Stop Glorifying the First Draft and Finish It - Alyssa Hollingsworth
As a mentee for writers, a critique partner, and person who generally has a lot of friends in very different stages of the author business, I end up talking to a lot of people about their first drafts. Especially their first-manuscript first drafts. The attitude of many first-manuscript writers can be summed up nicely in this graphic, which I’ve grabbed off Pinterest: There’s something very sweet and appealing about this. It reminds me of the sentimental early days of writing, and how every part of it felt like a precious commission, before writing became a hurricane of habit.
Tension
Hook Your Readers With Tension By Laura Backes, Write4Kids.com Tension. Without it, life would be—let's face it—boring. So would fiction. Tension works with conflict to raise the emotional level of the text to a boiling point.
5 Freewriting Secrets for Being a "Genius"
You've heard of freewriting, certainly. At its most basic, it's about forcing your internal editor to stay away while you splash your most raw and unusual thoughts onto the page. In Accidental Genius: Using Writing to Generate Your Best Ideas, Insights, and Content (2nd edition, revised & updated), Mark Levy tells how he uses freewriting, not only to loosen up his writing muscles, but to solve business problems of all kinds. Levy, author, writing teacher, and marketing strategist, shares a few "secrets" for making freewriting an indispensible tool: 5 Freewriting Tips 1.
How to Write What's Not Written (Subtext)
I've been seeing a number of stories lately that are lacking in subtext. And honestly, it's no surprise. writing subtext (or, I guess not writing it) is flipping difficult to 1) understand 2) do. I had read about writing subtext like over two years ago, and only now do I feel like I'm starting to understand it and have conscious control over it.
Story And Plot
Michael Arndt on setting a story in motion Michael Arndt explains some of the things he learned while working on the screenplay for Toy Story 3. Groundhog Day John and Craig pay their respects to Harold Ramis with an episode devoted entirely to Groundhog Day. When you think someone stole your idea A screenwriter sees a trailer that matches the premise of something he wrote ten years earlier.
7 steps to creativity - how to have ideas
A guest post by Simon Townley of WriteMindset As a writer, having ideas is one of the most important parts of your craft. But often it seems like one of the most difficult and challenging parts of the whole process. How do you keep ideas flowing? How do you create a wealth of ideas to choose from? How do you make sure you get to the one killer idea that will make your advert, novel, article or blog post really stand out from the rest?
Novelists - how to use MS Word as a powerful editing tool
US author Maria Grace mentioned on facebook about using MS Word as an editing tool. I was intrigued so I asked her to come on the blog and tell us all about it. Over to Maria! Thanks so much for hosting me Deborah. I’m so excited to get to talk a little about the bones of the writing process.
20 Common Grammar Mistakes That (Almost) Everyone Makes
I’ve edited a monthly magazine for more than six years, and it’s a job that’s come with more frustration than reward. If there’s one thing I am grateful for — and it sure isn’t the pay — it’s that my work has allowed endless time to hone my craft to Louis Skolnick levels of grammar geekery. As someone who slings red ink for a living, let me tell you: grammar is an ultra-micro component in the larger picture; it lies somewhere in the final steps of the editing trail; and as such it’s an overrated quasi-irrelevancy in the creative process, perpetuated into importance primarily by bitter nerds who accumulate tweed jackets and crippling inferiority complexes. But experience has also taught me that readers, for better or worse, will approach your work with a jaundiced eye and an itch to judge. While your grammar shouldn’t be a reflection of your creative powers or writing abilities, let’s face it — it usually is.
Characters - The Attributes of Age
Characters: The Attributes of Age By Melanie Anne Phillips Introduction
25 Steps To Edit The Unmerciful Suck Out Of Your Story
I’m editing a book right now. It is its own happy brand of hell — but, for all its hellishness, it’s also a process I dearly love because it’s like purification through flames. It’s a powerful step in storytelling — often, I find that editing is the part where the story is truly constructed. So, here you go: steps I sometimes go through to get the job done.
A Simple Novel Outline – 9 questions for 25 chapters « H.E. Roulo
Just as every tree is different but still recognizably a tree, every story is different but contains elements that make it a story. By defining those before you begin you clarify the scope of your work, identify your themes, and create the story you meant to write. At Norwescon 2011 I sat in on a session called Outline Your Novel in 90-minutes led by Mark Teppo.
The Writers Survival Kit Dramatica
Writers are in danger! Professionals struggle to make a living and amateurs struggle to express themselves. To make it, every writer needs an edge, and that’s why Storymind.com created the Writer’s Survival Kit. Use the menu to the left to access all your bonus items including complete downloadable books on writing from Storymind Press, hundreds of articles on all aspects of story structure and storytelling, hours of streaming video programs , downloadable audio programs in mp3, charts and reference guides, accessories, and software utilities to enhance your writing endeavors.
