October 2016 – Words & Deeds

October 27, 2016

Do You Ever Hate Writing?

Do you ever hate writing? Sometimes, when we get to a writing exercise, a student will groan, “Ugh, I hate writing!” And while Dorothy Parker was being witty when she said it (when wasn’t she being witty?), the students who say this are deadly serious. They’re teenagers (so I’ll admit there’s probably some hyperbole involved), but at least some of them honestly and...

General Thoughts & Updates/Quotes, Words, & Phrases Comment: 1

October 25, 2016

The Line Between Prose and Poetry

I got on facebook to reply to one invite and, predictably, spent the next hour distracted by various people’s posts. The one that finally inspired me enough to break the fb tunnel vision was a shared article about anxiety called “Anxiety Is an Invalid Excuse” from Just Cut the Bullshit. Besides the gripping illustration of a hard situation, the post caught my interest...

Literary Devices & Writing Techniques/Poetry Comments: 0

October 20, 2016

A Little Phobia Goes a Long Way

People are emotional creatures – they get caught up in things and act irrationally (and don’t realize it until later). If you’re having trouble working that into your writing, adding a phobia can help because even though phobias are irrational, they follow certain rules. A Little Background on Phobias A phobia is an irrational reaction of fear to something that...

Characterization, Plot, & Setting Comments: 0

October 18, 2016

A City’s Character: More Writing Inspiration from Travel

A while back, I talked about how to make the most of travel delays with the people-watching writing prompt, but even if there are no (or few) people around, you can still find plenty of useful inspiration in your travels by considering a city’s character. Places are like people. They have a certain look, a certain feel. They have their...

Inspiration/Literary Device Exercises/Travel/Worldbuilding Exercises/Writing Prompts Comments: 0

October 13, 2016

Build a Neighborhood Lending Library

“What is this thing?” you may ask. As well you should. “It looks like a birdhouse (a really big birdhouse), but there are books inside! I want to know more!” That was my exact response when I saw this while out for a walk. Then, I saw the little plaque on the front: LittleFreeLibrary.org Take a Book • Return a Book How awesome...

General Thoughts & Updates Comment: 1

October 11, 2016

Gender Guessers Are Handy for Writing

A big part of writing believable stories is shaping believable characters, and when you’re trying to write a believable man or woman, questions of gender come up. How do you write convincingly from the opposite gender? How can you tell if you succeeded? That’s when gender guessers are handy for writing. What Is a Gender Guesser? Some people analyzed a bunch...

Characterization, Plot, & Setting/Writer Resources Comments: 0

October 4, 2016

Crime, Punishment, & Worldbuilding

Unless you’re a lawyer, judge, career criminal, or bdsm enthusiast, you probably don’t spend too much time thinking about crime and punishment. And why would you? It’s not something you study in school. It’s more like how we learn social cues – things you pick up over time through stories from family and friends, television and movies, and life experience (although...

Research & Worldbuilding Comments: 0

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Monthly Archive: October, 2016