Tag: writing

January 27, 2022

6 Ways Dialogue Reveals Characterization

In truth, there are infinite ways dialogue reveals characterization, but, for the sake of article, I’m going to cover some of the most common and useful ones. Building Characterization through Dialogue Dialect Let’s get the obvious out of the way and talk about dialects or accents (don’t get nitpicky with me now, linguists). Dialogue is a wonderful way to establish...

Categories Characterization, Plot, & Setting/Literary Devices & Writing Techniques Comments: 0

January 20, 2022

7 Common Comma Mistakes

I wanted to call it “Common Comma Conundrums” (I’m a sucker for alliteration), but I figured “Common Comma Mistakes” was more searchable. Oh, well. Either way, it’s a list of comma errors that people make a lot and how to fix them. The 7 Most Common Comma Errors 1. Comma Splice A comma splice is when you join two sentences...

Categories Grammar & Editing Comments: 0

October 21, 2021

Writing After a Break Changes Things

Ever take a break from writing? Fall out of the habit or let it slip aside because life gets really busy for a while? Well, when you get back to it, you’ll find that writing after a break is a bit different than when you’re writing every day. 3 Ways Going Back to Writing After a Break Changes Things 1....

Categories Creative Process Comments: 0

September 30, 2021

Art as a Writing Prompt

If you’re ever in need of inspiration, try using art as a writing prompt. The best pieces of art inspire stories – in fact, they can inspire many different stories. How to Use Art as Inspiration for Your Writing 1. Find a Piece of Art Any type of art can work, but some may take more creativity than others. If...

Categories Creativity Builders/Writing Prompts Comments: 0

November 17, 2016

The Either Or Mentality as a Plot Device

From the typical image of your future as a fork in the road to dating options or even politics (Sorry. Too soon.), humans have a very strong tendency to lock themselves into an either or mindset. Either I can do this, or I can do that. While that’s generally a habit I’d recommend avoiding in real life (when possible), its popularity means that...

Categories Characterization, Plot, & Setting Comments: 3

May 16, 2016

When Sharing in Writing Goes Too Far

Yesterday’s quote was right: you have to share when you write. Whether it’s ideas, ideals, or personal experiences, some of that has to flavor your writing even if you try to keep it out. And it’s a good thing – for the most part. But there is such a thing as sharing too much (You know what I’m talking about.)....

Categories General Thoughts & Updates Comments: 0

April 6, 2016

10 Examples of Worldbuilding with Food in Books & Films

Who doesn’t like food? Ok, maybe someone doesn’t, but we all have to eat to live. That means we all have experiences with food (meh or no). That doesn’t mean we have the same experiences with food. What food is available, how much is available, what is common, how it’s eaten, and even who can afford what are all pretty...

Categories Research & Worldbuilding Comments: 0

April 5, 2016

Rewrite the Past with a “What If?” Writing Prompt

We all have moments in the past that we wish we could undo or wonder what would have happened if we’d made a different choice (well, assuming we’re all human). Instead of dwelling on those questions and regrets in a negative manner (ix-nay on the egative-nay), why not use them as inspiration for writing? Wonder what would’ve happened if you’d...

Categories Inspiration/Plotting Exercises/Writing Prompts Comments: 0

March 28, 2016

The World’s Oldest Living Things Make Great Inspiration for Worldbuilding

Rachel Sussman’s TED talk, “The World’s Oldest Living Things,” is amazingly eye opening. I don’t know about you, but I never realized how old some plants, fungus, coral, etc. live to be. Some of them are thousands of years old! In fact, all the creatures I saw in this list were at least over 1,000. Some were over 80,000. Actually,...

Categories Inspiration/Videos Comments: 0

March 7, 2016

How to Use Acting Methods to Improve Dialect in Dialogue

Whether you’re listening or reading, thick dialects can be hard to understand – partly because it takes experience with a specific dialect to understand it easily. It’s kind of like reading messy handwriting. Once you’ve experienced it enough, you can read it, but for a first-time exposure, it’s pretty impossible. That’s why a lot of the accents you’re exposed to...

Categories General Thoughts & Updates/Writer Resources Comments: 0