Developing a Growth Mindset in Teachers and Staff
Davide Bonazzi is an illustrator from Bologna, Italy, who creates thought-provoking images about modern-day social issues. He is a full-time illustrator and has been drawing since he was a child. "In a way, I've created illustrations from childhood, from the moment I could hold a pencil," he told Bored Panda.
Blogger Richard Curwin looks at improving the sometimes dysfunctional dynamic between teachers and parents by having them respect each other's efforts and put the student first.
Ah yes, torturing readers, your favourite hobby!
Explore a treasure trove of career advice, networking tips, and practical guidance to succeed in your job search and thrive in the working world.
Forty years after his breakthrough role in Little House on the Prairie, the actor is thrilling TV audiences as a drug cartel money launderer. But he almost threw his career away
First of all, we want culturally diverse characters. But more importantly, we want to create organic representations of culturally diverse characters. So how do we do this without coming off unreal…
Your success depends on your self-development. Here's a list of my top favorites and best personal development books everyone should read.
Complete with 52 key lessons and self-testing methods, this book provides you with the tools you need to enhance your memory Written by an eight-times World Memory Champion, this book is an expert course in memory enhancement. Dominic O'Brien takes you step-by-step through an ingenious program of skills, introducing the tried and tested techniques that have played a crucial role in his triumphant championship performances. Dominic paces the course in line with his expert understanding of how the brain responds to basic memory, providing a realistic but impressive timeline. Not only will you be able to expand your mental capacities quickly and effectively, but you'll see how the benefits of improved memory can lead to greater personal and career success.
Uptown Fünke.
It’s important to develop the voice of your character(s) because it will make them more alive and realistic. By voice, I mean the way he speaks and thinks. In this post, I have therefore compiled a list of questions to help you develop the voice of your character.
As most readers will tell you, there is something quite disturbing about a character who loves dogs one moment and is terrified of them the next, or who has pants on at the beginning of a line of d…
“PTSD” or “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder” is such a common term today that one can scarcely read the headlines or watch TV and not hear it at least once
To give your characters some texture and make them feel more realistic, consider balancing their virtues with a sprinkle of toxicity.
Now Available in Paperback! In Einstein Never Used Flashcards highly credentialed child psychologists, Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Ph.D., and Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, Ph.D., with Diane Eyer, Ph.D., offer a...
by Stephanie Morrill Stephanie writes young adult contemporary novels and is the creator of GoTeenWriters.com. Her novels include The Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt series (Revell) and the Ellie Sweet books (Playlist). You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and check out samples of her work on her author website. We are so excited to share that there were 204 entries to the 100-word contest that closed on Friday! Finalists should be announced later this week. A writer emailed me with a great editing question. She wanted to know how to judge if her character had developed well over the course of the story. Even when you enjoy the editing process (which is an acquired taste, in my opinion) there's always the possibility that you're so close to your novel that you can't see the flaws. This happens to novices and seasoned writers alike. That's one of the reasons why it's helpful to know about story structure even if you never fill out a plotting spreadsheet in your life; you can use it after you've written the book to be sure the building blocks for a strong story are there. A faulty character arc is, in my opinion, one of the easiest things to accidentally overlook. Maybe it's like how mother's don't always see their kids with the clearest eye. (In the Harry Potter books, the way that the parents fawn over Dudley is hilarious because we all know parents who look at their super bratty kids and somehow think they're wonderful.) We love our main characters, and it can be hard to see them clearly. Here are a few questions you can ponder as you try to determine if you've done your work with character development: (Warning: I use Cars and Pride and Prejudice as examples of character development so if you haven't seen Cars or experienced Pride and Prejudice and don't want to spoil it for yourself, I wouldn't read on!) What can your character do at the end of the novel that they couldn't do at the beginning? My favorite scene in Cars is that last one, where Lightning McQueen sacrifices winning first place in order to push The King across the finish line. The first few times I watched that movie, I actually got teary at that scene. (Now that I've seen it approximately 100 times, I just get goosebumps.) That scene is so powerful because it's the fruit of the journey that Lightning McQueen has been on. When we met him, all he cared about was winning the Piston cup and landing Dinoco as his sponsor. He never would have sacrificed those two things. But by the end of the movie, we see him do something both sacrificial and heroic. Once you've figured out what your character can do at the end that they couldn't do in the beginning, you need to make sure the scenes are in place that will make that moment plausible. First Lightning learned how to accept racing wisdom from somebody else. Then other characters speak truth into his life - like Sally saying that she used to be rich and live a