sometimes I wonder if the writers hear themselves....
@ tma fanfic writers where the "they get memories from the future in the middle of an argument" fics at?? ú___u /lh click for better quality, tunglr really fukd me over with these u____u
Jerry Quinn discusses proper forms of address and peerage among feudal nobility.
Artists and writers have long sought to figure out how to be more creative. Many have used magick and the occult to unlock inspiration. Here's how!
@ tma fanfic writers where the "they get memories from the future in the middle of an argument" fics at?? ú___u /lh click for better quality, tunglr really fukd me over with these u____u
People don't seem to realize that sexism no longer exists today and both sexes are treated with complete equality, especially in the entertainment industry. If anything, men are the ones being discriminated against.
Candid does not give grants/donations, suggest specific funders, or approach them on your behalf. More about Candid’s mission. Please refer to the tips and websites in this article. If art...
© ArchetypeWriting.com – Got psychology/writing questions? Visit The Fiction Writer’s Guide to Psychology May be reproduced freely for personal and educational purposes only Body Language Che…
Early humans ate each other — but why?
Prague in Winter Have you ever written an acrostic poem? Maybe you have and didn't realize what the correct name for it happened to be. To write this kind of poem, you write a word vertically, one letter to each line. An example: J O Y Then you write a line for each letter, using the first letter as part of the first word in the line. The lines should have some relation to the word you wrote. Write your word vertically in caps and the rest of each line as you would normally write. You can also write an acrostic poem by using only one word that is descriptive for the word you selected. Acrostic poems are fun to write, and they can be used in many ways with kids at school or at parties. Adults will have a little more detailed lines. Acrostic poems can highlight good things or bad, what you like about something or what you don't like. They can be seasonal or use everyday words. Right now, we're getting ready for Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. There are lots of words to be used for each holiday. Think of the many words associated with these holidays to help you write your acrostic poem. C H R I S T M A S H A N U K K A H K W A N Z A A Try taking one item associated with a holiday to write another acrostic poem. C A N D Y C A N E C A N D L E S Here's one I wrote that has nothing to do with a holiday: Writing is a joy Reading helps me write I love to write Try to write every day Each of us can write if we try Racing to finish what I write some days And one more: Bring me something to read Owning many volumes Old ones, new ones Knowledge comes from a book
There are many things that I could stand to improve in as a writer‒say, everything‒but I have been told that one of the things that I have halfway down is creating characters. Since I started sharing my writing a year or two ago, I have heard time and time again that my characters are alive, so I sat down today, thought about my character process, and put together my strategy. Getting to know your characters is a lot like getting to know real people. You must spend time with them‒or in the case of characters, think on them. You must consider how all of their traits feed into other ones, and how they affect them. It’s easier said than done, but I do believe that with some practice, it can be as natural as getting ideas, and far simpler than English grammar. So here is the list that I compiled of things to consider‒in order of what I believe to be more important to less important. Flaws Quirks Interests Preferences Kind of vague, isn’t it? Here’s the more in-depth version with one of my characters being used as an example. Flaws‒Aaand this is the one that makes people people. It’s also the one that writers seem to enjoy to leave out, and I think I know why. This is why: Flaws make people less-desirable, (while some won’t admit that they think that, it’s the underlying reason for all of the picture-perfect characters in books), and people are afraid of people not liking their characters. But with that said, people are not interesting without flaws. Character‒These are the more plot-affecting flaws, usually. They’re the problems such as “not knowing when to shut up”, “finding other’s misfortunes hilarious”, or even “a tendency to lie about everything”. The latter is one of the character flaws of my character, Riley. Psychological‒These are the flaws that give the characters more depth of mind, in my opinion. Personality disorders and disabilities are good additions to any character, even though they in themselves are not good things. For example, Riley is a borderline sociopath. That makes her very complex, as well as creating a great deal of tension between her and the other characters, Physical‒I don’t find this one to be the most important, but it adds some depth as well. Imperfect people are much easier to sympathize with than the golden people we read about who have perfectly symmetrical faces and flawless physique. I don’t really enjoy reading about those people, unless there is a good reason for it. (i.e., the character is a model or the result of a genetic experiment. In which case, perfection is almost acceptable. ;) ) Riley is short‒not quite 5 feet tall‒and weighs more than would be acceptable according to most modeling agencies guidelines. Which doesn’t quite fit the cookie-cutter character list, if ya get me. Quirks‒My personal favorite. As a person who is quite quirky, as well as loving adversity, this has always been the category that I don’t run out of ideas for. So now are your characters not only imperfect, they are also unusual. It’s starting to sound like a nightmare for every Mary-Jane in the world! (It’s starting to sound real. *gasp*) Speech‒I personally love different voices. Accents, improper uses of long words, improper grammar‒they make speech a fun thing to listen to. Not lawful, (grammarly speaking,) but fun. (What fun is obeying every rule? Not much.) Riley’s manner of speech and her isms are subtle, but “there” enough that she doesn’t sound like the others. For example, when someone asks her a question, the order in which she replies is unusual. Like this: “Are you okay?” “I’m okay, yeah. It’s been a weird week, but I’m okay. Man, I’d like a break.” And that’s the way she talks. She never says yes, just “yeah”, and she directly refers to people as “man”, even if they’re not. Mannerisms‒These are not my strong suit, but I know that they’re important. Things like wringing your hands when you’re nervous, clearing your throat when you have nothing to say, and pursing your lips are all different mannerisms‒and all people have them. That should make it obvious that all characters should have them, too. Riley smirks a lot‒very generic, I know. Don’t judge my lack of creativity, hehe‒and when she cries she does so without making any noise. (I really