September 2011
59 posts
Oh my.
So many of you really are upset by my “From Trust to Intimacy” article. I’d just like to point out to everyone that I am not a professional, and that my advice is like ketchup- some people love it, some people hate it, and it’ll do no good trying to convince the other party that they’re wrong. In particular, I had wanted to address one point that many people...
Anonymous asked: So Rape is okay if a girl skips one of your steps? Yeah okay. You are a disgusting excuse for a human.
Anonymous asked: Where are you? You haven't really posted as much recently.
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A Note on "Respect is a Two Way Street"
Please, remember that when I wrote that, I was speaking on literature- NOT reality! The world of literature is black and white in many ways. If you want believable characters, I suggest you heed that passage wisely- there are not nearly as many gallant men who would refuse or restrain in that situation, even in reality.
Anonymous asked: Do you have a personal blog? I love this one and I'd love to follow your other one too!
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From Trust to Intimacy- Making Romance
People talk about how hard it is to write Sex. Romance is actually far more difficult. Sex is simply a sequence of ACTIONS: “He did this, she reacted, and then did this in return…etc.” Romance, on the other hand, is a psychologically based sequence of actions for gaining the trust needed to attain Intimacy. Caution! Someone skilled in the arts of Romance is not necessarily...
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Sorry for the long delay between posts!
I’m catching up now- I was having a bout of Total Immersion Writing!
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It's All About The Glue- The Premise of the Plot
Ah, so you wanna know how to put all the theories together to make a story, do you? (Gee, you couldn’t pick the easy stuff could you?) Okay… A story’s Causes & Effects, the triggers that lead from one event to the next, comes from your Premise. Just for the record… A Premise is NOT a Concept! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Premise is the theoretical / emotional problem that...
wolfgirlluna asked: While reading and completing "The Novel Notebook" by Lynn Viehl I came across "Describe your protagonist (occupational, emotional, and situational.)" and I'm not sure how to answer it.
Anonymous asked: What are your thoughts on setting a story in a real place vs. an entirely made up place? I'm just having trouble finding the right town/right school for my character. Do you have any advice on how to go about inventing a place, like how to make it realistic? Thanks in advance!
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Pesky Point Of View!
What is Point of View (POV)? — It’s the view of the person telling the story. First Person: I am telling the story. Second Person. I am telling the story to YOU. (Diaries and letters are commonly written this way.) Third Person: He is telling the story. Close Third Person: He had no clue how he got roped into telling this story, but he was telling it, and by god, they better...
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Propaganda~ DON'T Let It Seep Into Your Work!
Many people have asked me, “Why don’t you watch TV anymore?” I do, sort of. I play movies that I buy and rent on my TV regularly. However, I Don’t watch cable TV or local TV, and I NEVER watch sitcoms or Reality TV of any kind. If I want the news, I go to the internet. Why Not? Because there’s too much Programming going on in those programs, and not one drop of...
Anonymous asked: Not really related, but Bleach <3
Anonymous asked: That was painful. I hate it when people do that D: It's like... where did they even -learn- that?
Anonymous asked: Don't you also put commas after proper nouns?
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Much Ado About Commas~ How The Heck To Use Them
What the heck are Commas for, anyway? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Besides abusing the sanity of the writer, the comma exists to help readers organize information in a sentence. It makes all the stuff the author is trying to say easier to swallow. Without them, sentence bits and pieces collide into one another causing confusion; rather like a train-wreck, though not nearly as exciting. Just...
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You've Got Me Monologuing~ A Note On Interior...
A note on: — Interior Monologues ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Whether you are considering adding a lengthy monologue to a story, or intend the monologue to be the story itself where the focus of the entire story is on one character’s thoughts and feelings with very little action — from my observations and experimentation, the readers either love them or hate them. There’s no...
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Two Sides To Every Coin~ Writing the Dual Natured...
Let’s start this lecture with a HUGE secret: — There are Three Essential Characters in every story: > Adversary – The one causing all the trouble. > Proponent – The one trying to keep things the way they are. > Ally – The close companion of one or the other caught in the middle. In other words, you can tell any story with ONLY these Three Characters; perhaps not with...
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Classic Plotting Patterns
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Classic Plotting Patterns ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Aristotle’s Plotline: From: “Elements of a Tragedy” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. The reversal of the protagonist’s fortune is brought on by a personal flaw. 2. The eventual recognition by the protagonist of this tragic flaw 3. The resulting moral consequences of their actions. Aristotle Translated: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1....
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Deus Ex Machina or Chekhov's Gun?~ Rediculous...