faster pace life but that she was never really happy. And then Doc asking Lightning when the last time was that he did something for somebody else. Both those statements strike a chord with Lightning and set change in motion. We also have the scene at the end of the second act where Lightning buys something from every store in town before he leaves. That gives the viewer a glimpse of how much change has taken place, and it sets us up for his heroic finish. Does your character have a lie they believe at the beginning, and how have they been set free? A great example of this is Pride and Prejudice. Lizzy believes Mr. Darcy is nothing more than a proud, rich dude and that he would prefer to not spend time with her. There's a reason she believes these things and at times there are shades of truth to them. (Which is a great quality in a story lie.) By the end of the book, Lizzy has not only learned the truth about Mr. Darcy and his feelings for her, she has seen her own errors. Like how she was too quick to believe Mr. Wickham and the lies he spread about the Darcy family. Your character's lie needs to be chipped away. Yes, it's great to have that big scene where the lie is obliterated, but you should have several scenes that have prepared your main character and your reader. In Pride and Prejudice, Lizzy is offered several reasons to doubt what she believes about Mr. Darcy. For one thing, he proposed to her. She now can no longer fully believe that the only thing Darcy cares about is his social status, because he never would have proposed to her otherwise. When she sees him so attentive with his sister, she can no longer think him cold and unfeeling. The lie is chipped away until it's obliterated by the measures Darcy goes to when he redeems the reputation of the Bennet family. Is your character's dream tested multiple times? In Pride and Prejudice, Lizzy intends to marry only for love, which in the time the book was set, was a very courageous goal. She is proposed to by Mr. Collins, whom she doesn't even like, but who is to inherit the house they live in when her father dies. Marrying him would ensure security not just for herself but for her mother and four sisters as well. Saying no to him takes a lot of bravery. Again, Lizzy is proposed to. This time by Mr. Darcy, who is considered the most eligible bachelor of all. This is another opportunity to save her family, but Lizzy detests the man, and turns him down. Whatever your character's dream is, make sure you've found several places in the story to test their resolve. This deepens their internal growth and may teach them something about what motivates them. Marrying for love is a noble goal, but Lightning McQueen dreams of being the first rookie to win the Piston Cup due to his desire for fame. During his journey, he's forced to acknowledge that his fame isn't as important as having friends. What happened in your character's past that they need to get over? Many main characters have a dark wound - something that happened in their past that damaged them. Figuring out your character's journey for breaking free of a dark wound can do amazing things for their development. Jill Williamson does a wonderful job of this with Captives. There's a collective dark wound for the brothers - a friend who died in an accidental shooting - plus each brother enters the story with his own dark wound. Omar and Mason have been run down by their father for years because they're not hunters. And Levi has been haunted by a mistake he made with a girl from another tribe. Recovering from the dark wound is a process, and often the dark wound is wrapped in a lie, so your character first has to dig through the lie to find the dark wound before they can start their recovery. These are not mandatory elements of a story, just a few tools you can use to help determine the growth of your characters over the course of the story. Without giving away endings, what are some of your favorite character arcs?
Learning essential German verbs in the present tense is an important part of mastering the German language. Verbs are the backbone of any language and understanding how to use them correctly in the present tense will help you to communicate effectively and accurately. It is also key to developing a strong foundation for learning more complex verb forms. With a good grasp on these essential verbs, you will be able to express yourself better and understand conversations more easily. This PDF is great for any beginner or intermediate students of the German language or anyone that wants to get by in a day to day conversation. You can learn the essential German verbs easy and fast with this visual tool. Verbs included on the PDF: Sein – to be Haben – to have Kommen – to come Sollen – to be suppose Gehen – to go Sprechen – to speak/talk Machen – to make/do Laufen – to walk Müssen – to must / have to Fragen – to ask Helfen – to help Glauben – to believe Mögen – to like/want Kaufen – to buy Essen – to eat Denken – to think Sehen – to see/realize Suchen – to search Finden – to find Wohnen – to live Wissen – to know Geben – to give Arbeiten – to work Tragen – to carry / wear Werden – to become
As long as humanity has had beliefs in a higher power, the use of magic, spells, curses, and incantations have featured widely across cultures. A number of influential texts or ‘grimoires’ (textbooks of magic) were developed over the centuries, many of which became the books of choice for secret societies and occult organizations that endured well into the twentieth century.
For starters, always leave a note.
4 Scenes you can write That Reveal Who Your Character Is Seamlessly and professionally. Use these scenes to reveal your characters in stories
TweetPin2EmailShare When you’ve put a lot of time and care into crafting the perfect character for your story, it can be difficult to give them any trait that could be... Read more »
Sociologist Hannah Emery discusses important considerations when developing fantasy cultures in novels.
