13 Vital Reminders For Writers Writing is tough work. If I may be so bold as to attempt a simile, I’d say that it’s like walking through a dark forest, but with your legs tied together. So in actuality you’re not really walking at all. But sort of hopping. Oh yes, and there’s a little devil perched upon your shoulder whispering sweet doubts in your ear. To battle this devil, here are 13 punchy quotes that will help you remain focused as you hop through that dark forest. Bad Creative Writing Advice (David Louis Edelman) March 18, 2006 @ 11:40 am The Internet is full of bad advice for creative writers. Here’s just a small sampling of the nonsense you can find if you look for it. “Show, don’t tell.” The ironic thing about most of these specious writing tips is that they work quite well for straightforward journalism. But when you’re writing fiction, the ground rules are different. The same probably goes for bloggers, too.
How to Structure A Story: The Eight-Point Arc By Ali Hale - 3 minute read One of my favourite “how to write” books is Nigel Watts’ Writing A Novel and Getting Published. My battered, torn and heavily-pencil-marked copy is a testament to how useful I’ve found it over the years. (Even if you’re a short story writer or flash fiction writer rather than a novelist, this structure still applies, so don’t be put off by the title of Watts’ book.) The eight points which Watts lists are, in order: StasisTriggerThe questSurpriseCritical choiceClimaxReversalResolution He explains that every classic plot passes through these stages and that he doesn’t tend to use them to plan a story, but instead uses the points during the writing process: I find [the eight-point arc] most useful as a checklist against which to measure a work in progress. So, what do the eight points mean? Stasis This is the “every day life” in which the story is set. Trigger Something beyond the control of the protagonist (hero/heroine) is the trigger which sparks off the story.
Brain a 'creativity machine,' if you use it right Scientists have long wanted to understand exactly how our brain allows us to be creative. Although there is still a lot left to learn, one thing has become clear in recent years: Creativity doesn't live in one spot. There are sites in the brain dedicated to recognizing faces, moving your left index finger and recoiling from a snake, but having original ideas is a process not a place. "There is a very high level of cooperation between different parts, different systems of the brain so that they orchestrate this process," said Antonio Damasio, a neuroscientist and director of the Brain and Creativity Institute at the University of Southern California. Damasio is leading a panel today on creativity and the brain to launch the Society for Neuroscience's annual meeting in San Diego. There are differences, of course, between creating a painting and creating a new business strategy, writing a symphony or coming up with new ways to comfort a distraught child. Yet imagination depends on memory.
Learn How to Write Songs » 5 Creative Cures for Writer's Block - World of Psychology It’s stressful when the words don’t come, when you’re sitting at your desk staring at the blinking cursor or the barren page. Minutes feel like hours. Hours feel like days. Deadlines loom, and you’re still stuck and staring. A kind of dread begins building in your stomach and travels to your throat, and then peaks between your temples. “Writer’s block, or any creative block, is really about fear,” according to Miranda Hersey, a writer, editor and creativity coach. Blocks are tough. 1. “Take the pressure off of your writing while you do something else that pleases you creatively,” Hersey said. Choreograph a one-minute dance. 2. If you’re writing fiction and you’re unsure about your direction, write some backstory for one of your characters, said Hersey, who also pens the blog Studio Mothers, a creative community for mothers. “Allow yourself to write 30 pages of something that might or might not show up in your finished work. 3. “Writer’s block is not a problem for me, ever. 4. 5.
How to Write a Book In Your Spare Time Many people say they would like to write a book. That statement is usually in the form of “I have this great book idea”, “I’ve always wanted to write a novel” or “I will write it when I have more time.” I used to say things like that. I kept promising myself that I would write a book someday. There are seven days in a week, but someday isn’t one of them. Do It Now I’ve had several friends who have told me they want to write a novel. The best advice I ever got from another writer was this: put your butt in the chair. Stephen King said, “The scariest moment is just before you start.” Making yourself sit down and start typing is something I fight with daily, even after having written two full-length novels. Just put your butt in the chair and start working. Finding Time The most common excuse I hear is “I don’t have time.” I wrote my first two novels by finding fifteen minutes, three times each day. In the morning, I woke up fifteen minutes early. Eventually, you will get used to it. Go img
How to Eliminate "To-Be" Verbs in Writing Every English teacher has a sure-fire revision tip that makes developing writers dig down deep and revise initial drafts. One of my favorites involves reducing the number of “to-be-verbs”: is, am, are, was, were, be, being, and been. At this point, even before I begin to plead my case, I hear the grumbling of the contrarians. What’s So Wrong with “To-Be” Verbs? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Adapted from Ken Ward’s E-Prime article at Problem-Solving Strategies to Eliminate the “To-Be” Verb 1. 2. 3. 4. A Teaching Plan to Eliminate the “To-Be” Verb 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. After teaching and practicing all four strategies, set the “rule” that from now on only one “to-be” verb is allowed in any paragraph (excluding direct quotes). Teaching the strategies and practicing them in the context of student writing samples will help students recognize and avoid these “writing crutches” in their own writing. Be Sociable, Share!
