Archive for January, 2007
Research Writing Skills To Become An Author
January 31, 2007 10:14 pmA lot of people want to write. More want to say they have written. This is nothing knew, but a great place to start as writing and to stretch your literary muscle is to start by journaling. In order to do this you, it helps to have a few journal writing skills, that may just turn into the seed that helps you become a professional writer someday.
Journal writing is more about freethinking with the pen. To be able to put down thoughts about your day without feeling like you need to have mastered tenth grade English. This is a great primer for helping with the first draft of any book.
Often it is the case with many first time writers, and even old pros, that the blank page will stare back at them demanding that the writer only put down the best possible words in human existence. This is where the journal writing skills come into play. It is necessary to be able to start writing that first draft of your book without too much worry about the content. That is why journal-writing skills are so effective in helping one to become an author.
The act of journal writing on a daily basis will also plant the seeds that are necessary for one to become an author. It develops the discipline needed to sit your butt down at put hands on keyboards or pen to paper each and every day. This is what is needed to become an author- the commitment to sit down and write every day.
Journal writing is the perfect place to start honing one’s skills at writing, especially if the idea of writing a book seems daunting. Consider journal writing skills as the foundation to becoming a great author.
If you would like to learn more about how to become an author and hone your writing skills, as well as finding an agent and getting published then click on the link below. You will be able to receive 10 free books on writing and the writing life as well.
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Five Tips To Writing A Fantasy Novel
10:13 pmThis article will show you some tips on how to write a better fantasy novel. If you’ve never written a book before, don’t think that it is too daunting of a task. On the other hand you should know that the best way to finish writing a book is to keep at it every day, and once started don’t stop until it’s done. Here are some ideas that should help you stay on track with writing your fantasy novel.
1. Make sure you know the world you are writing about.
This is one of the first places that people get strung up. You need to know what your fantasy world is like. If you can’t describe what the vegetation and trees are like in your world, you will have a hard time crafting a story that is very lifelike.
A good way to go about this is to take the time to think about your fantasy world. What is the landscape like there? What sort of creatures inhabit it? Are there any extremely different terrain features from the real world that would help make this world stand out? Think about yourself as a world builder when you are writing your fantasy novel.
2. What political factions are there?
A great way to bring more intrigue and plot lines into your fantasy story is to introduce opposing political or religious factions. Some questions to ask are: Who is the ruler of the land? Do people like him/her? Are there people who want to rule the land? What is the relation of this country to that of the other countries surrounding it?
3. Know your characters.
Often in writing text there is the section regarding the characters of the book. They often want you to write a character sketch of the person. This often doesn’t work that well for every writer. In some cases it is better to get a few chapters under your belt and see how the characters react to situations. Then go back and make notes about your characters.
In a fantasy novel, there are plenty of times where the characters have varying physical or mental qualities that are not found in the real world. This sort of attribute needs to be well thought out in order for it to become convincing to the reader. A good course of action is to have a hindrance added to a special quality that would seem to give the character an advantage over others in the story. This lends to the character being a bit more believable and is a great opportunity to add sub-plots into the story.
4. Magic
If you have any sort of magic system introduced to your fantasy world you need to do your homework here. First, think about the magic system and how it affects the world and how it affects the individual. Here are a few questions to ask yourself when introducing magic into your fantasy writing.
What are the qualities of the magic system? Can anyone have magical abilities? What about animals and humanoids? How does the average person in the world react to magic?
5. Read the classics.
It is a great idea to have read the classics before venturing out and writing your own fantasy novel. The biggest reason for this, is that you will know what sort of things have written about in the past and it will save you from becoming a poor repeat. In addition, by reading the works of those such as Tolkien, Wiess & Hickman, and more, you will come to appreciate just how tightly woven the characters and world come together and how they react with and against each other.
Writing a fantasy novel has its great advantages- you can make anything up- however, you have to be more calculated with your writing to make it believable. Click on the link provided to learn more on how to better your writing.
www.creativewritingfortherestofus.blogspot.com
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Take the Challenge, Become an Author
10:02 pmIf I had a dollar every time someone told me I could not write a book I would be rich. I accepted the ultimate challenge, becoming a author.
It takes motivational to write a book and do not fool yourself into thinking it is going to be easy. The reason why writing a book is challenging is because the first book you write you will not know what to do.
Writing a book is like learning learning how to drive for the first time. You do not want to make many mistakes because it will cost you.
Fresh off a symposium on the West Coast I made up my mind, I would write my first book. I decided to write and publish my book in less than three months. I was able to publish my first book within five months which is not bad.
I highly recommend setting a start and finish date and not letting yourself off the hook. In other words, approach your writing just as you would a office project. If you don not take writing serious you will be collecting dust on your manuscript.
My time line was 30 days to write the first draft for my book. I met my deadline, then I contacted a book cover expert, interior designer, copy expert, and last but not least the book printing company.
