Paulo Coelho: How I Write. Paulo Coelho (Photo: Philip Volsem) Paulo Coelho has long been one of my writing inspirations. His work, of near universal appeal, spans from The Alchemist to the most recent Aleph and has been translated into more than 70 languages. Few people know that The Alchemist, which has sold more than 65 million copies worldwide, was originally published by a small Brazilian publisher to the tune of… 900 copies. They declined to reprint it. I, for one, have always been impressed with consistent writers. My output is erratic at best, and I wondered: how does Paulo write? I reached out to him, and he was kind enough to reply with the attached/linked audio.
. – When on deadline, what is the first thing you do in the morning? – How do you capture ideas that might be helpful in your writing? [TIM: Evernote, Moleskine notebooks] – How much of your books do you visualize/outline upfront vs. writing organically piece-by-piece? – What are the most common mistakes that you see first-time novelists making? How to Create an Instant Bestselling Novel. How to Create an Instant Bestselling Novel by Cliff Pickover Please consider the following helpful tips. These will make it easier to get your stories or novels published. These tips will help you write good fiction in general.
First, buy a National Geographic magazine. Page through it and select a setting. Look at the photos to help you create vivid descriptions. Mechanics Show Not Tell It's better to show through a character's actions than "tell" by having the narrator describe. Example:"When are you going to leave for France? " Short Better Than Long In real life, people often talk in short sentences and phrases, rather than in long drawn-out sentences with big words. "Get out of here now! " Don't Begin To Don't have your characters "begin to do something," "try to do something," and so forth. Additional Mechanics "Like" or "As If" The word "like" should not be used preceding a clause with a subject and a verb. Clifford A. Hugh Prather Quotes (Author of Notes to Myself)
Interview: Clive Barker. The January Interview: Clive Barker He likes to shock people. I don't know why this should surprise me about Clive Barker the man, but it does. I'd expected -- I don't know -- someone less flamboyant and larger-than-life than the work he creates. I was wrong. "You're like total renaissance guy," I say. And he looks at me -- wide set blue eyes in a youthful and somehow oddly innocent face and says, "Fuck. " From the source, then: Clive Barker fucks creatively. Later and we're taking photos outside the hotel. "Not at all," he replies. Shock value alone does not a character make.
Linda Richards: How far into your book tour are you. Clive Barker: This is the last interview in six weeks. LR: I know. CB: Yeah. LR: We have beautiful people in this city. CB: Yes, I've noticed. LR: One of the things I really loved about the main character in Sacrament, Will Rabjohns, is that he's just who he is. CB: No, right, right. LR: My take on the novel -- and I feel very arrogant in saying this to the author...
Start here: Three things you need to do at the beginning of your novel. The Difference Engine. The Difference Engine is an alternate history novel by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling. It is widely regarded as one of the first "true" steampunk books written in the late 20th century. It posits a Victorian Britain in which great technological and social change has occurred after entrepreneurial inventor Charles Babbage succeeded in his ambition to build a mechanical computer (actually his analytical engine rather than the difference engine).
The novel was nominated for the British Science Fiction Award in 1990, the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1991, and both the John W. Campbell Memorial Award and the Prix Aurora Award in 1992. Setting[edit] In the novel, the British Empire is more powerful than in reality, thanks to the development and use of extremely advanced steam-driven technology in industry. Plot summary[edit] During the story, many characters come to believe that the punch cards are a gambling "modus", a programme that would allow the user to place consistently winning bets. William Gibson. How to Write a Credible Fantasy Story (with Examples) Add New Question How can I make beings like elves and dwarfs more believable? WikiHow Contributor Give them a culture and a history. They will be either as natural to your world as humans are, or they split off of humanity due to natural disaster and were forced to evolve.
For example: in a post atomic war setting, dwarves might be humans who evolved shorter because they lived underground for so long. How do I start an introduction to a story? WikiHow Contributor Start with something that will hook your reader in, something like onomatopoeia or diving straight into action might do. Ask a Question If this question (or a similar one) is answered twice in this section, please click here to let us know. 10 Writing "Rules" We Wish More Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors Would Break. Kinja is in read-only mode. We are working to restore service. I give a hearty Here Here for #4! There is nothing wrong with telling a story that fits within the covers of a single book. Honestly, I respect a well crafted short story more than a shelf load of volumes that purports to tell a single story. Remember, the whole Trilogy+ got started when the publisher got fed up with the fact Tolkien wouldn't finish.
