Saturday July 05, 2008
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Articles To Hone Your Writing Skills To Perfection!
1. PLAY A GAME LIKE SOLITAIRE
....for half an hour or so before you start to write. Some writers find this mentally 'prepares' them for writing - it's a bridge between their ordinary lives and their writing. The repetitive activity can free up your right brain.
2. DO 15-20 MINUTES OF FREE WRITING
...before you start your 'regular' writing projects. If you don't know what to write, start by describing the room you're sitting in, or the day outside. Write anything - but do write. Don't let yourself stop until your time is up. Very often, you'll find your mind drifting to the project in hand.
3. WRITE A LETTER
.... to a friend, describing your ideal writing life. End with '... and the first thing I'll do towards obtaining this is...' and fill in the answer. Think about how much you want that writing life. The first step is to begin work on your current project!
4. FINISH SOMEONE ELSE'S PARAGRAPH.
Grab any novel from your shelves. Turn to a page at random and jot down the first whole sentence you see. Now write a page that flows on logically from that first sentence.
5. THINK BACK TO THE LAST STRANGER YOU SAW
...that you can remember). It may have been someone in a shopping centre; it may have been someone standing in the same queue. Why do you remember this person? Invent a background for this character.
6. WRITE A PAGE ABOUT AN INCIDENT IN YOUR DAY
....in the first person. Now write about it again, from the point of view of a stranger looking on. What did you learn about yourself?
These are only six of many possible stimuli that might fire your imagination as a writer. When you're really stuck, try jotting down a list of 'Creativity Starters' yourself. Ask other writers how they begin their writing sessions.
(c) Copyright Marg McAlister
Marg McAlister has published magazine articles, short stories, books for children, ezines, promotional material, sales letters and web content. She has written 5 distance education courses on writing, and her online help for writers is popular all over the world. Sign up for her regular writers' tipsheet at http://www.writing4success.com/
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3 Quick Tips on Plotting Your Book
Plotting a book can seem an overwhelming task when you're just starting out, but it does get easier when you understand various plotting strategies.
Good writing is like sex. Two people are involved - the writer and the reader. Bad sex usually satisfies only one person, most preferably, the writer - the person who leads. Good sex not only satisfies both people, it pleasures them. So, like sex, writing must have all vital points that reach unto this pleasure - movement, foreplay, sensitivity, rhythm and climax. When a writer carefully and logically includes all these aspects, the reader is pleasured, satiated and gratified, but when a writer ignores them, the reader feels that the writer is impotent and he abandons him after that one night. Good writing is about making a person desire to read.
Making Freelance Writing Niche Types Fit: A Few Niche Types by Definition and Description
Our Freelance Writing Needs Defined
The Internet has truly revolutionized the careers of writers worldwide. Now you can work for publishers, corporations and a whole range of other clients on a truly global scale. Whether you are in the heart of a big city, or in a remote mountain village, all you need is an Internet connection to run your writing business.
It's important to have a space set aside in your home for writing. It can be a big cushion in a corner of your closet with a notebook and pen, if that's all you have room for, or perhaps the back seat of your car because that's the only place you can get some peace and quiet, but it should be all yours, waiting for you whenever it's time to write.
The Untold Secrets of Writing Best Selling Childrens Books
Ever wondered how the most successful children's book writers get their ideas? The answer may surprise you.
Back in the mid to late 1980s I was a security guard. The pay was lousy, but it gave me many hours in seclusion to write short stories and novels. However, I usually worked over 80 hours a week. No one can write that much. Well, at least not me. Thus I discovered the joys of my local libraries.