Writing emoticon by eburt
:thumb347196726:

I thought it was a very good journal that needed to be shared.

Here are some other writing tips and so forth by :iconmisslunarose:

Nobody Loves My Character!
On making characters lovable, in your story and online
Brought to you by Super Editor
Disclaimer: This is a troubleshooting guide, and it doesn't necessarily cover every possible solution. It's based on my own experience, and not every idea may fit every character or work. Please use your common sense and personal taste when applying this information. Thanks for reading!

It's every writer's nightmare: your characters, after all the things you've put them through and all the months or years they've inhabited your head, have been eagerly displayed to the public and received an unenthusiastic response. Your audience has not been enchanted. They do not drool, fall hopelessly in love, or draw fan art in droves. They don't even pick favorite characters or whine for more information! You've failed. Nobody understands your characters. Nobody understands you.
...Wait a second. Try again?
Deviants who regularly post OC stories and art are lucky: their relationship with their audien
Art Block Banisher
Do you find yourself staring like a zombie at a blank piece of paper on your desk? Do you whip your pencil in a circle to draw a head, erase it, draw it again, and still find yourself dissatisfied and uninspired? Do you long to draw your characters in some crazy or adorable situation but lack the ability to come up with an idea?
Never fear! The Art Block Banisher is here!
This is a list of possible scenarios you can evilly dump your favorite characters into, whether they belong to you or someone else. So think about a few favorite characters, pull out a pencil and paper, and let's go!
***
Cooking Who can cook what, and how well? How many fire extinguishers will be necessary? Try drawing a full-out scene or just little doodles.
Age: What did your characters look like when they were little? How did/would they interact? What about when they're older? Try drawing them as grown-ups or (gasp) geezers. (Here's a great tutorial on faces at differen
Planning the Evil Plot
A half-guide, half-narrative on writing a story
brought to you by Super Editor

Basics
Before I start writing, I like to have some idea of where I'm starting, where I'm going, and how I'm going to end up there. Let's say that I want to write a comedy about an author who suddenly changes places with her Mary Sue. I usually jot down some basic ideas:
Characters:
Sarah, the author: ~13 years old, average-looking, glasses, rather tall and gangly
Ellemere, the Mary Sue: ~16 years old, long flowing hair, violet eyes, etc.
Forrest (Ellemere's love interest) : ~18, stereotypical pretty boy who is too dark and broody to make a good love interest
Leon: ~17, Ellemere's somewhat dorky friend who falls in love with her but is cast off to side in favor of Forrest
Tangent: For those of you who are confused, the ~ symbol means "about." I think it comes from math.
I like to draw, so I'd probably make doodles of these characters too. Drawing characters is a great way to develop th


by :iconml-larson:

Writing Tips - Organisation
Writing Without Confusing Yourself (Or Your Readers)
Writing is a very personal, individual undertaking. Everybody approaches the activity a bit differently from the next guy. Some people can come up with concept, plot, characters, and everything else and just sit down and write. Others need to take time to figure out what's going on; what's going to happen in the story, and how it all fits together. Others still will find themselves getting stuck somewhere along the middle, losing track of everything or changing an idea mid-way through, or never know how to end. These are the people for whom this has been put together. Those of you who can barrel through a story overnight are still welcome to look, though.
Intro:
There are different ways in which a writer can and will get stuck on any given piece. Motivation, immediate environment, too few (or too many) ideas available, lack of organisation; the list goes on, but life is short and I am lazy. The sticking point that we're going
Writing Tips - Description
Description: Balancing Too Much and Not Enough
There’s an old adage about writing that says, “show, don’t tell.” But what does that actually mean? Surely, we’re not expected to illustrate our stories, are we? Christ, I hope not. Some of mine are rather long.
No. What that means is that you should use your words to paint a visual picture for the reader. “Talking heads” are both boring and confusing, and should generally be avoided. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, “talking heads” refers to the phenomenon where all, or most of story is carried out through the characters’ dialogue. You see it like mad in web and news paper comics, but it happens in prose as well.
The first, and arguably the most fun way to banish the talking heads is to make your characters act. This doesn’t mean action, necessarily. The character can do any amount of “going” from place to place or thing to thing, but so what? He’s still not rea


by :iconrivisindigoemporium:

:thumb178417191:

So...  What are you writing today?
"I have spent a good many years since—too many, I think—being ashamed about what I write. I think I was forty before I realized that almost every writer of fiction or poetry who has ever published a line has been accused by someone of wasting his or her God-given talent. If you write (or paint or dance or sculpt or sing, I suppose), someone will try to make you feel lousy about it, that’s all.”


