background preloader

How to Write a Book In Your Spare Time

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. 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. Jeff Goins said, “Spending five hours on a Saturday writing isn’t nearly as valuable as writing thirty minutes every day of the week.” Getting Started Go img

Learn How to Write Songs This Amazing Mirror Cabin Almost Seems See-Through This unique cabin nestled in Joshua Tree in California’s Mojave Desert is really something else. Mirrors were added to the walls and windows to create the illusion that you can see right through the cabin, making it seem half transparent at times. The 70-year-old abandoned shack acquired and re-appropriated by artist Phillip K. Smith III has even been given a name, Lucid Stead. All photos by Steven King Photography. LED lighting and other custom electronic components were installed within the building’s interior to illuminate it from the inside at night, giving the harsh, dull and monochromatic landscape a splash of light. Be warned though, do not attempt to approach from the direction of the sun! Source The 5 Best Pieces of Writing Advice I Didn't Get in School As readers of a site that welcomes and encourages submissions, there's a decent chance some of you want to be writers. Several months ago, I wrote an advice column on how to go about freelancing for the Internet and magazines, but some readers have their sights set on short fiction or even novels. And right now, some are contemplating education choices like picking a major or attending graduate school to get that MFA. photos.com"MFA" stands for "Master of Fine Arts" and should not be confused with the old porno Master of Fine Ass still available on VHS. Let me be clear: Education is wonderful. There is nothing you will ever learn that you will not ultimately use. It's a very personal choice, but consider this: Every important thing I've learned about writing I learned from a writer. #5. When I was a teenager, I saw a documentary about Academy Award-winning screenwriter Waldo Salt called Waldo Salt: A Screenwriter's Journey that never left me. #4. "Say, gang! #3. That's crucial.

Important Infrequently Used Words To Know | Just English Paul V. Hartman (The Capitalized syllable gets the emphasis) alacrity a-LACK-ra-tee cheerful willingness and promptnessanathema a-NATH-a-ma a thing or person cursed, banned, or reviledanodyne AN-a-dine not likely to cause offence or disagreement and somewhat dull//anything that sooths or comfortsaphorism AFF-oar-ism a short, witty saying or concise principleapostate ah-POSS-tate (also: apostasy) person who has left the fold or deserted the faith.arrogate ARROW-gate to make an unreasonable claimatavistic at-a-VIS-tic reverting to a primitive typeavuncular a-VUNC-you-lar “like an uncle”; benevolent bathos BATH-ose an anticlimaxbereft ba-REFT to be deprived of something valuable “He was bereft of reason.” cynosure SIGH-na-shore (from the Greek: “dog’s tail”) center of attention; point to which all eyes are drawn. dilettante DILL-ah-tent 1. having superficial/amateurish interest in a branch of knowledge; 2. a connoisseur or lover of the fine arts Click to read: Like this: Related

Words of Wisdom: 101 Tips from the World's Most Famous Authors » Online College Search If you've ever wanted to sit down with your favorite writer and ask advice, then you should take a look at these tips from some of the most famous authors in the world. These valuable bits of information provide guidance on strengthening your writing skills, becoming a better fiction writer or poet, learning to tap into your creativity, advice on education and school, and even a few suggestions on success and living a meaningful life. Of course, another excellent way of improving your writing is through traditional or online master’s degrees in creative writing. General Writing Tips Improve any type of writing you do with these solid tips from successful writers themselves. Ernest Hemingway. Tips for Beginning Writers If you are thinking about a career in writing, whether you have a bachelor degree or a master’s degree, or are just starting to write seriously, then use these tips for great suggestions. Stephen King. Fiction Tips Kurt Vonnegut. Poetry Robert Frost. Tips for Creativity Success

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. Although the cover appears to be on the verge of falling off altogether, I’ve risked opening the book once more to bring you Watts’ very useful “Eight-Point Story Arc” – a fool-proof, fail-safe and time-honoured way to structure a story. (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: So, what do the eight points mean? Stasis Trigger The quest Surprise Climax Reversal

15 Probing Questions to Help You Bust Through Limiting Beliefs You have great intentions, but you don’t follow through. You tell yourself you want change, but you’re too afraid to take action. You want a passionate life, but you meet roadblocks at every turn. At the heart of this failure to launch is a cluster of limiting beliefs and negative thoughts residing in your psyche and holding you back. You’re really just one or two thoughts away from the ability to make many positive changes in your life. When you learn to mentally and emotionally disengage from those thoughts, you will catapult your potential to do just about anything you want to do. This may sound like an outlandish claim, but you have no idea of the power and control limiting beliefs have over you and how dramatically your life can change as a result of extinguishing them. In fact, I’d be willing to bet 90% of your goals and dreams could be accomplished — if it weren’t for limiting beliefs and the incredibly powerful feelings that fuel these beliefs. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

