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 Five Rules of Writing Flashbacks Tips for effectively writing flashbacks into your scenes. Please welcome author Stuart Horwitz with a guest post on writing flashbacks. “Flashback” is a term that we are all familiar with, even if its definition has grown a little vague. In other words, what are we flashing back from? There are good reasons to leave the reading present: by flashing back we can deepen characterization, create suspense, or introduce other characters and events that will eventually matter a great deal to our outcome. To assist with this quandary, I offer the following five rules of writing flashbacks: The first rule of flashback is just that, when we flash back, we do so for a reason. For a great example of the reading present (or the viewing present, in this case) and some fabulous use of flashbacks, watch the film Slumdog Millionaire. When we talk about flashbacks, the reading present, chronologies, and multiple timelines, we are talking about the general category called order, right?
The Kingston Lounge The Best Story Structure Tool We Know By Glen C. Strathy Of the various story structure models or theories that exist, we have chosen to focus mainly on Dramatica, which was developed by Melanie Anne Phillips and Chris Huntley. We chose to work with this model because it is the only one that... 1. 2. 3. 4. What's more, Dramatica embodies certain insights into story structure that no other theory does. The aim of this website is to present practical tips and exercises to help writers, while avoiding a lot of theory. Finding A Roadmap For Creating Your Novel The most important thing you need from any story theory is help creating a good roadmap for your novel. Specifically, you want help creating a plot that will keep the reader engaged and bring the story to an emotionally satisfying conclusion. You especially want a clear story structure that will guide you through those times when you get stuck and haven’t the faintest idea which direction to head next. Traditional Story Theory Is Too General 1. 2. 3. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Genres
Welcome to the home page of Umberto Eco The Secret of Writing Funny Writing funny Do you want to learn the secrets of writing funny? Check out the five tips below. Laughter has instantaneous health benefits including relaxation, lowering blood pressure, curing male pattern baldness and increasing immune system response. Almost all of these health benefits can all be obtained by making your reader giggle, laugh, guffaw or otherwise shoot beverages out an unexpected orifice. Before I share a few of the methods you can use to add humor to your writing, I’d like to digress for a moment by predicting and addressing your objections. “I’ve just never been a very funny person.” Humor isn’t one-size-fits-all, but there are several techniques you can use to drag a smile out of almost anyone.Tip #1: Be the joke. Tip #2: Be specific. Tip #3: Use comedic timing. Tip #4: Use a thesaurus. Tip #5: Use a swipe file. Tip #6: Edit the crap out of it. When you see the crinkle, start breathing again. Author: Annie Binns Click here to read the article: How to Write Funny
How to Make Non-Obnoxious Alphabet Magnets | {NiceGirlNotes} Okay, okay. Non-obnoxious isn’t a word. But neither is unobnoxious. Not really, anyway. I’ve come to embrace this part of my life where I have a baby and a toddler. I can’t carry a nice handbag because sippy cups leak and goldfish crackers leave goldfish cracker dust on everything that enters my bag. There will be toys. A multitude of them. However, for the sake of my sanity, I try to make it look like we all share the space together – adults and tiny ankle biters – as opposed to Jack and me just unrolling sleeping bags in the middle of a Toys R Us. Enter alphabet magnets. Hard plastic. And the floor. Just kidding. But Rembot loves alphabet magnets. A win-win situation: non-obnoxious alphabet magnets. I picked up some flat wooden disks, magnet strips (these work really well, too), and rub-on letters. 1) Spray paint both sides of wooden disks. 2) Lightly spray paint one side with white spray paint. 3) Spray with blue spray paint. 4) Rub letters onto each disk. Like them? Super cheap craft.
How To Tremendously Improve Your Writing Style - SylvianeNuccio.com Do choice of words matter at all when you write? Stupid question, isn’t it? Of course they do. This past weekend I was watching a very famous French play that they’ve made into a movie, called Cyrano of Bergerac. I’m sure many of you have heard about it. Your Choice of Words is Important In this play, you can appreciate how Edmond Rostand, the author (and I’m sure the translator) has chosen each word very carefully, not only to rhyme but to make sense, but to create one of the most beautiful plays in history. When you write, yes, words do count. After all, no matter what master piece you’re reading, it’s all about using the right word at the right place. Another thing that made me think about the importance of words this past weekend is another beautiful French story which plot takes place during the mid 1600’s. In this case again, the writers of the script had to be very mindful of the words they chose. 1 – Don’t’ be a Passive Writer, be an Active Writer Don’t let writing happen to you.