Stephen King



Substitute "damn" every time you're inclined to write "very"; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should


Mark Twain


I learned never to empty the well of my writing, but always to stop when there was still something there in the deep part of the well, and let it refill at night from the springs that fed it.


Ernest Hemingway


I have never started a poem yet whose end I knew. Writing a poem is discovering.


Robert Frost


I'm writing a book. I've got the page numbers done.


Steven Wright


I will carry on writing, to be sure. But I don't know if I would want to publish again after Harry Potter.


J.K. Rowling


Good writing is like a windowpane.


George Orwell


I have my favorite cat, who is my paperweight, on my desk while I am writing.


Ray Bradbury


But with writers, there's nothing wrong with melancholy. It's an important color in writing.


Paul McCartney


Writing is lovely business


Sherman Alexei



Here are a few quote by writers out there.

Do you have any favourite inspirational quotes that you like or has inspired you?

Do you have a favourite author that keeps you moving forward when you sit in front of  the keyboard or hold a pen?


Are you still stuck for ideas for National Novel Writing Month? Or are you working on a novel at a more leisurely pace? Here are 102 resources on Character, Point of View, Dialogue, Plot, Conflict, Structure, Outlining,

 Setting, and World Building, plus some links to generate Ideas and Inspiration.

CHARACTER, POINT OF VIEW, DIALOGUE


10 Days of Character Building

Name Generators

Name Playground

The Universal Mary Sue Litmus Test

Priming the idea pump (A character checklist shamlessly lifted from acting)

How to Create a Character

Seven Common Character Types

Handling a Cast of Thousands – Part I: Getting to Know Your Characters

It’s Not What They Say …

Establishing the Right Point of View: How to Avoid “Stepping Out of Character”

How to Start Writing in the Third Person

Web Resources for Developing Characters

What are the Sixteen Master Archetypes?

Character: A compilation of guidance from classical and contemporary experts on creating great dramatic characters

Building Fictional Characters

Fiction Writer’s Character Chart

Character Building Workshop

Tips for Characterization

Fiction Writer’s Character Chart

Villains are People, Too, But …

Top 10 Tips for Writing Dialogue

Speaking of Dialogue

Dialogue Tips

Advantages, Disadvantages and Skills (character traits)

How to Write a Character Bible

Character Development Exercises

All Your Characters Sounds the Same — And They’re Not a Hivemind!

Medieval Names Archive

Sympathy Without Saintliness

Writing the Other: Bridging Cultural Difference for Successful Fiction

Family Echo (family tree website)

Interviewing Characters: Follow the Energy

100 Character Development Questions for Writers

Behind the Name

Lineage Chart Layout Generator


PLOT, CONFLICT, STRUCTURE, OUTLINE



How to Write a Novel: The Snowflake Method

Effectively Outlining Your Plot

Conflict and Character within Story Structure

Outlining Your Plot

Ideas, Plots & Using the Premise Sheets

How to Write a Novel

Creating Conflict and Sustaining Suspense

Plunge Right In … Into Your Story, That Is!

Fiction Writing Tips: Story Grid

Tips for Creating a Compelling Plot

Writer’s “Cheat Sheets”

The Thirty-six (plus one) Dramatic Situations

The Evil Overlord Devises a Plot: Excerpt from Stupid Plotting Tricks

Conflict Test

What is Conflict?

Monomyth

The Hero’s Journey: Summary of the Steps

Outline Your Novel in Thirty Minutes

Plotting Without Fears

Novel Outlining 101

Writing the Perfect Scene

Fight Scenes 101

Basic Plots in Literature

One-Page Plotting

The Great Swampy Middle


SETTING, WORLD BUILDING


Magical World Builder’s Guide

I Love the End of the World

World Building 101

The Art of Description: Eight Tips to Help You Bring Your Settings to Life

Creating the Perfect Setting – Part I

Creating a Believable World

An Impatient Writer’s Approach to Worldbuilding

Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions

Setting

Character and Setting Interactions

Creating Fantasy and Science Fiction Worlds

Creating Fantasy Worlds

Questions About Worldbuilding

Maps Workshop — Developing the Fictional World Through Mapping

World Builder Projects


IDEAS, INSPIRATION


Quick Story Idea Generator

Solve Your Problems Simply by Saying Them Out Loud

Busting Your Writing Rut

Writing Inspiration, or Sex on a Bicycle

Creative Acceleration: 11 Tips to Engineer a Productive Flow

The Seven Major Beginner Mistakes

Complete Your First Book with these 9 Simple Writing Habits


Free Association, Active Imagination, Twilight Imaging

Random Book Title Generator

Finishing Your Novel

Story Starters and Idea Generators


REVISION


How to Rewrite

One-Pass Manuscript Revision: From First Draft to Last in One Cycle

Editing Recipe

Cliche Finder

Revising Your Novel: Read What You’ve Written

Writing 101: So You Want to Write a Novel Part 3: Revising a Novel


TOOLS and SOFTWARE


My Writing Nook (online text editor; free)