Εθνικό Μνημόσυνο Την Κυριακή 7 Μαρτίου 2010 τελέστηκε στον Ιερό Ναό του Αγίου Γεωργίου στον Άγιο Δομέτιο το ετήσιο Εθνικό Μνημόσυνο της αγωνίστριας του Απελευθερωτικού Αγώνα της Ε.Ο.Κ.Α. 1955-1959 Νίτσας Χατζηγεωργίου. Την επιμνημόσυνη ομιλία εκφώνησε ο Βουλευτής του Δημοκρατικού Συναγερμού και πρώην Κυβερνητικός Εκπρόσωπος κ. Χρήστος Στυλιανίδης. Νίτσα ΧατζηγεωργίουΑγωνίστρια του Απελευθερωτικού Αγώνα της Ε.Ο.Κ.Α. 1955-1959 Η ζωή και ο θάνατος της τραγικής αγωνίστριαςΣτις 11 Μαρτίου 1968, βρέθηκε νεκρή στο κρεβάτι της μια κοπέλα. Η κοπέλλα πέθανε έρημη, εγκαταλειμμένη, τρισδυστυχισμένη, κατασυκοφαντημένη, απογοητευμένη, καταπροδομένη. Την κοπέλα την λέγαν Νίτσα Χατζηγεωργίου. Συναγωνιστές και συναγωνίστριες της Νίτσας Χατζηγεωργίου συγκινούνται ακόμα, χρόνια μετά το θάνατο της. Κάθε χρόνο το Σωματείο της Ένωσης Νέων Αγίου Δομετίου τελεί το μνημόσυνο της Νίτσας Χατζηγεωργίου. Για την πανέμορφη μα και τραγική μορφή της Νίτσας Χατγηγεωργίου μίλησαν πασίγνωστα ονόματα του απελευθερωτικού μας αγώνα.

Synonyms for 95 Commonly Used Words - A Mini-Thesaurus for Writers Synonyms for 95 Commonly Used Words in the English language Source for Comic Source for Synonyms Writers Write offers the best writing courses in South Africa. The Ultimate Guide to Writing Better Than You Normally Do. Writing is a muscle. Smaller than a hamstring and slightly bigger than a bicep, and it needs to be exercised to get stronger. Think of your words as reps, your paragraphs as sets, your pages as daily workouts. Think of your laptop as a machine like the one at the gym where you open and close your inner thighs in front of everyone, exposing both your insecurities and your genitals. Because that is what writing is all about. Procrastination is an alluring siren taunting you to google the country where Balki from Perfect Strangers was from, and to arrange sticky notes on your dog in the shape of hilarious dog shorts. The blank white page. Mark Twain once said, “Show, don’t tell.” Finding a really good muse these days isn’t easy, so plan on going through quite a few before landing on a winner. There are two things more difficult than writing. It’s no secret that great writers are great readers, and that if you can’t read, your writing will often suffer.

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. To battle this devil, here are 13 punchy quotes that will help you remain focused as you hop through that dark forest. Speak Any Language Fluently: 6 Study Hacks From Learning German I started to learn German after a day trip to Berlin 5 years ago. I fell in love with the culture and language immediately and decided that I would be speaking German Fluently by my next birthday. My affair with the German language eventually went from romantic to reality, and we had to work together to make our relationship work. Looking back, I now realize I could have cut the time it took me to master this language in half, had I only known what I know now. I’ve assembled this list of things you MUST know before you enter into a relationship with the German language. Each tip is titled with an authentic German proverb, so that those of you who are thinking of starting soon can have a head start! Translation: Probieren geht über studieren. It’s an accepted fact that speaking a language will lead you to mastery faster than studying it out of a book. The same is true for German, with one important caveat: You cannot speak for the sake of speaking. Starting to learn German is incredibly fun.

Drawing Mental Illness: Artist Bobby Baker’s Visual Diary by Maria Popova Harvesting the daily flow of consciousness, or what group therapy has to do with marine life. Despite our proudest cultural and medical advances, mental illness remains largely taboo, partly because the experience of it can be so challenging to articulate. But when performance artist Bobby Baker was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder in 1996, followed by a breast cancer diagnosis, she set out to capture her experience and her journey to recovery in 711 drawings that would serve as her private catharsis over the course of more than a decade. I think mental illness is the worst of anything. From how the tears flow into her ears when she does yoga (Day 320) to the weight gain side effects of medication (Day 397) to the uplifting “butterflies of academia” (Day 579) to the strain of chemo (Day 698), Baker’s illustrated micro-narratives are startlingly raw, yet incredibly eloquent and layered. Day 303 Day 320 Day 397 Day 470 Day 526 Day 579 Day 690 Day 698 Day 771

Commas Summary: This resource offers a number of pages about comma use. Contributors:Dana Driscoll, Allen BrizeeLast Edited: 2017-10-31 02:17:11 Comma Use 1. The game was over, but the crowd refused to leave. The student explained her question, yet the instructor still didn't seem to understand. Yesterday was her brother's birthday, so she took him out to dinner. 2. a. While I was eating, the cat scratched at the door. Because her alarm clock was broken, she was late for class. If you are ill, you ought to see a doctor. When the snow stops falling, we'll shovel the driveway. However, don't put a comma after the main clause when a dependent (subordinate) clause follows it (except for cases of extreme contrast). INCORRECT: The cat scratched at the door, while I was eating. CORRECT: She was still quite upset, although she had won the Oscar. b. Having finished the test, he left the room. To get a seat, you'd better come early. After the test but before lunch, I went jogging. c. Well, perhaps he meant no harm. 3.

Related: