them right, often due to misconceptions of how the process actually works.
Writing Tips - Publishers list of phrases for writers to avoid We have all met people who have the extraordinary ability to talk in clichés: Y’know, not to beat around the bush or hedge your bet, this section is a must-read because it calls a spade a spade and in a nutshell leaves no stone unturned to pull the rug from under those off-the-cuff, old-hat bête noires called clichés. These are the people who’ve given the cliché its bad name. We all tend to use them, of course. The Five Best Tools for Creating Videos Without Installing Software Over the years I've published some lists and reviews of free tools for creating videos online. Quite a few of those tools have been for creating simple videos that are really just automated, audio slideshows. See Animoto for an example of this. There's nothing inherently wrong with having your students use those tools, but at some point you will want to take your video projects to the next level. These are the five tools that I recommend for creating and editing videos without installing any special software.
Top 10 Tricks to Make your Villain Stand Out Welcome back to the column that breaks down gaming into what’s really important, ten things at a time! Any story arc needs a good villain. The best big bads are more than just another devil or vampire or dragon. These ten suggestions can help take your villain above and beyond the ordinary and give your players a more memorable game. 1.
Improve Your Character Writing Look through the eyes of the opposition. By now, you’re probably used to seeing the world through the eyes of your protagonist. Now, try seeing the world and your protagonist through the eyes of characters who disagree with or even outright hate your protagonist. Get in-character as these characters for awhile and grok the world from their POV for awhile.