Bubbl.us (online mind map application; free)

Freemind (mind map application; free; Windows, Mac, Linux, portable)

XMind (mind map application; free; Windows, Mac, Linux, portable)

Liquid Story Binder (novel organization and writing software; free trial, $45.95; Windows, portable)

Scrivener (novel organization and writing software; free trial, $39.95; Mac)

SuperNotecard (novel organization and writing software; free trial, $29; Windows, Mac, Linux, portable)

yWriter (novel organization and writing software; free; Windows, Linux, portable)

JDarkRoom (minimalist text editor; free; Windows, Mac, Linux, portable)

AutoRealm (map creation software; free; Windows, Linux with Wine)




This information was compiled by ruthlesscalculus on Tumblr.  I thought I would share all these wonderful  resources with all of you aspiring writers.  If any of the links don't work, please let me know and I will repair them or go to the original blog by clicking on link above.




What is stated in our blogs is not an absolute guide to writing. The purpose of these blogs is to focus on helping writers break away from the taboos and faux-pas of fan-fiction with a more refined approach.  We are just sharing our knowledge from our own personal research and experiences.  You are more than welcome to ignore the information provided in these blogs, and you do not have to take any of the advice stated. We are not attacking anyone, their writing or style, or their personal beliefs in any way, shape or form.  This is for informational purposes only.

The blogs are interchangeably written by both Ziggy-Pasta and albedosreqium, while sometimes they are written as a collaboration.  Please note the main author of the blog entry as you read them.  

If you do not agree with the facts and opinions that have been stated here, there is a lovely back button on your internet browser.  Thank you.

I have a question for the followers of this group.

What would you be interested in hearing about to help you with your writing?

Leave a quick note here and we will try to work on a blog for you.  Anything to help you will help us as well as we are all learning here.






:iconalbedosreqium: or in other words, me is running a Monster contest!!!! Which is a contest my Monster (aka, kidlet)  thought of.

It is not a writing contest but a silly practice in doing something different and for my Monster to get silly Monster art to post on his wall.  

Check it out if you are interested.




:iconcc-revolution: has started up a wonderful looking roleplay group and is looking for members.  All you writers out there may be interested in joining.

They have an official website revolutioncc.forumotion.com/ and story line revolutioncc.forumotion.com/t2… developed.

They need canon characters as well as OC's.  They are a really easy-going and friendly, and there's lots to do in addition to the RP - chatting (in-character or out), and posting fanfics and fanart.  Go check them out if you are interested.


What is stated in our blogs is not an absolute guide to writing. The purpose of these blogs is to focus on helping writers break away from the taboos and faux-pas of fan-fiction with a more refined approach. We are just sharing our knowledge from our own personal research and experiences. You are more than welcome to ignore the information provided in these blogs, and you do not have to take any of the advice stated. We are not attacking anyone, their writing or style, or their personal beliefs in any way, shape or form. This is for informational purposes only.

The blogs are interchangeably written by both Ziggy-Pasta and albedosreqium, while sometimes they are written as a collaboration. Please note the main author of the blog entry as you read them.

If you do not agree with the facts and opinions that have been stated here, there is a lovely back button on your internet browser. Thank you.

Writing Tip: Numbers

Journal Entry: Sun Dec 18, 2011, 5:47 PM


Now, this is something I had to relearn when I started writing fiction again because it is completely different in technical writing.  Let’s go over some examples! 

Example 1:

“The 1st Class SOLDIER called over to the young man with the wild blond hair.”  — incorrect

These should be spelled.  First -Class SOLDIER rather than 1st.  Second floor rather than 2nd.... etc.

"The First Class SOLDIER called over to the young man with the wild blond hair." — correct

Example 2:

“They walked to the 37th Floor of the building.”

Now this one can go either way.  The rule is all small numbers (i.e. lower than 10) should be spelled out, but it is better for consistency purposes in your story if you pick only one way.

This is technically correct.

“They walked to the thirty-seventh floor of the building.” This is correct as well.

I spell things out because it flows better.  Numbers tend to be rude interrupters in a fiction. 

“He handed the 4 gil over to smug Turk.”  — this is incorrect. 

“He handed the four gil over to the smug Turk.” — would be correct, because it is a small number.

Example 3

“I think you will find more than 2/3 of the Turks will agree with me!” — this is so wrong.

Better:

“I think you will find more than two-thirds of the Turks will agree with me!” — this is correct, and the flow is better as well.

Example 4:

Never start a sentence with a number.

