Writing Characters Using Conflict & Backstory Seven Steps To Creating Characters That Write Themselves Creating characters that are believable takes time and discipline. Creating dynamically real individuals and not imposing your own thoughts and impressions upon them is not easy to do, and is often the difference between a novel or screenplay that sits in a closet and one that finds its way around town and into the hands of audiences. Spending your time building your characters before they enter the world of your story makes the process of writing an easier and more enjoyable ride, and creates a finished product that agents, publishers, producers and readers can truly be excited by. You must first agree to operate from the understanding that the three-dimensionality of your characters is not created magically. The complexity that you desire comes through: 1. The first key to deepening your work is finding the major motivators in the lives of your characters that drive their actions. 2. 3. 4. 5. Emotions are extreme. 6. 7.
descriptive words chart Novel Writing Help Stephen King's Top 20 Rules for Writers Image by the USO, via Flickr Commons In one of my favorite Stephen King interviews, for The Atlantic, he talks at length about the vital importance of a good opening line. “There are all sorts of theories,” he says, “it’s a tricky thing.” We’ve talked so much about the reader, but you can’t forget that the opening line is important to the writer, too. This is excellent advice. Revision in the second draft, “one of them, anyway,” may “necessitate some big changes” says King in his 2000 memoir slash writing guide On Writing. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. See a fuller exposition of King’s writing wisdom at Barnes & Noble’s blog. Related Content: Stephen King Creates a List of 96 Books for Aspiring Writers to Read Stephen King Writes A Letter to His 16-Year-Old Self: “Stay Away from Recreational Drugs” Ray Bradbury Offers 12 Essential Writing Tips and Explains Why Literature Saves Civilization Kurt Vonnegut’s Eight Tips on How to Write a Good Short Story
Writers Online 6 Ways to Hook Your Readers Although I consider myself an avid reader, I must admit I have a short attention span when it comes to getting into books. If you fail to grab my attention in the first few lines, I start spacing out. Most readers are like me. Here are a few things I find annoying in the first lines of a story: Dialogue. The last thing you want to do as a writer is annoy or bore people. (N.B. 1. Put a question in your readers’ minds. “Those old cows knew trouble was coming before we did.” 2. By starting at an important moment in the story, your reader is more likely to want to continue so he or she can discover what will happen next. “It was dark where she was crouched but the little girl did as she’d been told.” 3. Description is good when it encourages people to paint a picture in their minds. “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” 4. The promise of reading more about a character you find intriguing will, no doubt, draw you into a story’s narrative. 5. 6.
10 Amazing Historical Conflicts That Are Completely Forgotten History While some wars and skirmishes stand out and are immortalized in television, art, and film, history is full of thousands of fascinating conflicts that most have never heard about. The following are just 10 of these. 10The Battle Of Bloody Bayc.1480 This just might be the mother of all father versus son conflicts. After King James I of Scotland was captured and held prisoner in England in 1406, Scottish barons gained tremendous authority over the people. Everything was to change, however, when John Macdonald took over as ruler of the clan. With Angus Og and his father John commandeering either side, the two armies met in an extraordinarily violent and murderous skirmish that took place off the coast of Mull. 9The Lusitanian War155–139 B.C. When the army under praetor Servius Sulpicius Galba and proconsul Lucius Licinius Lucullus occupied the land of the Lusitani, a small Celtic tribe, the Lusitanians offered a treaty of peace to the Romans along with willful submission. Dr.
Home - Flovoco Beginner Novel Writer's Tips Create A Plot Outline In 8 Easy Steps By Glen C. Strathy How would you like to create a plot outline for your novel in less than an hour that is emotionally compelling and dramatically sound? It's easier than you think. The secret is to incorporate the 8 Basic Plot Elements. Sound intriguing? I'll describe each of the eight elements in turn. On the other hand, if you already have a draft for a novel, that you're looking to revise, then ask yourself, as we go through these elements, whether you have included them in your story. 1. 15K+Save The first element to include in your plot outline is the Story Goal, which we covered in detail in the previous article, The Key to a Solid Plot: Choosing a Story Goal. For instance, let's say we want to write a story about a 38-year-old female executive who has always put off having a family for the sake of her career and now finds herself lonely and regretting her choices. There are many ways we could involve other characters in this goal. ... a mother who wants her to be happier. 2. 3.
Random Story Generator This thing is so fun. Prepare yourself! The idea I had was to create a sentence that sounded like a brief plot outline or even a TV Guide blurb for a Christian speculative novel. I wanted to create several variables that would be randomly supplied by a little software utility, thus supplying a plot outline that might just be crazy enough to give you an idea spark. So I conscripted my Christian speculative novelist buddy, Randall Ingermanson, to do the coding. The paragraph you see below in blue is what the software generated for you just now. Have fun! Note that if nothing happens, you may have to click to allow ActiveX content to be shown on the page. This is a werewolf story about a pretender who wants to return to his/her home but is prevented from doing so by an earthquake bent on beating the devil at his own game. Tell me another story! To learn the secrets of writing fiction that sells . . . and sells, check out all the back issues of the Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine.
Get Me Writing » 5 Fool-Proof Ways to Put your Muse to Work EmailEmail Are you at the mercy of your Muse? Do you wake at night drenched in sweat, the icy fingers of a nightmare still clinging to your heart? But first, as we’ll be speaking about inspiration, the inspiration for this post comes from an episode of The Creative Penn. Once upon a time, I was one of those awful teenager things, and wasted my time even more than I do now. By the time I decided to take writing more seriously (many years later), that fickle fairy had up and left, returning only very occasionally. It might be that the teenage mind has better access to the Muse phone line (for some reason I’m imagining a purple version of the Batphone in Commissioner Gordon’s office); it might be that my head had more space, more freedom to create (more on that later). "You're right, Chief O'Hara. Whatever the reason, I have to try harder to coax the Muse back from the Queen’s Head so we can sit and have a chat, but it can be done! For a Start, Write Stuff Down Your Muse loves space/downtime
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