Writing can be a solitary journey. Still, authors looking to publish their work eventually must face good and bad critiques. Generous, polished authors who recall what it was like when starting out may be happy to give constructive feedback. Writers will also encounter internet trolls, anyone who, although they have never written a single line themselves, wants to tell you precisely what is wrong with your work.
Continue reading “Online Writing Groups”An antagonist is a character in a story who opposes the protagonist. They often have traits that directly differ the protagonists and can be used to create tension and conflict in a story.
In tackling character development, the process is similar in all characters, positive or negative.
Antagonists can be human or non-human, such as animals, forces of nature, or even ideas. They are often portrayed as being selfish, power-hungry, or otherwise villainous. Writers need to create well-rounded antagonists with motivations and goals that readers can understand and relate to, as this helps make stories more interesting and engaging. The antagonist can start out seeming harmless, then revert to a truer nature, as can the protagonist. Take some risks, and mix it up. Readers like to be kept on their toes.
Protagonists are usually the most crucial character in a book or movie, and their actions can impact the story’s outcome. A good writer should create an exciting protagonist that readers can relate to and root for.
By understanding the protagonist’s motivations, desires, and fears, authors can craft compelling stories that draw readers in and keep them engaged. Protagonists can also be used to explore topics such as morality, justice, and even philosophy.
I suggest outlining the characters you create, giving them personalities, appearances, habits, and main motivations in their actions.
Continue reading “Protagonists”Writing a book can be intimidating, but you succeed with the right approach and tools.
Once the general idea, the “what if,” has been decided, an outline can be one of the most important tools a writer can utilize to stay on track. It helps to control ideas and plot points and ensure that all the pieces fit together in a way that makes sense. In the horror genre, the following can be one type of basic outline:
1. Choose a fear factor:
2. Follow the key elements of horror
3. Set tone and predictive phrasing
4. Insert a plot twist
5. Twists and turns
6. Save the secrets for the proper placement in story-to move it along, create a change, and conclude.
An outline also allows the writer to track how much they have written and how much work they still need to do to complete the book. With an overview, writers can easily stay on track with their writing goals.
Outlining helps writers make changes to the story as they go along and keep track of ideas and plot points, making it easier for the writer to stay organized. With this tool, a writer can create compelling stories that readers will enjoy while helping them stay on track and avoid getting overwhelmed by writing a larger piece of fiction.
Next post, “Protagonists”
Writing a personal essay can be a daunting task for many people. It requires you to express your thoughts and feelings creatively and meaningfully. But with the right approach, it can be a great experience, creating insight into your motivation to write in the first place.
Whether you’re writing for a client or yourself, it’s important to remember that you can make your essay as funny, creative, or personal as you want. Try not to limit your creativity out of fear of revealing too much about yourself to the reader. The very point of writing is communication, and exhibiting vulnerability can draw a reader in.
A good personal essay should capture readers’ attention and pull them into your story. It should also provide insight into who you are and what makes you unique. As a writer, you should want to stand out from the crowd.
Many sources of inspiration can help you develop ideas for your essay. Whether it’s pro tips from experienced writers, funny anecdotes from friends and family, or creative prompts from online sources, there is no shortage of source material to draw upon in writing. Anything, no matter how mundane, can be the starting point of a good story. With the right resources, you’ll be able to craft a piece that speaks directly to your account.
Knowing the correct word count for your essay is essential to effectively convey your thoughts and feelings. The length of a personal essay largely depends on its theme or purpose. For example, if you are writing a short story, the average length is between 1,000 to 10,000 words. A blog is usually effective at coming in at around 300 words. Similarly, if you are writing about a particular event or experience, you may need to adjust the word count accordingly.
In the end, the article or story should either wrap up nicely at the end or lead the reader into introspection, making them think about the piece long after they have read it.
I’m at the point where I feel comfortable listing a few tips I have collected from various sources on producing a blog.
Of course, as soon as I began this entry, I saw an error on my website caused by editing on the fly on my phone. That leads me not to another tip but a gentle warning. Don’t beat yourself up over mistakes. Everything is a process, and the best writing is fluid and transformational for both the reader and the writer. Don’t discourage yourself; plenty of naysayers on the web are happy to do that for you.
