10 Writing Rules You Can't Break...And How to Break Them A guest post by Eric Cummings of On Violence First, there was the “old school.” A bunch of stubborn grammarians got together and decided what defined “proper English.” Don’t end sentences with prepositions, never begin a sentence with “and” or “but,” and never split infinitives. Then came the “new school” in the sixties. Well, as part of the millennial generation, I’ve got some criticisms for the “new school”, “the old school” and other pieces of advice that I think hold writers back. 1. This advice is considered gospel for a reason: nothing is worse than confused, labyrinthine prose. At the same time, clear writing is different than simple writing. Also, feel free to write long sentences and paragraphs. 2. I see this advice all the time: write with confidence. This advice is intended to prevent writers from using wishy-washy verbs, adjectives or qualifiers. 3. This has become the new school mantra. That said, let big words come naturally. 4. So one, learn what the passive voice is. 5.
The Fantasy Fiction Formula "Rob Parnell is the World's Foremost Writing Guru" - Writers Digest Best Writers' Site - Critters #1 Best Writers' Info Site 2010 - 2011 Writers! Click here to get published free by Magellan Books. The Fantasy Fiction Formula Rob Parnell Now, most fantasy writers have been constructing their fictional world since childhood. I remember an interview with JK Rowling where she wandered her home town for the camera, recounting the points, places and people that influenced her Harry Potter world, right from when she was a kid. Similarly, JR Tolkein was an ardent lifelong scholar of "Middle Earth" languages way before he set pen to paper. But if you're new to the genre, where do you begin? Many professional fantasy writers will joke about 'the formula' for good fantasy because it does exist and good fantasy authors still use it - not because they're lazy but because the fans want it - in fact insist on it! It has been condensed thus: 'Hero, artifact, quest'. Get a very large sheet of paper.
Why You Should Blog I got tagged with a blog meme about why I blog by Andy, but rather than simply ennumerate my personal reasons, I decided to go bigger and describe all the reasons, personal and professional, that should encourage you to start a blog (or continue to update the one you write). Codify Your Thoughts Writing forces you to succinctly, accurately describe your point. Blogs are short form and often contain a single serving of news, opinion, analysis or recommendation. So why do I, personally, blog? Surely, there are dozens of other reasons to blog, so please do share. 10 More Websites That Help Cure Writer’s Block With Writing Prompts From jumping into the shower to using voice recognition software, these famous authors (some Booker Prize awardees) have their own idiosyncrasies. But all of them seem to agree on one hurdle: the dread of writer’s block. Most of us are nowhere near those heights, but we do our own form of writing, like blog posts or simple journaling. Even then, sometimes the words just refuse to come. That’s when writing prompts can help. Creative Writing Prompts We start off with a popular site for writing prompts. Writing Fix WritingFix.com is an educator’s resource for writing lessons and language skills. Plinky A prompt each day should help you light the spark of creativity. Fifteen Minutes of Fiction The writer’s site allows you to break the stranglehold of dullness with aids like Grab Brag ““ the randomly generated writing prompt that authors can use to get started on writing an essay, story or poem. The Story Starter How about 1,108,918,470 creative prompts to make you perk up and start to write?
Write It Sideways » Blog Archive » 5 Visual Strategies for Plotting Your Novel I don’t know about you, but for me, plotting a full-length novel is one of the most difficult aspects of writing. I tend to come up with a great premise, but turning that into a plot becomes a lot of work. I don’t usually get it right the first time, either. Personally, what works best for me during this outlining process is to have plenty of visual material on hand. If I can see the story taking shape, I can make all sorts of subconscious connections that wouldn’t otherwise surface. Here are 5 visual strategies I have used for outlining: 1. Pictures are a great way to visualize your plot, setting, and characters. You can keep either a digital file of pictures on your computer (taken yourself with a digital camera, or ones you find on the internet), or a real file with film pictures/magazine cutouts. Whichever you use, make sure you hold onto them for when you start actually writing. 2. 3. If you prefer more concrete methods of plotting to digital ones, try the good ol’ index card system.