A Deus Ex Machina is when the Hero doesn’t find the solution to the story’s problem. The solution is handed to them, or taken care of, by someone or something far more powerful. From TV Tropes: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DeusExMachina ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Deus Ex Machina is an outside force that solves a seemingly unsolvable problem in an extremely unlikely (and,...
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Research is Your Best Friend~ Researching That...
How much do I plan out for one of my novels…? — I detail everything. Seriously. I believe in a Total Immersion style of writing. In other words, I want to know the world so well, I can simply step into the mind and skin of my main character and LIVE the story. How do I do that…? I start with a basic plot formula and extrapolate on certain points as needed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~...
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The Short on Short Stories
Quotes raped from a critique of Nathanial Hawthorn’s Twice Told Tales by Edgar Allen Poe - 1837 Edgar Allen Poe, celebrated as one of the finest short fiction writers of all time, was also a literary critic. These are bits of his wisdom on writing short stories, gleaned from one of his critiques. “The true critic will but demand that that the (story’s) design intended be ...
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Write Fast, Die Hard!~ How to write High Speed...
High-Speed STORIES When you absolutely, positively, HAVE to get the story done. The trick to speed-writing is to Plan the story out first, more commonly known as PLOTTING. “Goodnight Sweet Jacob” was written in 30 days — all 15 chapters at 2500 to 3000 words per chapter, adding up to around 80k (thousand) words. A novel is 90k to 100k. I was able to do this because I already...
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So Sexy It's Scary! ~ A Guide To Writing Erotic...
What is Erotic Horror?
According to Wikipedia: http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erotic_horror ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Erotic horror, alternately noted as Dark Erotica, is a term applied to works of horror fiction in which sensual or sexual imagery (or descriptions of the physical act of sexual intercourse) are blended with horrific overtones or horror story elements. In other words: ~~~~~~~~~~~~ If...
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Story Writing for BEGINNERS
So when you wanna write a story, where do you begin? With your PASSION! Write what you KNOW & LOVE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What do you KNOW, really? What do you love to Do, to Study, to Think About, to Talk About…? Whether it’s cave-diving, model trains, skate-boarding, sewing, horses, mythology, ghost legends, or particle physics your passion is where you will find your most unique...
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Get Your Write On!
Okay ladies and gents! Let’s pick up our pens and keyboards and have a prompt competition! Here’s the rules, and feel free to use this list after we’re done: You must use these prompts. You must use the phrase in the story or title. That’s it! When you’re done, slip it in our submissions box and we’ll post it. The piece with the most likes/reblogs will win!...
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Stuck on a Short Story? The Short and Skinny!
Stuck on what to put in your story? — This is the list of things I check off when I create a story: Do you have a Setting in mind? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - Sci-fi - Historical - Modern day - Fantasy Do you have ONE big main event for the story to focus on? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - A battle - An escape - A love scene - An act of revenge - A sacrifice - A treasure to claim - A magic spell - A...
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Let's Go Fishing!~ Finding Inspiration
Fishing for INSPIRATION? ~~~~~~~~~~~ Your imagination is a pond that you fish your ideas from. Like any fishing pond, what you catch depends on what you’ve stocked your pond with and how much you put in there. If you fish for only the occasional idea, your little ideas have time to breed creatively until they overflow the pond, leaping right out into your hand — and onto your...
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Let's Get Gothic- Structure of The Gothic Tale
What is the difference between a Gothic tale and a Horror story? Intent. Seriously. Both Horror stories and Gothic tales delve into the realm of emotional trauma such as revenge, abuse, and hate—including, if not especially, sexual trauma. However, the darkness in a Gothic tale is not expressed or defined by graphically detailed, and gruesome, violence as it is in a Horror. Though...
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The Subtle STATIC TRAIT - Secret Weapon of the...
The Static Trait is the small personal HABIT an individual character displays which reveals their personal Neurosis, their driving NEED, especially in stressful situations. This habitual or even ritual behavior acts as both their greatest source of trouble and the linchpin to their success. It’s the individual character’s “Accident Waiting to Happen”. The most obvious...
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What Can go Wrong SHOULD go Wrong- Plotting With...
Plotting, plotting, plotting. Let us all twirl our curly mustaches and giggle maniacally with delight.
If you want an easy way to plot out a story that your readers can’t guess the end to by the fourth chapter, then THIS is the method for you! Basically, you begin with a character and something they desire. They go after their desire which immediately sparks complications which become a ...
Anonymous asked: Your posts are so fantastic. They're a great help. So much information and great advice :D keep it up
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Navigating The Wasteland- How to Get That Middle...
