25 Things Every Writer Should Know An alternate title for this post might be, “Things I Think About Writing,” which is to say, these are random snidbits (snippets + tidbits) of beliefs I hold about what it takes to be a writer. I hesitate to say that any of this is exactly Zen (oh how often we as a culture misuse the term “Zen” — like, “Whoa, that tapestry is so cool, it’s really Zen“), but it certainly favors a sharper, shorter style than the blathering wordsplosions I tend to rely on in my day-to-day writing posts. Anyway. Peruse these. Absorb them into your body. Feel free to disagree with any of these; these are not immutable laws. Buckle up. 1. The Internet is 55% porn, and 45% writers. 2. A lot of writers try to skip over the basics and leap fully-formed out of their own head-wombs. 3. 4. I have been writing professionally for a lucky-despite-the-number 13 years. 5. Luck matters. 6. Nobody becomes a writer overnight. 7. Your journey to becoming a writer is all your own. 8. 9. 10. Value is a tricky word. 11. 12.
CBG Wiki - The CBG Wiki News on the CBG Wiki New Updates - Minor updates to individual projects can be found on this page. May 23rd 2011 The wiki's image uploading problems are ongoing. February 8th 2011 The CBG is currently engaged in a game of Lexicon. 11 April 2009 This is a very important announcement. Yesterday, ten new accounts signed up to the wiki, none of which (as far as I can tell), are members of the CBG. 15 March 2009 Phoenix has created a new ranking system for the CBG for all our favorite books, games, movies, etcetera. 21 January 2009 Wow, first news in over half a year. 14 June 2008 After much discussion on the nature of whether or not to use a CCL on the site, and what type of license to use if we didn't choose a CCL, a decision has finally been made. 11 June 2008 I have implemented a new user welcome message. 29 May 2008 Please do not use the AuthorProtect extension - it has had to be temporarily enabled to fix some errors it caused, but it will not be staying on. 28 May 2008 26 May 2008 21 May 2008
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. Let’s look at ten unique websites that give a leg-up to the struggling writer with writing prompts and ideas. 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 Story Starter How about 1,108,918,470 creative prompts to make you perk up and start to write? Daydreaming on Paper The site says that it can inspire you with its random prompts. Toasted Cheese
Roleplaying Tips for game masters for all role-playing systems Roleplaying Tips Weekly E-Zine Issue #467 Contents: This Week's Tips Summarized Long Story Arcs - 3 Tips On How To Finish Long Story Arcs - 3 Tips On How To Finish Getting Your Family to RPG Game Master Tips & Tricks Summarized New GM Advice @ CampaignMastery.com Johnn Four's GM Guide Books Zombie Murder Mystery - Just in time for Halloween Have the time of your life while PCs struggle to hold on to theirs. Zombie Murder Mystery is a party game of who-done-it with a zombie infestation twist. One player is the evil necromancer. Zombie Murder Mystery (Disclaimer: affiliate link) Return to Contents A Brief Word From Johnn A Bit Late This Issue I just returned last night from a visit with my parents in Comox, British Columbia. I took a flight to get there and back, and I always aim for a window seat. I was at airports for a few hours all told this weekend, and as always I had my notebook with me. Hopefully you enjoy the tips this issue. Back Up Your Game Data Just a quick callout to backup your game data.
201 Ways to Arouse Your Creativity Arouse your creativity Electric flesh-arrows … traversing the body. A rainbow of color strikes the eyelids. A foam of music falls over the ears. It is the gong of the orgasm. ~ Anais Nin Creativity is like sex. I know, I know. The people I speak of are writers. Below, I’ve exposed some of their secret tips, methods, and techniques. Now, lie back, relax and take pleasure in these 201 provocative ways to arouse your creativity. Great hacks from Merlin Mann of 43 Folders
The Reject Files: You All Meet in a Tavern... by David Morgan-Mar. "You all meet in a tavern..." How many campaigns have begun with these immortal words? Probably too many. This conceit has been used so often to introduce PCs to one another and begin a campaign that it has become a cliche. Characters meeting for the first time at the beginning of a story is a classic device in literature, cinema, and television. Either way, a campaign has to begin somehow, usually by gathering the PCs together and giving them a common goal. The PCs are members of a trade caravan. Home | DM's GURPS Page
75 Books Every Writer Should Read Whether you want to make writing your career or just want to know how to improve your writing so that you can pass your college courses, there is plenty of reading material out there to help you get inspired and hone your skills. Here’s a collection of titles that will instruct you on just about every aspect of writing, from the basics of grammar to marketing your completed novel, with some incredibly helpful tips from well-known writers themselves as well. Writing Basics These books address things like structure, plot, descriptions and other basic elements of any story. The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers: You can improve the quality of your writing by adding a mythical quality to them with advice and insight from this book. Advice from Authors Who better to give advice on writing than those who have made a name for themselves doing it? On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King: This is widely regarded as one of the best books for any aspiring author to read.
