|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2005 7:51 pm
For all the poets out there: Go to www.poetry.com and post your poems. They also hold free contests every six months or so where you could win money.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2005 5:34 pm
Rose_calyx Cereah I have a hard time with 'learn to write books'. I feel like they restrain me by putting into my head the idea that I have to write a certain way or else it is wrong. I'm certain that there is at least another person out there like me, and for that person, I suggest reading. Alot. Also, keep writing, and have your peers critique your work. Or we could do it. Anyways, constructive criticism helps alot. That's how I learned about parallel structure and all that fun stuff. The books help to get the creative ideas in your head. As my mom always tells me, there's nothing completely original in the world. By reading, you'll learn about demons, basics of basketball, and other things you might one day want to use in a story. So keep reading and writing! Got to agree with you there...I feel kind of limited by what is acceptable as a book/story/poem. I really prefer honesty to form in literature. yes, I agree. I also think that it's a good idea to try and put your self and/or imagine how the person would feel in the situation. For characters I prefer some one I know, it's alot easier..
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2005 8:23 am
Gypsy Blue I know if any of you find yourselves like me, you end up up to your nose in essays (I'm a 3rd year English Advanced Major with a Sociology minor, so I do a lot of writing!). A friend of mine showed me this essay outline in my first year, and I swear I'd be lost without it! You can add to it or take away from it as you need to, because it's just a guide for what you want in your essay. But as it is here, this is an easy 7 page paper.
What's also great about this is that it can be altered and used to plan out chapters in a novel or story.
So feel free to make use of this! It was passed along to me, and I pass it along now to all of you. If you'd like a copy of it that actually has lines in it so you can print it off, just let me know, and I'll email the "word" file to you. 3nodding Uh, only helpful in *essays*. Fiction, not so much. And you forgot to mention that each paragraph needs to start off with a mini-thesis. The reader doesn't want to do any work. Do the work for us.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2005 10:29 am
Cereah I have a hard time with 'learn to write books'. I feel like they restrain me by putting into my head the idea that I have to write a certain way or else it is wrong. I'm certain that there is at least another person out there like me, and for that person, I suggest reading. Alot. Also, keep writing, and have your peers critique your work. Or we could do it. Anyways, constructive criticism helps alot. That's how I learned about parallel structure and all that fun stuff. The books help to get the creative ideas in your head. As my mom always tells me, there's nothing completely original in the world. By reading, you'll learn about demons, basics of basketball, and other things you might one day want to use in a story. So keep reading and writing! I agree completely with you! My husband keeps picking up "how to write" books, but whatever happened to the educational method known as "show, don't tell?" I learn far more from a well-written novel than I do reading someone else's opinion about how to write. Stephen King is a master when it comes to characterization but the man can't write an ending to save his life (just IMHO). One example - "It." Back on topic...I look carefully at the style of my favorite author, Lois McMaster Bujold. I study why it is I love her writing, what about the book keeps me hungering for the next page and -- most importantly -- makes me anxious that it NOT end because I'll have to wait for the next one! I look at her sentence structure, her timing, her dialogue, everything. She does all of those things so well I'll be lucky if I can come close to her style yet still retain my own flair.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2005 12:14 pm
I thought this would be suggested inspiration for writing. How to books all smell like poopy diapers, Word. mrgreen
(!)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2005 8:59 pm
I absolutely hate it when a book/person/essay tells you how to write. Like, the format you should have, the length of chapters, the order in which you should write... and so on. I do, how ever, love reading articles on how to improve you writing. As was said before, a book can't teach you how to write. If you can write, you can write. Nothing else to it. So, if you've got the talent, why not improve it? Does anyone here know a good site for writing improvement articles?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2005 10:11 pm
Well if you are looking for an intresting series on the fantasy/adventure type I would suggest The Belgariad by David Eddings it's a series of five books
Pawn of Prophecy
Queen of Sorcery
Magician's Gambit
Castle of Wizardry
Enchanters' End Game
and he also created another series involving those same characters called The Malloreon another series of five books
Guardians of the West
King of the Murgos
