How to Structure A Story: The Eight-Point Arc By Ali Hale - 3 minute read One of my favourite “how to write” books is Nigel Watts’ Writing A Novel and Getting Published. My battered, torn and heavily-pencil-marked copy is a testament to how useful I’ve found it over the years. (Even if you’re a short story writer or flash fiction writer rather than a novelist, this structure still applies, so don’t be put off by the title of Watts’ book.) The eight points which Watts lists are, in order: StasisTriggerThe questSurpriseCritical choiceClimaxReversalResolution He explains that every classic plot passes through these stages and that he doesn’t tend to use them to plan a story, but instead uses the points during the writing process: I find [the eight-point arc] most useful as a checklist against which to measure a work in progress. So, what do the eight points mean? Stasis This is the “every day life” in which the story is set. Trigger Something beyond the control of the protagonist (hero/heroine) is the trigger which sparks off the story.
Freelance Writing Jobs for Beginners: Getting Started Online - The Work at Home Wife This post may contain affiliate links. All opinions are 100% my own. Those looking to work from home have far more opportunities available than they may initially think. Freelance writing in itself, for example, offers dozens of shots for freedom to the right individual. Every blogger and website owner needs online content, after all. In today’s Internet Age, there are plenty of freelance writing jobs for beginners to choose from. From product descriptions to blog posts to expert articles and eBooks, there is a little something for every aspiring freelance writer. Skills Required for Freelance Writing You must have above par English and grammar skills. Recommended Tools I highly recommend signing up with Grammarly. It is also a good idea to start a website or blog to share links to published articles with those interested in your services. Google Drive is a popular choice for word processing and sharing files with clients. Getting Started Writing Online Get Writing Clients Important Tips
15 unusual words that make writers swoon In a previous post, I wrote about the value of using simple words in place of complex words. Readers are not impressed by the use of complex words; they're frustrated by them. Though I strive to use simple, clear terms in my own writing, there are some words that I am just dying to use. Archaic, unusual words that I have stumbled upon in fiction. If I could only find a way to work them into my next article on surgical checklists. Vex. Example: You take delight in vexing me by deliberately using bad grammar. Portmanteau. Example: That portmanteau will not fit in the overhead bin and must be checked. Naught. Example: Her behavior tends to set propriety at naught. Foible. Example: She loved him in spite of his foibles. Parvenu. Example: He was treated like a parvenu at the country club dinner. Sentinel. Example: Bennett heard a strange noise and asked the sentinel to stay close. Moribund. Example: Kathryn was unsure how to save her moribund career. Beslobber. Nonplussed. Loquacious. Forbear.
Kurt Vonnegut -- troubling.info Eight rules for writing fiction: 1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted. 2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. -- Vonnegut, Kurt Vonnegut, Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncollected Short Fiction (New York: G.P. Kurt Vonnegut: How to Write with Style Seven Tips From Ernest Hemingway on How to Write Fiction Image by Lloyd Arnold via Wikimedia Commons Before he was a big game hunter, before he was a deep-sea fisherman, Ernest Hemingway was a craftsman who would rise very early in the morning and write. His best stories are masterpieces of the modern era, and his prose style is one of the most influential of the 20th century. Hemingway never wrote a treatise on the art of writing fiction. 1: To get started, write one true sentence. Hemingway had a simple trick for overcoming writer's block. Sometimes when I was starting a new story and I could not get it going, I would sit in front of the fire and squeeze the peel of the little oranges into the edge of the flame and watch the sputter of blue that they made. 2: Always stop for the day while you still know what will happen next. There is a difference between stopping and foundering. The best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next. 3: Never think about the story when you're not working. 7: Be Brief.
Writing is all About the (Body) Language Gestures are one of the best techniques a writer can use to convey emotion or attitude of a character. Especially around dialogue, adding a gesture or look is much more powerful than telling the reader how a character says something. Here are two different ways to write the same moment in a scene: “These are late,” she said disapprovingly. She looked over her glasses at me and frowned. Not only is the second example better writing (no adverb), the writer puts the reader in the shoes of the point-of-view character, and the reader is in the scene, seeing what is happening. Make sure your character doesn’t constantly do the same exact thing. Not only does a gesture plant the reader directly into a story, but action is a way to convey emotion without pounding the reader over the head with on-the-nose telling. Think of a head (well—not severed unless you are writing horror!) And that’s only the character’s head!