The moment I see something like "Book One of the (insert name of place or magic item and latin number)ogy", I want to put the book down. Flagged. 20 Great Infodumps From Science Fiction Novels. 66 Facts You May Not Have Known About The English Language | Paul Anthony Jones. The English language is, quite literally, the greatest language in the world. Great in terms of size - the current edition of the Oxford English Dictionary contains 615,000 entries. Great in terms of scope — it’s an official language in seventy-nine countries and territories. And great in terms of, well, greatness — it’s just one fantastic mishmash of borrowings, inventions, corruptions, misinterpretations, misspellings, alterations, words you’ll never need, and words you never even knew you’ll never need.
Since December 2013, @HaggardHawks has been trying to prove precisely this by tweeting odd words, word origins and language facts everyday. 1,300 tweets later, it turns six months old this week and so to celebrate, here are 66 random facts from our first semester that hopefully go some way towards showing how great — and how downright bizarre — the English language can be. 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. 31. Reading & Writing - How To... Iain Banks - Raw Spirit (BBC Scotland interview)
Write Your Name in Runes. Write Your Name in Runes The runic alphabet, or Futhark, gets its name from its first six letters (f, u, th, a, r, k), much like the word "alphabet" derives from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet, alpha and beta. Each rune not only represents a phonetic sound but also has its own distinct meaning often connected with Norse mythology. Scholars believe that early Germanic and Scandinavian peoples used the runes originally as a means of communication and only later for magical purposes. Fehu Fehu can mean cattle, gold, or wealth in general. Uruz Uruz represents strength, speed, and good health. Thurisaz Thurisaz refers to the giants of Norse mythology. Ansuz Ansuz could refer to any deity, but it was most often associated with Odin. Raido Likely an important rune for the Vikings, Raido signified a long journey.
Kenaz Kenaz represents a torch or some other source of light. Gebo Gebo was used to denote a sacrifice to the gods. Wunjo Wunjo can translate as comfort, joy, or glory. Hagalaz Nauthiz Isa. 45 ways to avoid using the word 'very'. Writers Write is your one-stop resource for writers. Use these 45 ways to avoid using the word ‘very’ to improve your writing. Good writers avoid peppering their writing with qualifiers like ‘very’ and ‘really’. They are known as padding or filler words and generally add little to your writing. According to Collins Dictionary: ‘Padding is unnecessary words or information used to make a piece of writing or a speech longer.
Synonyms include: waffle, hot air, verbiage, wordiness.’ Adding modifiers, qualifiers, and unnecessary adverbs and adjectives, weakens your writing. This post gives you 45 ways to avoid using the padding word ‘very’. Three Telling Quotes About ‘Very’ “Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very;’ your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. If you enjoyed this, you will love: Top Tip: If you want to learn how to write a book, sign up for our online course. by Amanda Patterson © Amanda Patterson. Alan Moore. Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell.[1] Frequently described as the best graphic novel writer in history,[2][3] he has been called "one of the most important British writers of the last fifty years".[4] He has occasionally used such pseudonyms as Curt Vile, Jill de Ray, Translucia Baboon and The Original Writer.
Moore is an occultist, ceremonial magician,[6] and anarchist,[7] and has featured such themes in works including Promethea, From Hell, and V for Vendetta, as well as performing avant-garde spoken word occult "workings" with The Moon and Serpent Grand Egyptian Theatre of Marvels, some of which have been released on CD. Early life[edit] "LSD was an incredible experience. Not that I'm recommending it for anybody else; but for me it kind of – it hammered home to me that reality was not a fixed thing. Alan Moore (2003)[2](pp19–20) Career[edit] Early career: 1978–1980[edit] Why Pulitizer Prize-Winner Donna Tartt Is My Role Model. Tartt's author photo=the coolest. I wanted to throw a parade when I found out that Donna Tartt won this year’s Pulitzer Prize for fiction for her novel The Goldfinch. I know parades are usually only for, like, Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July, but if we were going to organize a national holiday around a living author, I’d vote for Tartt.