Why writing is the best way to get in a good mood Even if you don’t consider yourself a writer, you are. You write all the time; it’s a huge part of why you have to go to school. Written language is a human technology designed to help us remember what we know so we can build on it and evolve. That’s why writing is the single best way to get in a good mood: it reminds you what you already know. What you know These concepts are built into all of us. Feeling good feels good.Life is supposed to be fun.You are perfect just the way you are.You are one with that which made you. Why writing, and not drawing? Writing is the easiest way to direct your thoughts. Writing takes the energy that is your thoughts and makes it physical. Drawing has its place too. Start your magickal record When you use writing to direct your thoughts and therefore your life experience, you create a record you can look back on. My gift for you Sometimes directing your thoughts on a public website can be intimidating. This worksheet is guaranteed to improve your mood.
Max Barry | Fifteen Ways to Write a Novel Every year I get asked what I think about NaNoWriMo, and I don’t know how to answer, because I don’t want to say, “I think it makes you write a bad novel.” This is kind of the point. You’re supposed to churn out 50,000 words in one month, and by the end you have a goddamn novel, one you wouldn’t have otherwise. If it’s not Shakespeare, it’s still a goddamn novel. I find it hard to write a goddamn novel. Some of these methods I use a lot, some only when I’m stuck. The Word TargetWhat: You don’t let yourself leave the keyboard each day until you’ve hit 2,000 words. 50 Best Blogs for Creative Writing Students Posted on Monday September 27, 2010 by Staff Writers Creative writing students can learn a lot from others in the industry, whether they’re fellow students, educators, or successful writers. You can find advice, inspiration, and more, just by checking out creative writing blogs online, and we’ve found 50 of the best to share here. General Find information and interesting tidbits for writers on these blogs. Inkygirl: Inkygirl has daily diversions for writers.The Best Damn Creative Writing Blog: Get your literary life with the help of this blog.Literary Rejections on Display: See literary rejections on this blog.Three Guys One Book: These bloggers discuss books together.Like Fire: Like Fire is devoted to everything wonderful in literature. Advice You’ll find excellent advice for writing and more in these blogs. Success Check out these blogs to find the secrets to creative writing success. Education Educators, students, and more share their creative writing insight on these blogs. Resources Journals
100 Mostly Small But Expressive Interjections David Bier Thanks for this – what a fun post considering there’s no actual narrative in it! Cecily Some of these interjections are quite culturally and age specific, so if people need to be told what they mean, they should probably not be using them.For example, to many Brits, va-va-voom is not old-fashioned at all, but instead is firmly linked to the long-running ads that footballer Thierry Henry made for the Renault Clio. Himanshu Chanda Whoa ! What a biiiig list. And yes this ones really great. You understand exact meaning of those interjections while reading comic strips Michael Huzzah! Free books: 100 legal sites to download literature The Classics Browse works by Mark Twain, Joseph Conrad and other famous authors here. Classic Bookshelf: This site has put classic novels online, from Charles Dickens to Charlotte Bronte.The Online Books Page: The University of Pennsylvania hosts this book search and database.Project Gutenberg: This famous site has over 27,000 free books online.Page by Page Books: Find books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and H.G. Wells, as well as speeches from George W. Bush on this site.Classic Book Library: Genres here include historical fiction, history, science fiction, mystery, romance and children’s literature, but they’re all classics.Classic Reader: Here you can read Shakespeare, young adult fiction and more.Read Print: From George Orwell to Alexandre Dumas to George Eliot to Charles Darwin, this online library is stocked with the best classics.Planet eBook: Download free classic literature titles here, from Dostoevsky to D.H. Textbooks Math and Science Children’s Books Philosophy and Religion Plays
Kurt Vonnegut -- troubling.info Eight rules for writing fiction: 1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted. 2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. -- Vonnegut, Kurt Vonnegut, Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncollected Short Fiction (New York: G.P. Kurt Vonnegut: How to Write with Style