100 Exquisite Adjectives By Mark Nichol Adjectives — descriptive words that modify nouns — often come under fire for their cluttering quality, but often it’s quality, not quantity, that is the issue. Plenty of tired adjectives are available to spoil a good sentence, but when you find just the right word for the job, enrichment ensues. Subscribe to Receive our Articles and Exercises via Email You will improve your English in only 5 minutes per day, guaranteed! 21 Responses to “100 Exquisite Adjectives” Rebecca Fantastic list! 10 Books Every Fantasy Author Should Read What an awesomely capacious list, what with the fiction and the non-fiction. (It's an even better list after I reread the title of the article and saw that it didn't say "10 Book Every Fantasy Author Should Read Daily.") I want to add an enthusiastic cheer for Mendlesohn book of criticism, which is rich with description, analysis, and not prescriptive or tyrannical in its breakdown. I almost want to separate out this list into its constituent parts: 10 Fiction books (everyone's list here might vary, so I leave that to your consciences), 10 Non-fiction history research books (which would greatly depend on what period your fantasy is set in), 10 Critical works on sf/f (with the caveat that some of these books are less easy to read than Mendlesohn's). Flagged I nearly fell over laughing at your misread — I picture fantasy authors going, "Oh dear, 11 AM.
Useful references for writers - WestSuburbanWriters Because there are HUGE misunderstandings about what a copyright is these days and I keep seeing them repeated over and over again. I thought I could help. There's a good start. So, yes fan fiction is a violation of copyright. Copyrights are made as soon as you make them into apparent form. This post will be invalid in its copyright after I'm dead for EIGHTY years. Also another thing to know is that an official copyright is EXPENSIVE, which is why most publishers will do it for you. Copyright info and Electronic publishing info from the Science Fiction Writers of America.
10 Most Commonly Misused Words Think you’re the best writer or speaker in the world? After viewing this infographic of the 10 most commonly misused words, you may want to think again. Even though we learn how to spell and use words in properly in grade school, this information is often forgotten once we get older. For instance, how many times have you called something a “travesty” when referring to a tragedy or unfortunate event? How about the word “ironic” or irony? Another biggie is the word “conversate.” 10 Most Commonly Misused Words | Advanced Marketing Strategies Questionnaires for Writing Character Profiles Enter your e-mail to get the e-book for FREE. We'll also keep you informed about interesting website news. "I have searched the web and used different worksheets, but none have come close to your worksheets and descriptions of (what to do and what not to do). Both courses I have taken have with Creative Writing Now have been amazing. Each time I have learned something new. "As usual - I already love the course on Irresistible Fiction, rewriting a lot and improving greatly even after the first lesson. “Essentials of Fiction proved that I could indeed write and I wrote every day, much to my boyfriend's dismay (waa sniff).” - Jill Gardner "I am loving the course and the peer interaction on the blog is fantastic!!!" "I'm enjoying the weekly email course, Essentials of Poetry Writing. "Thank you for all the material in this course. "I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the lessons and feel they were very helpful in introducing new ideas and perspectives to my writing.
Write & Get Paid Get Paid $100 Do you want to earn money online? Listverse was built on the efforts of readers just like you. Readers who didn’t have any experience as writers but decided to put a list together and send it in. So here is the deal: We will pay you $100 for your efforts. It works like this: You write your list (10 items per list minimum), you send it in, we reply and say “Great—we’ll publish it” and send you $100 by PayPal (don’t have an account? Either way you win—your list will be read by us and reviewed, and if it’s amazing it will appear on the front page of Listverse to be read by millions of people a month! We can not accept lists from writers who do not have a PayPal account; this is non-negotiable. The Rules The rules are really pretty simple. Oh—and there’s one more thing: If you have a blog, a Twitter account, or a book you want to promote, mention it in the submissions form and we will stick it at the bottom of your list. Pictures and Video Ready to start?
Aggressive Body Language Techniques > Using Body Language > Aggressive Body Language Body positions | Gestures | See also A significant cluster of body movements is used to signal aggression. This is actually quite useful as it is seldom a good idea to get into a fight, even for powerful people. Fighting can hurt you, even though you are pretty certain you will win. Threat Facial signals Much aggression can be shown in the face, from disapproving frowns and pursed lips to sneers and full snarls. Attack signals When somebody is about to attack, they give visual signal such as clenching of fists ready to strike and lowering and spreading of the body for stability. Exposing oneself Exposing oneself to attack is also a form of aggression. Invasion Invading the space of the other person in some way is an act of aggression that is equivalent to one country invading another. False friendship Approach When you go inside the comfort zone of others without permission, you are effectively invading their territory. Touching Gestures