You Have a Voice Yesterday, I challenged you with a question: “ Why should I read your blog? ” I was pleasantly surprised by many of your answers and the fact that you answered at all. But I want to speak for a moment to those of you who didn’t . I want to say something to those of you who don’t know why you blog or question your reason for writing. I need to affirm something, you see… …You have a voice. God gave you something to say. (Yes, I just used “fleeting fancies” in a blog post. You have a unique voice with a unique message. There is no reason why you can’t tell your story to hundreds, if not thousands of people. There is no rationale for people to not hear your voice except that you won’t use it . Maybe you’re scared or still don’t believe that you have something to say, so let me encourage you with a simple thought: Tell your story. And no one knows this tale as well as you do; in fact, it’s probably more interesting that you realize. So, tell us your story . You have a voice.
11 Rules of Writing -- a concise guide to important grammar, punctuation, and writing style rules This site is a concise guide to some of the most commonly violated rules of writing, grammar, and punctuation. It is intended for all writers as an aid in the learning and refining of writing skills. Explore each of The Rules to see examples of its application and find references that provide additional explanations and examples on the Web and in print. Visit our new blog for tips and strategies for writing, studying, homework, SAT/ACT, math, and much more at the Junket Studies Blog Want to improve your writing and help support this site at the same time?
religion in fantasy novels | helluo librorum Since no one burned my house down after the Tolkien post, I’m going out on a limb here and talk to you about using religion in your fantasy novels. Generally speaking, when building worlds in fantasy novels, the religions of your world will be a reflection of the religions here on good old planet earth. So I’m going to offer a few suggestions – take them or leave them: Know thy religion. Understand the core beliefs. Avoid stereotypes. Religions don’t kill. Treat all religions with respect. Don’t be malicious. World building is a difficult process; as a fantasy writer you are creating a whole social order, and you want it to be believable. A few articles to see: If you’re looking for a checklist of questions to ask when world building, go to the SFWA blog where Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions by Patricia C. Joe Wetzel at Inkwell Ideas has a great article with Worldbuilding: Fantasy Religion Design Guide, and a subsequent post, Worldbuilding: Fantasy Religion Design Example. Like this:
The Pros and Cons Of Tumblr For Small Business This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business. More and more businesses have been getting hip to social blogging platform Tumblr lately — specifically those involved in the fashion industry — which may have you wondering, "Should I be on Tumblr, too? Will the denizens of Hunting Knives R Us dig this blogging platform? Or should I just stick to ads in the local paper and — dare to dream — a Facebook Page?" Well, if you're a small business owner with your finger currently hovering over the "Start posting!" button, there are a few questions to consider first. Is Simple Always Better? Compared to platforms like WordPress, Tumblr is dead simple. Still, by hosting your content on a Tumblr, you're sacrificing some of the freedom other platforms afford. Ultimately, you have to ask yourself how much time and resources you're willing to invest in your blog. Looking Forward
25 Things You Should Know About Character Previous iterations of the “25 Things” series: 25 Things Every Writer Should Know 25 Things You Should Know About Storytelling And now… Here you’ll find the many things I believe — at this moment! 1. Without character, you have nothing. 2. A great character can be the line between narrative life and story death. 3. Don’t believe that all those other aspects are separate from the character. 4. The audience will do anything to spend time with a great character. 5. It is critical to know what a character wants from the start. 6. It doesn’t matter if we “like” your character, or in the parlance of junior high whether we even “like-like” your character. 7. It is critical to smack the audience in the crotchal region with an undeniable reason to give a fuck. 8. You must prove this thesis: “This character is worth the audience’s time.” 9. Don’t let the character be a dingleberry stuck to the ass of a toad as he floats downriver on a bumpy log. 10. 11. 12. 13. The law of threes. 15. 16. 17. 18.