Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling These rules were originally tweeted by Emma Coats, Pixar’s Story Artist. Number 9 on the list – When you’re stuck, make a list of what wouldn’t happen next – is a great one and can apply to writers in all genres. You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be very different.Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite.Once upon a time there was ___. Kurt Vonnegut explains drama I was at a Kurt Vonnegut talk in New York a few years ago. Talking about writing, life, and everything. He explained why people have such a need for drama in their life. He said, “People have been hearing fantastic stories since time began. The problem is, they think life is supposed to be like the stories. Let's look at a few examples.” He drew an empty grid on the board, like this: Time moves from left to right. He said, “Let's look at a very common story arc. It starts with her awful life with evil stepsisters, scrubbing the fireplace. “People LOVE that story! He wiped the board clean and said, “Now let's look at another popular story arc: the disaster.” It's an ordinary day in an ordinary town. But the problem is, life is really like this... Our lives drifts along with normal things happening. “But because we grew up surrounded by big dramatic story arcs in books and movies, we think our lives are supposed to be filled with huge ups and downs! That's why people invent fights.
English 50 Exercises for Story Writers English 50 – Intro to Creative Writing: Exercises for Story Writers Basic Theory: What is a short story? As soon as someone delivers a definition, some good writer will write a story that proves the theory wrong. About the only thing we can say for sure is that short stories are short and that they are written in what we call prose. Short stories have a narrator; that is, someone tells the story; have at least one character in them; have some action occur (or perhaps fails to occur); take place somewhere; that is, there is a setting for the action; and someone either learns something or fails to learn something (theme).With these five characteristics in mind, we can create an almost endless supply of exercises to help sharpen our techniques of story telling. Narrative Voice Twenty or so years ago, voice was the "rite of passage" into a successful writing career. NOTE: It is quite common for writers in the early stages of their careers to imitate the writers they are reading or admire most.
Photo Album What Does Your Handwriting Say About You? What Does Your Handwriting Say About You? graphology Graphology is the study of handwriting, especially when employed as a means of analyzing a writer's character, personality, abilities, etc. How you write can indicate more than 5,000 different personality traits. In the medical field, it can be used to refer to the study of handwriting as an aid in diagnosis and tracking diseases. size large letters You are out-going, people oriented, outspoken & love attention. small letters You are shy or withdrawn, studious, concentrated and meticulous. average You are well-adjusted and adaptable spacing between words wide spacing You enjoy your freedom and don't like to be overwhelmed or crowded narrow spacing You can't stand to be alone. slanting No Slant You don't let your emotions get the best of you. Slants to the right You are open to new experiences & enjoy meeting new people. Slants to the left You tend to keep to yourself and generally like to work behind the scenes. shape of the letters Rounded letters Open
Screenplay Structure: Three Acts & Five Points With Writer-Director Nathan Marshall Even if you're blazing your own plot path, it never hurts to have a road map to fall back on. Which is why we asked screenwriter and filmmaker Nathan Marshall to break down the mythic three-act structure. Living and working in Hollywood, Nathan's most-recent script, Nowhereland, is currently in development at Raygun Productions. You’ve heard of the one-act play. ACT I: The first act of a screenplay is usually 25–35 pages long. ACT II: It can be helpful to think of Act II as two parts – Act 2a and Act 2b. ACT III: Reality returns at the beginning of Act III when your protagonist’s false victory is immediately undone by a huge setback. Okay, you get the three acts! 1) Page 1. 2) Inciting Incident. 3) Page 17. 4) Climax. 5) THE END. But wait a minute. There is no right way to finish a script. 1) Was the inherent conflict of the inciting incident resolved?
How to become a Successful Writer: Seth Godin in Conversation Are you ready for success?Art is the unique work of a human being, work that touches another. – Seth Godin, The Icarus Deception This is part 2 of Seth Godin in conversation with Mary Jaksch, the Chief Editor of Write to Done. Seth: If you’ve accepted that the rules of the game are that you are not willing to write unless everyone likes what you write, then you’ve just announced that you’re an amateur, not a professional, and that you’re probably doomed. Whereas the professional writer says, ‘It is almost certain that most of what I write will not resonate with most people who read it, but over time, I will gain an audience who trusts me to, at the very least, be interesting.’ Mary: I suppose that’s the real advantage of the internet as opposed to the writing industry: you can always find that small group of people who will be interested in what you write. Seth: Yes, that’s exactly right. Iceland teaches an important lesson. All you need to make a living is for four thousand to adore you.