The middle is DANGEROUS territory. Why? Because the Middle of a story is where you have a million-and-one options, a million-and-one directions to choose from, and a million-and-one ways to really show off your writing skills. The Middle is also where you have a million-and-one opportunities to really screw up your story for good. Opportunities that will send you spiraling into ever...
saraiave asked: So, here's a question: I seem to never get it right when it comes to the words, "lying", "laying", "lie", and "lay". I always seem to get it wrong.
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"I am – I Need – I Desire…" ~Goal, Motivation &...
Goal, Motivation and Conflict seems to be the BIG MYSTERY of fiction writing. Everyone says that they’re essential to good writing – and they’re right, they are. Absolutely. But this stuff can be a little confusing. Let’s begin at the beginning… — What are all these things and why do stories need them? Goal is what your character THINKS they are after. Motivation is...
Anonymous asked: How old are you? Have you ever been published?
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A Whole New World! - A Quick World Building...
So, you want to write your own world? Well, as much fun as that sounds, there is a lot of work you have to put into it in order for it to be believable! Filling out this guide will bring you one step closer to a 3 dimensional and realistic world!
Broad Information Time/Era: Exact year or approximate time Name of Country: For fun, you could alter the name of an old empire. For example, the ...
Anonymous asked: Do you do Beta work?
Anonymous asked: Um, i dont kno y Im the only one who noticed this but ur luv vs sex article is CRAP. Everyone knos that romance and luv are the same thing and ur just trying to make urself feel better cuz u cant get any luv urself. Its really funny how pathetic u r, writin these articles like ur an actual writer. Weres ur work? U really are a sad excuse for a person and a pisspoor writer. Lame tumblr that no1...
Attention Followers!
We received a question in our ask that we couldn’t completely answer on our own, so we need your help. The question is: Do any of you know a decent book where the focus is on the Villain and not the Hero?
Anonymous asked: So I was reading your Villain article- which I loved, btw- and I was just wondering, are there books out there that focus on just the villain? I've always wanted to read even just one book like that, but could never find one. I love the idea of it, and even want to write one myself one day. So do you know of any? Or do any of your followers know of any? I'd really appreciate the help :)
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Describe Describe Describe! Writing Description...
“I think the biggest problem I have is lack of detail. I can see things in my head, but other than the general surroundings, I’m always too intent on what my characters are thinking, or doing, or about to do to remember to add the details necessary to paint a really clear picture of where they are and their environment.” — Wanna Rite Reel Gud The way to deal with that...
Anonymous asked: Not a question but I just thought I'd let you know that I've found this blog incredibly helpful! Thank you very much you don't often get a good, critical breakdown of how to write well like this. Just reading through it has had an impact on how I'm going to be constructing my stories and characters from now on. I hope to read more from you soon.
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The Art of VILLAINY-How To Get That Evil Guy Right
“People will do far more to Avoid Pain than they will to Seek Pleasure.” — CIA Profiler Gavin DeBecker on Human Nature True Predators ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When I craft a villain, I go out of my way to make darned sure that my fictional villains are as realistic as the villains we face in real life. I begin by giving them ordinary human Issues. Within every villain (fictional and...
Submissions and Ask Are Open!
Our Submissions and Ask boxes are open for your usage! If you have any questions, comments, or if you have a specific area of writing you want covered, feel free to message us!
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Writing Fanfiction for Practice
Writing fanfiction really can make you a better writer. It cures writer’s block, guarantees helpful critiques and more. ‘My Immortal’ (the worst fanfic ever) has given fanfiction an unfairly bad rep… I have been reading and writing fanfiction since forever and have never looked back. Not only is it a pleasure to read, but I’ve found that it’s really helped my writing in 5...
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Knock Yourself Out!~ A Writer's Guide To Faint...
You’ve probably all read books or seen movies in which a character passes out. The heroine might swoon gracefully and collapse onto the floor or into the hero’s arms. People rush to bring water, a doctor, or something to revive her. She then wakes up, rosy-cheeked and a bit distressed, and she fans herself for a while while insisting that she is fine. Real life is nothing like...
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Crossing Genres
Every genre has core elements that make that genre that genre. In order to Cross Genres properly, you need to know each of your genre’s distinctive elements and make them Equally Important in the story. Simple, no? However… One of the most common mistakes I’ve seen in every genre of fiction: IGNORANCE. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Most of the common mistakes come with any writing...
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Writing LOVE vs. SEX
“…How exactly I would go about writing a ‘romantic/love’ scene?”
Curious about Loving? What you’re actually asking is the same question asked by everyone in the entire world: “How can you tell when you are loved?” First of all, don’t confuse Romance with Love. They are two completely different things! Love vs. Romance ~ There IS a difference!...