need to work on giving my characters mannerisms.) Fears‒(This one probably could have been placed with the “Flaws”, but I thought it more of a quirk, since it isn’t exactly something that is wrong with people.) Fears are the darkest parts of people’s subconscious. They influence the character’s behavior, the other characters’ behavior, and the plot of the story. They’re very important, in other words. In my recently finished manuscript, Riley has a horrible fear of water, caused by an accident in her teenage years, which entangles itself throughout the entire story and gives her character some flavor. (She seems completely collected and arrogant, but water turns her into a frightened child.) Interests‒These are fun, but a bit harder to think of. I mean, it’s pretty simple to give non-cliché interests to characters. But at the same time, it’s a lot of fun to give them things to do aside from carrying the plot on their shoulders‒and it’s even more fun to think about. (I daydream a lot.) Hobbies‒Ah, yes. The silver lining of the cloud of the subject. Give them a love of art, of sports, of literature‒is there anything more fun than designing lives? My only advice: to go crazy. Don’t rationalize the hobby thing. That’s the fun of it. (Riley loves to prank people, play video games, and be dramatic. She would have more hobbies, but her life hasn’t been very supportive of normal pastimes.) Dreams‒Some characters have more dreams than others. Not all characters have to have many dreams. After all, not all people dream about a better future, learning how to fly an airplane, or solving world hunger. Some people are just more grounded in the present, are more rational, and for that reason don’t dream. But for your more fanciful characters, dreams are the icing on the cake. The hopes, dreams, desires, and etc. are the things that drive the plot forward. Riley, however, unlike her fellow characters, doesn’t really dream at all. She knows what’s up and doesn’t really think about the future. (It’s a dangerous habit to get into. Just ask her.) Preferences‒The less important category of individual qualities, preferences are the finishing details of the character. But details are fun. Don’t let their lesser importance stop you from making them unique. =) Style‒This encompasses two different things‒clothes and other appearance factors. What is your character’s style like? How do they wear their hair? If relevant, do they wear makeup? What kind of clothes do they wear? Do they dress eccentrically? These are all fun things to consider. Riley doesn’t wear makeup or do her hair, and she dresses very casually. These things make her much more real, personality-wise. Her personality and her style match perfectly, which is the way it’s supposed to be. Dislikes‒Haha… how fun. Give them something to hate. Find a food, an animal, or basically anything that they can’t stand, and let them do the rest. Whining makes it authentic, if the character is prone to that sort of shenanigans. Riley doesn’t like nosy people or following rules. Does that help you? I hope so‒that was my intention with sharing the list, anyway. Tell me what you think! And I’ll see you all again next week, with another post. (Don’t know what about yet, though.) ~Alyssa
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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?
Psychiatrist Jonathan Peeples discusses what writers should know about the symptoms and treatment of schizophrenia
Want to make money freelance writing? Learn how Gina went from $0 to $4,000 per month as a freelance writer in less than six months!
For this redditor, the silver lining of being let go from their job became bigger than expected thanks to his boss and malicious compliance.
Timely and therefore timeless: Revisiting the words of James Baldwin.
#3 in non-fiction. The first book is done at 200 parts and thanks to you it was pretty successful so I decided to go for another part to continue with the random tips, quotes and advices. hopefully, this will reach more and more writers and help many aspiring authors to improve their writing skills. ENJOY :)) **I DO NOT OWN THE COPYRIGHT TO THE MATERIALS PUBLISHED IN THIS BOOK. A big THANK YOU to @martaxSofia for making the pretty covers for the books. :)
Whether you are trying to write a novel, pen an epic poem, or maintain a blog about this or that, it’s inevitable that you will at some point experience one of the following: lack of inspiration decrease in motivation general malaise writing burnout general I-don’t-give-a-shit Some people refer to these symptoms as “writer’s block,” but I … Continue reading What to Write About When You Have Nothing to Write About
By Jody Hedlund, @JodyHedlund One surefire way writers can garner negative reviews is by making one or more of their main characters un...
The most valuable chart…
Have a chart I developed for visualizing the disposition of your character! This is partly inspired by a chart I saw of Aristotle’s Golden Mean, which is a system he had for developing good character,...
For this Monday, Rachel of R's Loft and I decided to exchange blog posts! Fun, right? I've never had a guest post on this blog b...
More than 4 billion people live in urban areas globally. It’s now projected that by 2050, more than two-thirds of the world population will live in urban areas. So no wonder we pay more importance to the buildings and structures around us.
So, let me guess-- you just started a new book, right? And you're stumped. You have no idea how much an AK47 goes for nowadays. I get ya, cousin. Tough world we live in. A writer's gotta know, but...
The underworld is perhaps the most important motif in mythology and literature - tied up with ideas about life, the afterlife, belief, culture, storytelling, and the psyche, it's the setting of humanity's reckoning with the ephemeral nature of mortality. As writers, we can use the motif of the underworld in two aspects: The underworld as world of adventure The underworld as world of the dead
Spotlight by Vern
The graphic is intended as a mind map or a checklist for kick-starting world-building exercises. At its heart, it reminds us that things are connected.
Sociologist Hannah Emery discusses important considerations when developing fantasy cultures in novels.
So, I’m back with my World Building series. So far, I’ve discussed topics such as water, atmosphere, sun, seasons and land so now let’s get to some of those living organisms. Ther…
This guide aims to teach you how to write quotable dialogue in your novels and scripts.
Proofreading is one of the last phases of the writing process where you carefully seek out and correct grammatical and typographical errors in your final draft before presenting your work to an aud…
Four artists are drawn into a web of rivalry and desire at an elite art school and on the streets of New York in this magnificent debut for fans of Writers & Lovers and The Goldfinch.
There's a lot to learn from JK Rowling's writing philosophy—and a lot to leave behind. Try these 9 principles in your writing, and let go of anything that doesn't help you.