As most readers will tell you, there is something quite disturbing about a character who loves dogs one moment and is terrified of them the next, or who has pants on at the beginning of a line of d…
Whether you're writing a villain or a tragic hero, these steps will help make their downfall as tragic (and juicy) as possible.
Let's talk about how to wake up early without feling exhausted, so you can exercise, study, have some time for yourself or get to work earlier!
Explores the ethical, legal, and societal issues arising from brain imaging, psychopharmacology, and other new developments in neuroscience.Neuroscience increasingly allows us to explain, predict, and...
As much as I love royals, witches, rebels and assassins, there are other jobs out there for your fantasy heroes!
A plot hole is a gap, contradiction or inconsistency in a storyline that goes against the internal logic of the story. It's the kind of slip-up that makes switched-on readers say, "Wait, hang on a second!"
Just be happy you can wake up.
Let's take some good traits and take them to their worst possible conclusions, twisting them into something negative.
This guide gives you some tips on dropping hints of romance without explicitly stating it, or having your characters shout it from the rooftops.
She doesn't understand the question, and she won't respond to it.
Sometimes dialogue sounds stiff, clunky, or unnatural. Try these tricks to make your dialogue sound more natural and less written.
If you want to subtly introduce key worldbuilding info without relying on info dumps, here are a few ideas.
35 Powerful Inspirational Quotes.
Mark Manson's new book, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, hits shelves and Kindles everywhere TODAY. And it'll melt your face right off--in a good way.
Buster Bluth from Arrested Development is just a large man-child. And really, aren't we all just giant children?
How do us elders separate ourselves from those who only know what it means to upload? Here are 17 tools and toys you’ll immediately recognize if you still remember the heyday of Kodak. Bring on the nostalgia. 1. You loaded your own sheet film 2. You know what this is 3. You own one of…
When you're parenting gifted or twice-exceptional kids, you often feel lost and alone -- like nobody will ever truly get what you live on a day-to-day basis. I felt that way, and it's one of the reasons I created RLL in the first place... I hoped to bring other parents of tough kids together -- and to
This list outlines some cliches I commonly see in modern fantasy novels.
If you want to send your readers into a 3AM reading frenzy, these ideas could help!
Since I started this blog, I've been trying to figure out something that I could do that hasn't been done a thousand times before. All the advice I know has been given by far better bloggers than I and far better than I'm capable of. The Moments of the Week slowed to a boring crawl. I don't want to be the jerk who just talks about me. But you know what I've realized? I am really good at making lists. And between writing and years of playing tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons, I've come to enjoy making characters and helping others make them. So why not continue making lists like the hobbies one to help other people with their character creation? Most likely, this won't be a long-running thing, as there are only so many lists needed for character and world building, but I guarantee, you'll be able to find it here. Today, we're looking at bad habits. No character is perfect. Everyone's got these little quirks that they know they should work on fixing. Pick one or two (or more!) for your characters to make them more well-rounded and maybe give them something to improve about themselves. Bad Habits Apologizing Arguing Biting pens/pencils Blaming others Bottling emotions Bragging Buying things and not using them Cheating Cheek or Lip biting/tearing Chewing Chewing tobacco Coveting others' things Cracking knuckles/joints Cutting corners/skimping Drinking / Getting drunk Eating junk food Eating late Eating out daily Eating with mouth open Fidgeting Forgetfulness Gambling Grinding teeth Hair chewing/sucking Hangnail pulling Hard drugs Holding grudges Impatience Impulse purchasing Inability to sit still Internet overuse Interrupting Jaywalking Judging others Kleptomania Leaving dirty clothes/dishes out Littering Losing temper Losing things Lying Making puns Nail biting/picking No self-control Not backing up data Not bathing Not brushing teeth Not caring for health when sick Not involving others in decisions that affect them Not knowing limits Not listening/ignoring others Not responding to messages Not trying new things Overeating Oversleeping Overspending Picking at skin/scabs Picking nose Playing with hair Pornography addiction Procrastinating Selfishness Sitting still for long periods Smoking Snooze button overuse Speaking in 3rd person Staring Starting projects without finishing Staying up late Stress/emotional eating Stubbornness Sucking thumbs Tapping fingers/feet Too much TV Tugging ears Unprotected sex Using cell phone/tablet in social situations Using other people's stuff Verbal tics ("like")
Welcome to FYCD, a hub for information dealing with character creation, development, and writing. Feel free to submit any information you have on character development or writing in general by clicking on the submit button on the upper-left of the page!
It’s important to develop the voice of your character(s) because it will make them more alive and realistic. By voice, I mean the way he speaks and thinks. In this post, I have therefore compiled a list of questions to help you develop the voice of your character.