Who you select to develop your manuscript into a book is crucial to finalizing your book project. I was fortunate to be working with professionals who knew what they were doing and it paid dividends for me.
After the book printing company set up the press to print my book, I could not wait to see what it looked like. I was not disappointed and was so excited when my book arrived that I was overcome with joy.
The ultimate challenge awaits you. Writing your first book will be one of the most therapeutic experiences you will ever have.
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The Hero’s Journey is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. In fact, ALL of the hundreds of Hollywood movies we have deconstructed (see URL below) are based on this 188 stage template.
Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters.
a) Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.
b) Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.
c) Gives you a tangible process for building and releasing dissonance (establishing and achieving catharsis).
d) Gives you a universal structural template upon which you can superimpose your situational story.
and more…
A story IS transformation. That involves moving from one psychological state to another. Sometimes this psychological transformation does not involve a physical movement from one place to another but most often - and ALL THE TIME in successful Hollywood stories - the Hero embarks on a physical journey that stimulates the psychological transformation.
By pulling the Hero through a physical experience, you are stimulating a psychological transformation. In the beginning the Hero will be dressed one way, after being pushed through some stages of the journey, the psychological change will reflect in clothing, behaviour, attitudes and beliefs.”
Not only are we familiar with the physical journey from modern cinema, but also in our fairytales (Red Riding Hood goes to Grandma, Jack goes to the market before climbing to the beanstalk…etc…).
a) In The Last King of Scotland (2006), Nicholas travels from Scotland to Uganda.
b) In Gladiator (2000), Maximus travels from Germany to Rome.
c) In An Officer and a Gentleman (1983), Zach travels from his Ordinary World to the New World of the Navy.
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Friends For Life Essay
8:53 pmAs a bashful young boy in Elementary school I had thought that my best friend would be another child like me though I started to think differently when I spent more and more weekends and during the school year and several weeks during the summer with my Grandpa. Frankly speaking, at first I did not like the idea of having to be with an old person that was quite natural because I was only seven year old who needed a friend. Probably at that age I did not fully understand what is it a friend but now looking back in the past and reflecting on my friendship with my Grandpa I realize that he was more than just a friend for me, he was my teacher, mentor, confident and best friend.
Speaking about my Grandpa, I would like to underline that despite the subjectivity of my personal opinion I think he was a very affable and considerate person. Naturally, he was not an ideal person and probably he had some shortcomings but as for me, at so young age, he became the best person who was extremely important for me. I should say that he taught me a lot and what is more important he could give me a piece of advice or support somehow when necessary, or he could explain we what I did not fully understand. I remember in details an episode from my childhood when he really managed to reconcile me when probably the first drama had happened in my life. It was the day my dog died. I felt awfully and my Grandpa suggested going to fishing. Now I understand that he my terrible state of mind to be dispelled. Even now I remember well his words of consolation. I thought I would have never recovered from the death of my dog but my Grandpa managed to dissuade me in it soon. But it does not mean that he simply calmed me down. I felt that he sympathized me but I did not expect he could help me. When we were fishing he told me that I should not regret so much about the death of my dog because it was a natural process. I’m afraid I did not understand all that he told me that day but later I realized what he intended to say.
He compared our life to the river and he told that our life would never be stopped as the flow of the river. He explained that all of us were born and al of us would die some day but others would continue to live. What impressed me the most was his belief that even if some one dies he continues to live for those who knew him well and who would remember him. I listened to my Grandpa not understanding all he wanted to tell me but still I felt better. Now when I recall this episode from my life I think that at the moment I was probably more influenced by the atmosphere, by my Grandpa calm, steady voice rather by the sense of his words but later it helped me greatly and influenced my view such on things as life and death. After that I understood that my Grandpa was a very acute observer who could understand feeling of other people and was able to console them.
Another episode from our friendship also influenced me very much. It was one of our conversations we used to and I was eight or nine year old boy at that time. I told him about a boy from our class who had a stutter. Practically everybody in our class laughed at him but I told my Grandpa about him he told that it was very cruel from or part though I cannot say that he prejudged me or some of my classmates. He simply told me what he thought about it and for me he set a good example to follow. He said that we could not criticize or laugh at other people because of their physical disadvantages and at the same time those who laughed at such people seemed to him either cruel or simply stupid. After that conversation I had completely changed my attitude to the boy and other people like him. So I think that my Grandpa’s attitude to people is very humanistic and very deductive, particularly for young people.
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Although my grandpa passed away quite a long time ago I still feel his guiding spirit and his advices are still very helpful. Time has only reinforced love and patience he taught me to show others. I believe I am a lucky person since not so many people can have such good friends as my Grandpa used to be. On the other hand, some people are fortunate to truly have a best friend and may enjoy a longer lasting relationship but very few people could ever have gained the lessons of a lifetime learned at such a young age. The pain and sorrow of not understanding his death has been replaced by thankfulness of having been able to have such a special friendship that has stood the test of time.
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