Tips on Screenwriting Structure and Format; How to write a screenplay QUESTIONS to ask yourself This page will be dedicated to the standard three-act structure of a screenplay. It'll cover everything from Plot Points, Character Development, Subplots, Conflict etc etc etc... Your IDEAS are greatly welcome. Always use ! Because of the 3-hole punched paper, the margin should be 1.5 inches and the is .5 inches. should be 1 inch each. -2.5 inches from the left- will be about 3 to 3.5 inches wide and shouldn't extend more than 6 inches from the left. at 3.7 inches and above the dialogue. should be located in the upper right hand corner and then double space and continue writing. A screenplay begins with At the end of your script you should type and center it, or double space, to the far right of the page, and type Your COMMENTS are welcome! Primary conflict up front Introduce the protagonist in a unique way Why does the story start today : Who? What power does the antagonist hold over the hero? Are there teams? How does hero seize control of destiny? What is now in the way
How to Become a Writing Rockstar: A Simple Guide Do you want to become a writing rockstar? Have you ever felt like you could be more? I’m talking about that feeling deep down that nudges you forward with your writing. That feeling that tells you that you are good enough, that you can become a real writing rockstar. But it’s not that easy. If it were, you wouldn’t be reading this. Something elusive that doesn’t seem to go away. Can you let it be and still go after your dreams? Let’s explore that question. What is a Writing Rockstar? Before we do anything, we have to define what a writing rockstar is. You see, you’re already a writing rockstar. If you want to do that, that’s fine. This is about doing what makes your heart sing. Society imposes standards on us, but they are irrelevant. Why Become a Writing Rockstar? Because it’s what you want. You don’t need a reason to go after your dreams. You just have to take action. When you embrace your dreams, and you start going after them without needing permission from anyone, your life will change. 1.
The How-To Geek Guide to Getting Started with Usenet What would BitTorrent look like if it was lightening fast, always available, completely private, and secure? It’d look a lot like Usenet. Read on to learn how to ditch Torrenting and enjoy super speeds and selection on Usenet. What Is Usenet and Why Should I Care? First, let’s talk about a system nearly everyone is familiar with, BitTorrent. By contrast Usenet is private, secure, and as fast as your broadband connection can handle. For decades Usenet has had binary groups, sub groups that specialize in the distribution of non-text files that are broken up into pieces and shared as text blocks in thousands of sequential Usenet messages. Although the origin of the NZB format is murky (some accounts claim it was created by Newzbin, others that it was first created by Dutch computer enthusiasts and lifted by Newzbin, etc.) the practical application of NZB files is perfectly clear. All you need to get started with Usenet is a Usenet service provider, an NZB index, and a Usenet client.
Writing Writing with a pen Writing is a medium of communication that represents language through the inscription of signs and symbols. In most languages, writing is a complement to speech or spoken language. As human societies emerged, the development of writing was driven by pragmatic exigencies such as exchanging information, maintaining financial accounts, codifying laws and recording history. Means for recording information[edit] H.G. Writing systems[edit] The major writing systems – methods of inscription – broadly fall into four categories: logographic, syllabic, alphabetic, and featural. Logographies[edit] A logogram is a written character which represents a word or morpheme. The main logographic system in use today is Chinese characters, used with some modification for various languages of China, and Japanese. Syllabaries[edit] A syllabary is a set of written symbols that represent (or approximate) syllables. Alphabets[edit] Abjads[edit] Abugidas[edit] Featural scripts[edit] History[edit]
The How-To Guide On Getting Started With Usenet Usenet is one of the Internet’s oldest methods of communication. It also happens to be a tried-and-tested method of sharing files, thanks to binary transfers which allow programs, videos and other files to be encoded and downloaded via a Usenet server. Whatever your download activities may be there’s no arguing that Usenet is consistently faster and more secure than BitTorrent for sharing files. Usenet & NZB Files Explained Before jumping into the how-to element of the article it might be frugal to take a look at the technology behind binary sharing over newsgroups. NZB files were a big leap forward for Usenet in terms of user-friendliness. This means no third parties listening in and a staggeringly fast download speed. Usenet Requirements Internet service providers used to provide some access to Usenet, though many cracked down on binary downloads or imposed heavy bandwidth restrictions. Providers When selecting a provider there are a few things to look for. Clients NZB Indexes Finally