Demon Lord of Karanda
Sorceress of Darshiva
The Seeress of Kell
He also has others that involve these characters but these ten are the ones you should check out!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2005 10:40 pm
If you have access to one and the time to take it, etc. I'd suggest taking a creative writing class at a college. I'm currently in one and it has already helped me alot, due to the fact that mine is a small class where everyone shares and shares opinions.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2005 1:06 pm
MaDMiDgEt In case you haven't read it already, I highly recommend Steven King's "On Writing, a Memoir of the Craft." It's simply a book about how to write good stories. What makes it so great is that it is not a text book. It's Stephen King's take on what makes good stories, written in Stephen King language. So while its very enlightening, its also entertaining. The opening to the book is also a short autobiography of Stephen King, so you can learn how he got started and how he came to be what he has become. You can learn a lot from his mistakes. I think you can get the book for cheap at Walden Books. Last time I was in there I saw it on the bargain rack for $3. So if you don't have it already, get it. It's a very valuable resource. i agree. this is a most enlightening book. i have not posted my stories yet simply because i cannot find the time to type one up i will as soon as i can, though.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2005 1:23 am
Psykiapa I know a good website sorta like that. They have links to different essays on the gothic genre and some other stuff ... here's the link. Literary GothicThankyou! I'm doing Frankenstein and Dracula for uni ... need to gen up on my gothic/horror, biggrin
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2005 1:25 am
Mikono If you have access to one and the time to take it, etc. I'd suggest taking a creative writing class at a college. I'm currently in one and it has already helped me alot, due to the fact that mine is a small class where everyone shares and shares opinions. Yeah, I'm studying creative writing at uni and I find it really helps to have people discussing your work with you. And by helping others you also avoid falling into the same traps.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 5:38 pm
Merenwen973 For all the poets out there: Go to www.poetry.com and post your poems. They also hold free contests every six months or so where you could win money. I wouln't do that. That is a scam, they take your money, or ask you to pay to have your work published. Anyone should offer you a complimentary book, if your published in it. Don't do this, I've been sacmed by them and another group (celibration of young poets or somthing like that), I don't want it to happen to any of you.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2006 3:34 pm
Mikono If you have access to one and the time to take it, etc. I'd suggest taking a creative writing class at a college. I'm currently in one and it has already helped me alot, due to the fact that mine is a small class where everyone shares and shares opinions. I would second that. My instructor, a published author with four collections of short stories (Yuknavitch, Lidia) has stopped assigning a textbook for our class. She doesn't believe how to write books exist, the same as some of us. "You learn from writing. Read as much as you can, but writing has no rules." Or something like that. Read as much fiction as you can, and decide what you like, try to imitate it. When you hate something, figure out why, so you can avoid making that mistake. As for books on how to write, I would suggest Rebel Yell by Lance Olsen. Not because I was awe inspired with a sudden notion that I would now write better(I get that by practice, like everyone else), but it is an alternate view of writing with refreshing exercises at the end of each chapter. There's forty interviews with published authors, as well. Other than that, just find a good site or pocket book of story starters, for when the brain freezes up. EDIT: Thirty readers to help proof read your work, helps, too. 3nodding Not for grammar and spelling, but for missing characterization, transient tone issues, and an extended opening or too curt ending. Mind you, you'll hate 25 of their critiques, but 5 or so should prove helpful, even if the instructor is one of the 25 helpless.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 4:32 pm
I wonder...if you read a book about writing written by a famous author, won't you get some bias about writing in general form the author's point of view? Every writer has a different style, after all.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 3:56 pm
I'm all for my 'how to write' type books, and I found a really good one. I'm also all for writing for kiddies and teens. Pamela Cleaver has a great book out called 'IDEAS FOR CHILDREN'S WRITERS a comprehensive resource book for plots theme... etc'
Having had writers block for a while this book provided some of the basic of basics that I easily forgot. Look for it in the libraries. It's new and came out this year.
She also has another book, again for writing for children... when I can think of the title, I'll add it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