I’ve been the biggest fan of Tartt’s ever since I ferociously ate her first novel, The Secret History. She’s a big-time role model of mine and in honor of her winning the fanciest and most important American literary prize you can win, I think it’s time to talk about why she should be a role model for us all. 1.) She writes to the beat of her own drum. 2.) 3.) 4.) 5.) Famous Advice on Writing: The Collected Wisdom of Great Writers. By Maria Popova By popular demand, I’ve put together a periodically updated reading list of all the famous advice on writing presented here over the years, featuring words of wisdom from such masters of the craft as Kurt Vonnegut, Susan Sontag, Henry Miller, Stephen King, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Susan Orlean, Ernest Hemingway, Zadie Smith, and more. Please enjoy. Jennifer Egan on Writing, the Trap of Approval, and the Most Important Discipline for Aspiring Writers “You can only write regularly if you’re willing to write badly… Accept bad writing as a way of priming the pump, a warm-up exercise that allows you to write well.”
James O'Barr. James O'Barr (born January 1, 1960) is an American graphic artist, best known as the creator of the comic book series The Crow.[1] Personal life[edit] O'Barr, an orphan, was raised in the foster care system.[2] He studied Renaissance sculpture, live models and photographic still lifes. In the 1990s O'Barr was affiliated with the experimental metal band Trust Obey, which was signed briefly to Trent Reznor's Nothing label before the band was dropped.
Trust Obey released the album Fear and Bullets: Music to Accompany The Crow in 1993. The album was packaged with a special edition of The Crow graphic novel. As of the mid-2000s, O'Barr resides in Dallas with his daughter.[3] The Crow[edit] O'Barr's own hope that his project would result in a personal catharsis went unfulfilled, he told an interviewer in 1994, saying, "[A]s I drew each page, it made me more self-destructive, if anything....There is pure anger on each page".[6] The Crow has sold more than 750,000 copies worldwide.[7] Acclaim[edit]
Amazon. Iain Banks. M. John Harrison. Early years[edit] Harrison was born in Rugby, Warwickshire in 1945 to an engineering family.[1] His father died when he was a teenager and he found himself "bored, alienated, resentful and entrapped", playing truant from Dunsmore School (now Ashlawn School).[1] An English teacher introduced him to George Bernard Shaw and he was immediately "hooked on polemic".[1] He left school in 1963 at age 18; he worked at various times as a groom (Atherstone Hunt), a student teacher (1963–65), and a clerk for the Royal Masonic Charity Institute, London (1966).
His hobbies included dwarfs, electric guitars and writing pastiches of H. H. Munro.[2] His early interest in dwarfs continued through various of his novels, via characters such as Arm the Dwarf in The Committed Men, Choplogic the dwarf in the Viriconium series, and so on. The New Wave science fiction movement[edit] The 1970s[edit] Harrison's first novel of the Viriconium sequence (see below), The Pastel City also appeared in 1971. The 1980s[edit] Alasdair Gray.
Gray's works combine elements of realism, fantasy, and science fiction, plus clever use of typography and his own illustrations. He has also written on politics, in support of socialism and Scottish independence, and on the history of English literature. He has been described by author Will Self as "a creative polymath with an integrated politico-philosophic vision",[5] and as "a great writer, perhaps the greatest living in this archipelago today"[6] and by himself as "a fat, spectacled, balding, increasingly old Glasgow pedestrian".[7] Life[edit] Book cover designed and illustrated by Alasdair Gray.
Gray was born in Riddrie, east Glasgow. Gray illustrates his books himself, and has produced many murals as well as paintings. He has been married twice: firstly to Inge Sorenson (1961–1970), and since 1991 to Morag McAlpine. He produced the ceiling mural for The Auditorium of the Oran Mor on Byres Road in Glasgow, one of the largest works of art in Scotland. [1] Quotes[edit] "That's suicide! " Developing a Solid Third Person Point of View | Ellen Brock. Les Fleurs du mal. Advice to Writers. Roland Barthes by Roland Barthes. Rainer Maria Rilke. Roland Barthes. Antonin Artaud. December 2013. Sleepproductivitywriters_1500_1.jpg (JPEG Image, 1500 × 5664 pixels) - Scaled (11%)
Ask The Writer: What novels are “must reads” for fiction writers?<br /> A Conversation with Zadie Smith. 3 Books Every Writer Needs to Read - Olle Lindholm. J. M. Coetzee. Augusten Burroughs. Augusten Burroughs Quotes (Author of Running with Scissors)