Now on to some tips I’ve picked up over the last year:
Continue reading “10 Tips on Blog Writing”When writing is your identity and life, finding the right balance between the professional and the personal can be challenging. Writing can be a demanding profession, and it’s easy to get lost in work and forget about other aspects of life.
Continue reading “Avoiding Burnout”What does AI (artificial intelligence) mean to writers? With Microsoft investing $10 billion in OpenAI, the model, ChatGPT, can interact conversationally. This is good news when we look at writing tasks that need a two-way discourse to succeed in communicating, such as emails, customer service chats, and bots. It frees everyone to utilize this in everyday business tasks to move on to something more productive and lucrative.
Continue reading “AI and the Art of Writing”
Everyone has a dream they want to achieve in life. But achieving that dream can be a daunting task. It requires hard work, dedication, and, most importantly, inspiration.
Continue reading “Attaining Goals”
I have met some amazing people.
It is that I observe more, in general, or I embellish and expand narratives, but the result is the same.
Incredible characters.
Continue reading “Including Real People in a Story”
I first came across TikTok from cross postings of people leaping out of their moving cars and dancing alongside the vehicle as the driver filmed them for less than a minute. Now, videos can vary in length from 15 seconds to 10 minutes.
Continue reading “My TikTok Addiction”
I have worked for a psychiatrist and held crisis jobs where I regularly interacted with people with mental health issues. I understand some of the complexity of the problems of the unhoused, but obviously not all. I am more comfortable than most people in dealing with someone who is escalated. I also know better than some the danger of doing so.
Continue reading “Living on the Edge”
TRIGGER WARNING: DISCUSSION OF SELF-HARM AND UN-ALIVING
Every month, a news story flashes across our screens, reporting another death by suicide.
The rate of suicide is higher for writers than for the general population. One in four writers has contemplated suicide, and one in ten has attempted it.
Continue reading “Writing for Mental Health”
Sacrifice. “They sacrificed their life for another,” a phrase used to describe heroes. We often feel the need to exchange one thing for another. We accept something is terrible for us because someone tells us so out of guilt or a desire for healthier living. We sometimes forget that for an old habit to be extinguished, a new one needs to be ready to take its place.
Continue reading “Giving Something Up”
I’ve been thinking lately about perspective.
There is a popular book called The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. It shook up the self-help industry, claiming that people attract what they think. The Law of Attraction, transforming your beliefs into reality. It had a lot to do with positive affirmations, getting back whatever you put into the world.
Continue reading “Perspective”
It’s interesting how people say they want an honest conversation when they don’t.
Continue reading “Truth”Think about it, what’s the first descriptive phrase interviewed people state about the latest mass shooter/serial killer/cult leader, “He was a bit of a loner, very quiet.” What? Well, that’s not right. Charles Manson has been described as “charismatic” and a “social butterfly.” Some loners would never be able to take a group of followers to the great beyond if it meant they had to organize a party first. Mix all that the Kool-Aid, give a speech, nope.
Continue reading “Lonely Hunter”
It’s a funny thing, defending something you enjoy to the well-meaning.
Continue reading “Going Solo”
A liminal space is a location that is a transition between two other locations or states of being.
There are many places we could describe as liminal.
Continue reading “Liminal Places”Many writers start out creating content, novels, etc. and overlook the types of writing they may have done in their history of regular 9-5 jobs.
Whatever that writing may have been, I’ve found it profoundly impacted my writing style today.
Continue reading “Info-Dumping”
For years I collected hard-cover editions of newly published Stephen King.
The first book I ever read by King was the dystopian horror, The Long Walk, published in 1979 and borrowed from my local, small-town library the same year. My boyfriend and I had come back to our shared hometown for a joint semester off from college. I worked two jobs to afford a small apartment, my first rental. He stayed with his father.
Continue reading “Favorite Books”I vividly remember when I was around eight years old. I was riding on a school bus and revising the words to a song about an old woman swallowing a spider in my head.
Continue reading “Writer for Life”
As someone who has been writing for a very long time, the subject of what inspires my writing can be fickle at best.
Continue reading “Inspiration”
I was thinking today about the limits we set and keep in all aspects of our lives. In writing, we have limits according to niches or genres, in ability or knowledge. But we have deeper, stronger limits that hold sway over us, setting up a consequence, or a quick correction.
Our minds warn, “Do this, and careful, this might happen.”
Continue reading “Limits in Writing”
