Write Like a Girl (or Guy)
If all the characters you create talk exactly like you do, no one but your mom is going to want to read your book—and maybe not even her if you haven't called recently. That's why you need to understand how to write dialogue that sounds authentic, even when your character differs from you when it comes to their age, region, education level, social status, background, personality, and/or gender. Each of these factors plays a role in how a person (real or fictional) speaks, and you need to consider all of them to make your characters’ dialogue sound truly legit. But today we’re focusing on gender. Let’s preface this whole shebang with a disclaimer: Like anything involving differences between sexes, this can be a bit of a touchy subject. Things have improved significantly. Handling problems If you're ever perplexed about how to write dialogue for a character with a particular trait, your best bet is to spend some time carefully listening to people who share that trait. Asking questions
Randomly Awesome Words
New York Times 50 Most Challenging Words (defined and used) | Currently Obsessed
The New York Times recently published a list of 50 fancy words that most frequently stump their readership. They are able to measure this data thanks to a nifty in-page lookup mechanism, which you can try here. Try double-clicking the word “epicenter”. Since the NYT didn’t include definitions of these words, I decided to post a job to MediaPiston to produce an article defining and using each word in the list. Voila! The New York Times 50 Fancy Words (defined and used) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50.
Transitional Words & Phrases
Using transitional words and phraseshelps papers read more smoothly, and at the same time allows the reader to flow more smoothly from one point to the next. Transitions enhance logical organization and understandabilityand improve the connections between thoughts. They indicate relations,whether within a sentence, paragraph, or paper. This list illustrates categories of "relationships" between ideas,followed by words and phrases that can make the connections: Addition: also, again, as well as, besides, coupled with, furthermore, in addition, likewise, moreover, similarly When there is a trusting relationship coupled with positive reinforcement, the partners will be able to overcome difficult situations. Consequence:accordingly, as a result, consequently, for this reason, for this purpose, hence, otherwise, so then, subsequently, therefore, thus, thereupon, wherefore Highway traffic came to a stop as a result of an accident that morning. The children were very happy.
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. The NaNoWriMo FAQ says: “Aiming low is the best way to succeed,” where “succeed” means “write 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.
12 Awesome Language Resources for the Word Nerd
I’m an unabashed word nerd. I majored in English and have been a high school English teacher for almost 30 years. I run an online program helping homeschoolers develop writing skills, and I manage this wordy blog and a wordy Facebook page. I have become, over the years, something of an expert on grammar and usage, but it’s not due to any particular cleverness on my part. I have simply learned how to ask good questions and find reliable answers. Here are a dozen of my favorite resources. I own three fat dictionaries, and on just about every word question, I consult all three. The first Webster’s Dictionary was published in 1928. The last unabridged dictionary published by Merriam-Webster is their rather controversial Third New International Dictionary of the English Language that was published in 1961. In the meantime, they keep revising their abridged but useful Collegiate Dictionary–now in it’s 11th iteration. I particularly like the many usage notes included in this Dictionary.
50 Excellent Writing Exercises to Cultivate Your Creativity & Craft
If you’re a good writer, you can succeed in any industry, no matter what kind of online degree you have. But even great writers sometimes have trouble organizing their work, polishing up the details, or even picking a cohesive idea to write about. Here are 50 excellent writing exercises to help cultivate your creativity and craft, from brainstorming to beating writer’s block and remembering your motivation. Brainstorming and Organization Try these brainstorming exercises to map out your ideas, spur on your creativity, and plan your project. Levels: Break down your topic sentence or main theme into levels to create subtopics and then single terms that you can explore individually with lists, charts or free-writing.Free-writing: This traditional form of brainstorming involves writing down anything that comes to your mind even if you don’t think it makes sense. Writer’s Block Use prompts: Print out and then cut up these prompts to store in a writer’s block box. Games Language and Grammar Style
Persuasive Writing - Emotional vs Intellectual Words
I have written about persuasive writing in an article where I discuss Ethos, Logos, Pathos. Persuasive writers use words to convince the reader to listen or to act. I found this useful list of words in an interesting article called Common words that suck emotional power out of your content by John Gregory Olson. Use these words if you want to get an emotional, rather than an intellectual, response from your readers. Click on the link to read the full article. by Amanda Patterson © Amanda Patterson