“Three monsters came running into the room.” — correct

“3 monsters came running into the room.” — incorrect

 Example 5:

You need to hyphenate all compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine.  I keep forgetting this one and my beta, (dear Ziggy I love you) keeps correcting me on this.

“There were thirty seven men on the floor.” — incorrect

“There were thirty-seven men on the floor.” — correct

Example 6:

Large numbers that are rounded or exaggerations should be spelled out.

“There were five million bugs over there!” Reno complained. — correct

“There were 5,000,000 bugs over there!” Reno complained. — incorrect

Note:  The only time you would not write out the number phonetically is when it is a very, very long number.

Example 7:

“The weapon cost 27,549 gil.”  correct

That is a really long number, and if written out phonetically it would look like this:

“The weapon cost twenty-seven thousand, five-hundred and forty-nine gil.”  That is quite the mouthful, so just write out the numbers.

Example 8:

If a number is a part of a name, the number stays.  You don’t write it out, even if it is a small number.

“The meeting is in Sector 7?” or “They were all going to meet at ‘7th Heaven’.”

Example 9:

Never put numbers together.  It’s best to write out the number that is smaller, and use the numerals for the number that is bigger.

“There are five 15—year-olds that are infantry cadets in the army.” — correct

“There are 5 15-year-olds that are infantry cadets in the army.” — incorrect

Example 10:

Be consistent.  If you choose numerals because one of the numbers is greater than nine, use numerals for all numbers in that category.  If you choose to write out numbers because one of those numbers is a single digit, spell out all numbers in that category.

“The 10 SOLDIERs fought with the 2 monsters.” — correct

“The ten SOLDIERs fought with the two monsters.” — correct

“The ten SOLDIERs fought with the 2 monsters.” — incorrect

Now, when it comes to putting in time:

Use noon and midnight rather than 12:00 P.M. and 12:00 A.M. 

When you are using time in your story, it is best to write it out when the time is general.

Example 11:

“It’s four thirty” — correct.

“It’s arriving around three o’clock.” —  correct.

“It’s arriving around 3 o’clock.” —  incorrect.

When using an exact time, use the numbers with the A.M. and P.M. denoting after it.

Example 12: 

"He arrived at the Mess Hall at 10:05 A.M. and they were out of French toast." —  is correct.

When using military time it is a 24 hour clock.  0000 denotes midnight.  When you use military time always write the numbers as a list of four numbers.   Always use the word “hours” after the time and never add in colons between the hours and minutes.

Example 13:

You will run until 1500 hours!  Run!  Now!” Genesis yelled at the cadets. —  correct.

“You will run until 15:00 hours!  Run!  Now!” Genesis yelled at the cadets. —  incorrect.

“You will run until fifteen-hundred hours!  Run!  Now!”  Genesis yelled at the cadets — is incorrect.


Putting numbers in a sentence can ruin the flow and distract the reader so I like to write them out as much as possible.  It becomes a focal point and the number is not what you want the reader to focus on.  (Of course, this is the complete opposite in technical writing.)

One of the important things to remember is consistency in your document.  Readers will notice if you are not consistent and it will ruin the flow.  They won’t enjoy the story as much because their brain is pointing out things that you don’t want them to notice.

Just remember there are always exceptions to the rules about the rules!  This is the English language after all.


DISCLAIMER

What is stated in our blogs is not an absolute guide to writing. The purpose of these blogs is to focus on helping writers break away from the taboos and faux-pas of fan-fiction with a more refined approach. We are just sharing our knowledge from our own personal research and experiences. You are more than welcome to ignore the information provided in these blogs, and you do not have to take any of the advice stated. We are not attacking anyone, their writing or style, or their personal beliefs in any way, shape or form. This is for informational purposes only.

The blogs are interchangeably written by both *LagunaNoJutsu and *albedosreqium, while sometimes they are written as a collaboration. Please note the main author of the blog entry as you read them. 

If you do not agree with the facts and opinions that have been stated here, there is a lovely back button on your internet browser. Thank you.




Disclaimer

What is stated in our blogs is not an absolute guide to writing. The purpose of these blogs is to focus on helping writers break away from the taboos and faux-pas of fan-fiction with a more refined approach. We are just sharing our knowledge from our own personal research and experiences. You are more than welcome to ignore the information provided in these blogs, and you do not have to take any of the advice stated. We are not attacking anyone, their writing or style, or their personal beliefs in any way, shape or form. This is for informational purposes only.

The blogs are interchangeably written by both Ziggy-Pasta and albedosreqium, while sometimes they are written as a collaboration. Please note the main author of the blog entry as you read them.

If you do not agree with the facts and opinions that have been stated here, there is a lovely back button on your internet browser. Thank you.

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