HELLAS: Worlds of Sun and Stone Your Top Reading Recommendations from 2010 I read more than 30 books in 2010. Last year was the first time I made a concerted effort to record the titles and authors of the books I read. In hindsight, I’m so glad I did. I’d love to recommend some of my favourite books from last year (that is, books I read, not necessarily ones that were published in that year), and ask you to chime in with your own favourites. My top five favourites of 2010 are: 1. Buy Crow Lake from Amazon What I loved about it: Crow Lake takes place in northern Ontario, which is where I was born and raised. 2. Buy The Sea from Amazon What I loved about it: The Sea is one of those books where not a whole lot happens, but Banville’s prose is amazing. 3. Buy Amy and Isabelle from Amazon In most ways, Isabelle and Amy are like any mother and her 16-year-old daughter, a fierce mix of love and loathing exchanged in their every glance. (Quoted from: Elizabeth Strout’s website) 4. Buy Rush Home Road from Amazon (Quoted from Product Description, Amazon) 5.
Amusing Orcish Anecdote Amusing Orcish Anecdote posted Tuesday, July 31st 2007 by Jonathan Drain None of the Above From 4chan’s traditional game’s board comes this amusing orcish anecdote: Reminds me of a friend’s character from a D&D game a while back. Comments for this article are closed. 10 Reading Exercises for Fiction Writers I always find it exciting when I discover a book that in some way echoes whatever I happen to be writing at the time. It might share a similarity of style, story, or structure, or any combination of the three. Whatever the similarity, I find it helpful to delve into the writing to see what lessons I can glean. After reading several duds recently, I finally came across such a book–The China Garden by Kristina Olsson. While the story isn’t similar to my current work, the prose captured me from the very first page. All I could think was,”That is exactly what I imagine for my finished manuscript.” When I find a book like this, there are several things I do while reading it. Analyze the story’s structure. These activities really help me focus on what makes an book outstanding, as opposed to simply reading it and saying, “Ooh, good read.” What books have you found helpful to analyze?
Necrobard's World of Darkness Rules Welcome to my World of Darkness Rules page, click on the set of rules you want to look at below. If your new here start with the World of Darkness link. To contact me, see the information below. General Writing If you are having trouble locating a specific resource please visit the search page or the Site Map. The Writing Process These OWL resources will help you with the writing process: pre-writing (invention), developing research questions and outlines, composing thesis statements, and proofreading. While the writing process may be different for each person and for each particular assignment, the resources contained in this section follow the general work flow of pre-writing, organizing, and revising. For resources and examples on specific types of writing assignments, please go to our Common Writing Assignments area. Academic Writing These OWL resources will help you with the types of writing you may encounter while in college. Common Writing Assignments These OWL resources will help you understand and complete specific types of writing assignments, such as annotated bibliographies, book reports, and research papers. Mechanics Exercises relating to spelling can be found here. Grammar Punctuation
BoxNinja.com 5-Stars | ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ "Fantastically fun sci-fi gaming that should be tried by everybody"-Jez Gray "This has become one of my favorite games."-Devon Kelley Many 5★ ratings on One Book Shelf "If you like Aliens, or Starship Troopers this is the game you've been looking for." 4-Stars | ★ ★ ★ ★ "Aliens. "In short, buy it." Many 4★ ratings on One Book Shelf "The key to any good RPG is clear rules for characters and a good system for conflict resolution. 3:16 has both." "terrific tool to role play combat and war stories." Great Reviews "superb piece of battle-ready game design"-Ken Hite "This is Starship Troopers moral territory, and we’re not talking Heinlein troopers, we’re talking Verhoeven. A Terrible Review "just doesn't work ... A Stupid Comment "The setting is crass ... probably very repetitive ... Quotes"3:16 is one helluva kick-ass game"- Joe J. "Fantastic, gorgeous design"- Ron Edwards, Sorcerer Designed by Gregor Hutton (Best Friends) 3:16 is a winner of a High Ronny Award for Games Design.