Still Looking For Paradise? Maldives - justpaste.it Double chain of twenty-six atolls… The Republic of Maldives, or simply the Maldives, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean. It consists of approximately 1,190 coral islands grouped in a double chain of 26 atolls, along the north-south direction, spread over roughly 90,000 square kilometers, making this one of the most disparate countries in the world. The atolls are composed of live coral reefs and sand bars, situated atop a submarine ridge 960 kilometers long that rises abruptly from the depths of the Indian Ocean and runs from north to south. Crystal clear waters, beautiful white sand beaches, swaying palm trees and fabulous dive sites – that’s why the Maldives, is known for being one of the best tropical holiday destinations in the world. ...and no need to climb ;) With an average ground level of 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) above sea level, it is the lowest country on the planet. Summer never ends ... Crystal clear waters and azure blue lagoons... Resorts in the Maldives
How to Avoid Plot Cliches: Tips for Writers on Increasing Their Chances of Publication | Suite101.com Nobody ever said plotting was easy. And because it's not easy, an alarming number of writers settle for so-called 'plot cliches'. Although the cliched situations that follow can appear in any story, some are more likely to be seen in a particular genre. For example, romance writer Francesca Hawley's blog has an amusing post on Heroines Too Stupid to Live. For those who enjoy fantasy (or any writer who just likes a good laugh) Peter Anspach's "The Top 100 Things I'd Do if I Ever Became an Evil Overlord" shows the dumb mistakes that allow the villain to be killed or captured. What is a Plot Cliche? A cliche is an idea that has been overused to the point of losing its original effect or novelty, especially when at some stage it was considered to be 'different'. Four Examples of Plot Cliches How Can Writers Avoid Cliched Plots? It's all very well knowing that writers should avoid cliches, but how easy is it to come up with something different?
Amazing Paper Made Muscians Amazing Paper Made Muscians posted under Photography on May 8th, 2010 with 29 Comments 8 May 0 Share Related You will love this Loading... 29 CommentsThoughts from the Community Ferg said Mar 1st, 2011Really great...Love the Elvis! sperlingk1 said Nov 20th, 2010"Musicians" .... not "Muscians" clipping images said Aug 31st, 2010really cool... like a dreamy world of lily puts.. tony said Jul 19th, 2010hey man, it seems to me you've got alotta time to spend !! Anum said Jul 9th, 2010KISS! Maggie said Jul 5th, 2010Yes, I agree, do Bowie! MagnetsMan said Jul 4th, 2010Its perfect style! leesh said Jun 28th, 2010@kthxbye I totally agree! Jude LaFontaine said Jun 22nd, 2010yeah The Beatles rule. Add your Comment Please Be Constructive & Insightful Advertisers Their support keeps us going Random Creatives From the Couch On the Couch Past Interviews Interview: Zootool on Design and Development & Business 21,374 Designs7,789 Creatives179 Articles4,806 Critiques340 Collections Thanks to our Sponsors
Every story you love can be retold with one of eight sentences You will know Kurt Vonnegut as a renowned author, but in addition to his books, he left behind a theory of stories that he’s less famous for, but that is still very interesting. He broke down stories that are told worldwide in all cultures into just a eight simple shapes. For example, shape #1, “The Man in Hole”… Somebody gets into trouble, gets out of it again…. People love that story! Every story that speaks to us on a deeply human level fits into one of his categories. A couple years ago, graphic designer Maya Eilam took Vonnegut’s story shapes and synthesized them into a simple infographic… (via Boing Boing) You can hear him explain the basic principle and discuss three classic story shapes here, if you want to. Think of your favorite book or movie… What shape is it?
23 of the world's geekiest sci-fi and fantasy statues Detroit may soon be getting a statue of Robocop after a successful Kickstarter campaign—but there are ALREADY plenty of other sci-fi and fantasy characters immortalized in public spaces around the world. Check out 23 of the geekiest below. Characters Tripods Standing 23 feet tall, this tripod from H.G. War of the Worlds Memorial Woking isn't the only place to commemorate H.G. Yoda Easily one of the most iconic characters from the Star Wars franchise, Yoda is enshrined as part of a fountain at the Letterman Digital Arts Center in Presidio, San Francisco, home to Industrial Light & Magic, LucasArts and other components of Lucasfilm Limited. Superman Metropolis is the home of Superman, so it makes sense that Metropolis, Ill., has capitalized on the legacy of the character. Sherlock Holmes Baker Street in London is famous for the residence of a Mr. Merlin The legendary wizard Merlin gets statue treatment in Carmarthen's shopping center in the aptly named Merlin Way. Dorothy and Toto Gundam (China)
Creative Writing For Dummies Cheat Sheet Rewriting and editing helps to tighten up your work. But it can be difficult – what to chop and when to stop may not be clear, and you may change your mind more than once during the process. Ask yourself whether you need to take out: Unnecessary information and explanation. Passages of dialogue that go on too long. You may need to add or expand: Something you know but have forgotten to tell the reader; perhaps the age of the main character. You may need to move: Dramatic sections to make a stronger opening. In your final edit: Check for grammar, punctuation and spelling mistakes.