Scene-Creation Workshop — Writing Scenes that Move Your Story Forward

As the atom is the smallest discrete unit of matter, so the scene is the smallest discrete unit in fiction; it is the smallest bit of fiction that contains the essential elements of story. You don’t build a story or a book of words and sentences and paragraphs — you build it of scenes, one piled on top of the next, each changing something that came before, all of them moving the story inexorably and relentlessly forward. You can, of course, break the scene up into its component pieces — words, sentences, and paragraphs — but only the scene contains the vital wholeness that makes it, like an atom of gold, a building block of your fiction. It contains the single element that gives your story life, movement, and excitement. So what is this magical element that gives your scene its life and makes it the brick with which you build your fiction? Change. When is a scene a scene? We’re going to create some very short scenes here — I’ll do some demos, and then you’ll do some practice scenes.

102 Resources for Fiction Writing « Here to Create UPDATE 1/10: Dead links removed, new links added, as well as Revision and Tools and Software sections. Are you still stuck for ideas for National Novel Writing Month? Or are you working on a novel at a more leisurely pace? Here are 102 resources on Character, Point of View, Dialogue, Plot, Conflict, Structure, Outlining, Setting, and World Building, plus some links to generate Ideas and Inspiration. Also, I recommend some resources for Revision and some online Tools and Software. Too many links? 10 Days of Character Building Name Generators Name Playground The Universal Mary Sue Litmus Test Priming the idea pump (A character checklist shamlessly lifted from acting) How to Create a Character Seven Common Character Types Handling a Cast of Thousands – Part I: Getting to Know Your Characters It’s Not What They Say . . . Establishing the Right Point of View: How to Avoid “Stepping Out of Character” How to Start Writing in the Third Person Web Resources for Developing Characters Speaking of Dialogue

Writer's Café fiction writing software - novels - screenwriting - short stories - creative fun 10 Lessons I Learned While Writing My First Novel Within the last week, I’ve completed the final round of revisions on my first novel and started querying agents. Woo! Huzzah! It’s been a long road… I started this novel about four-and-a-half years ago. Here are the top ten lessons I learned while writing my first novel: 1. And that means everything. Art simply doesn’t play nicely with timelines. 2. You know what I’m talking about, right? Not the kind where it sparks and then deflates seconds later. 3. This simple question got me over every hump of writers block while writing my novel. 4. Yes, your plot needs to make sense. 5. I thought getting through my rough draft meant the hard part was over. But, somewhere, eventually, edits start getting easier again… and that’s called the light at the end of tunnel. 6. It’s just impossible to be an artist and view your own creation with an unbiased perspective. 7. Receiving critique can sting a little. The ones who give it to you do it because they care, and they believe in you. 8. 9. 10.

30 tips to improve your writing now Writing is a fundamental part of communication, yet many people are poor writers. Part of becoming a great writer is practice. You become a better writer with every email, story or blog post you draft. There also are things you can do to improve your writing immediately. Here are 30 tips to improve your writing now from my friend, Carrie Coppernoll, a staff writer and columnist at The Oklahoman: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. What is this list missing? 7 ways writing by hand can save your brain It's time to put pen to paper. Our tech-dependent society has put keyboards at the tips of our fingers at all times, from our smartphones to our laptops. But when was the last time you wrote by hand? Science shows that handwriting can benefit our minds in a number of ways. We spoke to Dr. 1. Writing a calming sentence is a form of graphotherapy, Seifer says. "This actually calms the person down and retrains the brain," Seifer says. 2. Writing something in cursive, that beautiful archaic form, can coordinate the left brain and right brain. 3. For young children, writing by hand is an imperative tool in improving cognitive skills. 4. Taking pen to paper inspires more creative thought, because it is a slower process than just typing something on a keyboard, Seifer says. 5. Writing by hand is a great tool for baby boomers who want to keep their minds sharp as they get older. 6. Let's say you're taking notes in class. 7. "One key difference is movement. Have something to add to this story?

Story Starters Gripping Story starters are essential. They grab the reader’s attention. Make them want to read more and keep them reading. Some of us are born with a unique talent and have a natural flair when it comes to connecting words, some of us don’t. Find below a selection of story starters from a variety of different sources. From A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens) It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way-in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only. Recommended Links

icarus Greek Mythology Dreamcast - Sam Claflin as Icarus Free Software for Writers Dozens of software applications are available and marketed to writers, yet many of these programs can be both expensive and difficult to use. While standard word processors serve the needs of many writers, some writers require more adaptable and agile solutions. For writers unwilling or unable to spend hundreds of dollars to invest in the multitude of purchasable programs, there is a plethora of free, user-friendly programs available for download. Q10 is a free, highly customizable, full screen word processor. yWriter yWriter is a word processor alternative that allows users to organize their projects in a completely new way. Celtx According to Celtx’s website, “Celtx is the world's first all-in-one media pre-production system.” OpenOffice OpenOffice is an open source alternative to Microsoft Office. Textblock Writer Textblock writer is a free virtual index card writer that runs on Windows and the .NET framework. Sonar FreeMind FreeMind is a free, downloadable mind mapping software. Bubbl.us

6 Ways to Create Riveting Conflict in Your Story Who says conflict is a bad thing? Who says world peace is the most important goal of humanity? Who says arguing with your little brother when you’re a kid means you’ll grow up to be an ill-mannered ruffian? Not a writer, that’s for sure! Arguably, the single most important tenet of fiction can be summed up in the saw “no conflict, no story.” The simple fact is: fiction has its very basis in conflict. So how does one go about manufacturing this most precious of story ingredients? 1. This is the easiest (and, often, the best) way to throw a little conflict in your story. 2. Many stories base their entire premise on this idea (think of the Pevensie siblings tumbling through the wardrobe into Narnia in C.S. 3. For a long while, I had tacked on my bulletin board a note which read, “Think of the ten worst things that could happen to your character.” 4. Nancy Kress, in her fantastic book Beginnings, Middles & Ends spoke about the necessity of including both inner and outer battles: 5. 6.

Nondisclosure Agreements Nondisclosure agreements are one of the best ways to protect trade secrets -- valuable confidential information that businesses want to keep under wraps. That information could be a sales plan, a list of customers, a manufacturing process or a formula for a soft drink. By using a nondisclosure agreement, you can ensure that your secrets stay secret -- or have legal recourse if they are misused or disclosed to the wrong parties. A nondisclosure agreement -- also called an NDA or a confidentiality agreement -- is a contract in which the parties promise to protect the confidentiality of secret information that is disclosed during employment or another type of business transaction. The use of nondisclosure agreements is widespread in the high-tech field, particularly for Internet and computer companies. Example: Sabeer Bhatia, founder of Hotmail, collected over 400 NDAs from employees, friends and roommates. Create a Confidential Relationship Protect Trade Secrets Time Periods Next Step

9 Best Free Image Editors Adobe Photoshop may be dominant among industry professionals, but the software can be daunting for beginners and amateurs who just want to touch up the occasional photo. There are many simpler, easier-to-use alternatives to Photoshop, some of which offer features the latter does not. Plus, many image editors don't have the hefty sticker price of Adobe products. We rounded up nine free image editors that range from basic programs with plenty of filters to near professional-grade software for pixel-to-pixel editing. Check out the gallery and let us know if we missed any of your favorites in the comments below. Image: Flickr, Marty.fm.