Writer Wednesday: Becomingawriterblog.com

I found this site the other day, and felt its streamlined, straight-forward style refreshing.  The author, Angela Greenfield, offers posts on so many writing topics, including prompts.

She covers such topics for fiction writing as character development, inspiration, and dialogue, but also includes a category for non-fiction as well.

I think she needs to add more in the way of posts, of course, but the site is easy to navigate and get where you want to go.

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Writer Wednesday: The Write Turn

I have enough trouble figuring out left from right, east to west, but The Write Turn certainly provides helpful information in which direction to go as a writer of short story fiction.

You see what I did there? Using a play on words…yeah, whatever…

It’s a streamlined site, easy to navigate, and includes pages on ‘how to’, story idea, writing exercises, publishing, the writing life, and competitions. The Write Turn offers tons of basic information on writing, offering plenty of reading material as well as exercises and food for thought.

Planning a short story

5 Basic Ways to Self-publish a Book

How to Write Using Writing Rituals (I needed this one)

That’s just a few of the posts you can find there. The author also offers a free book of writing prompts if you sign up for updates.

If you know of any bloggers, vloggers, authors, or other writers, post in comments or email so I can share on my Wednesday posts.

Technorati Tags: wednesday writer,author,blog,fictions,short story writing,competition,self publish,plot device,planning

 

Games for Writers

 Here are a few games you might enjoy that helps writers come up with ideas, to break the writer’s block issues, and should spark some creative juices;

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The Storymatic includes two sets of cards that when put together randomly sparks potential stories and ideas. You could also collect your own and start your own deck of cards to build ideas.

 

Rory’s Story Cubes comes in various types from adult to even children’s versions. The concept is similar, except the dice rolled include pictures. You can lay them out in a plot, or use the cubes as the elements of a story such as characters, theme, conflict, and so forth.

 

The Amazing Story Generator is not so much a game but does something similar as the story cubes. Instead of pictures or cubes, you get a flip book broken up into three sections to randomly pick elements of a story. 

You could also use the card game Munchkin to provoke ideas for storytelling, in particular, fantasy, role playing type stories.  Draw cards to add characters or story elements.

 

Iphone, Android, and tablet apps also offer some fun prompts. I use Writing Prompts for the Iphone to randomly view prompts, scenes, even pictures. You can then save to favorites.  You can also add your own prompts as inspiration hits you.

Technorati Tags: writer,games,fun,prompts,writer’s block,authors,novel,stories,fictions,creative juices

Some writing activities:

I decided to post some ideas to get the creative juices flowing for those of you who might be a bit stuck;

Use the following picture to practice writing about the senses. Imagine yourself diving in the water, and describe the experience. Use all the senses.

Source: online.wsj.com via Sharon on Pinterest

 

Consider the following quote on the idea of writing about things that scares you. This means you explore your phobias, innermost fears, nightmares, and darker aspects of yourself.  I have a fear of something happening to my son, so I might write a scene about a parent dealing with a lost child. It would be tough, but the idea is that you delve into what makes us human, and share that in your writing. (you can also add a happy ending later on)

Source: dawncamp.bigcartel.com via Sharon on Pinterest

 

Use the Snowflake method to brainstorm ideas. This can be fun in coming with new ideas. Start with a single thought, and start expanding in all direction with new ideas by using word association. For example, I might start out with dragons, which reminds me mountains, which makes me think of ice (and York Peppermint patties), and I also think of fire breathing, scales, armor, and flight. From each of those ideas, I can expand. With flight, I think of floating, falling, soaring, spaceships, eagles, a kite, a blimp… it goes on and on.

When you’re done, you can end up having a page or two on ideas. You can also use entire sentences if you want.

And keep writing!

Technorati Tags: writer’s block,activities,writer,authors,blog,snowflake method,novel,fiction

A Smashing Idea- A writer’s smash book!

 On a whim, I decided to start a smash book for writing (and my other projects). The idea is that the smash book is more than just a journal, but where you can explore your creativity, and store things for resources for later. You can write, but also sketch, paste recipes, add photos or pictures, cards, and pretty much anything you can fit between pages.

The smash notebook cost about $10.00, but I altered a composition notebook instead. I did, however, get the smashbook pen . It includes a gluestick and a felt tip marker. I also use one of those 4-color pens by Bic. You can use colored pencils, or gel pens.

The smashbooks come with all sorts of pretty papers, so my altered composition is pretty dull in comparison, that is, until I added stamps, stickers, and all sorts of bling. You have to make it personal. Heck, you could compile your own papers and bind it in a 3-ring binder or something similar.

Altering the notebook was easy; Pick some pretty paper and cover the cover. I used the double sided sticky tape. Glue sticks tend to bubble or not cling well. I have scrapbooking stuff, so I made the corner elements and numbers. I use a rubber  band to keep it shut because I taped envelopes to store cards (to write ideas) on as well as other stuff I intend on ‘smashing’ into it.

If you make your own, you could potentially find any size notebook and use that. Just add notes, stick ideas, cards, pictures, etc.

My pages include;

• Plot outline section.
• Character pages- I paste pictures off the Web or from magazines, or write a brief description, history, and their inner conflict.
• Setting pages- When I get ideas, sometimes inspired from video games, exotic locations, or from where ever, I will add a sketch, description, etc in the pages.
• Title pages- Sometimes I will brainstorm title ideas. These often lead to story ideas as well.
• Project page- This one is important. I post the main stories I’m currently writing. I want to also add a word count challenge page so it prompts me to write every day. (I mark this page with a special tag to get it to it fast).
• Prompt page- This is where I post, sketch, and add ideas for writing.

Sure it’s a mess…creativity is like that. What do you think? Interested in doing a writer’s smash book? What would go into your book?

Post in comments.

Technorati Tags: smashbook,scrapbooking,journaling,writing,inspiration,prompts,authors,idea

Stories everywhere

As writers, we might struggle in finding the stories to tell, but if you get out and meet folks, stories are everywhere. In fact, you can find them from so many places.

People- Stories are about people, their experiences. By talking with others, you hear their stories, and can asked “what if…?’, adding embellishments, or sharing your own personal stories.

Places- Some places inspire stories from me, such as parks or museums. Structures offer potential settings in stories, or lead me to wonder the historical stories behind them. Houses carry so many memories, even personalities. For instance, a townhouse varies from a homestead, or a Victorian era house near a lake. Settings can be just as much a character in a story as a person.

News- The news sparks many stories from conflicts to inspiration. Articles tell stories about heroes or villains all the time, and this can lead to interesting stories. You can change the genre such as a murder mystery set in the future, or take a historical setting with a catastrophic event.

Objects- Yeah, it might seem weird,  but you can find stories by everyday objects. If you ever go antiquing or find interesting baubles in your day to day life, start asking about the stories these hold. The antique bed could spark a romance story, or an old necklace provokes a fantasy tale. Your parents might have items that include stories, or something you have, and take for granted, might lead to a new story.

And some unusual sources of stories;

Tattoos- I’m fascinating with the stories behind tattoos. They are like stories on the skin, offering insight in the person. I know a young woman who has Japanese Kanji lettering on her hip; the name of a friend who died in a drunk driving accident. Another woman I know has a small Ladybug tattoo over her heart to remind her that even small things can be the most beautiful.

Automobiles- Cars and trucks often find new owners through their lifetimes, and for some people, the vehicle represents more than just a mode of transportation. My first car represented freedom.

Family- Talk to relatives, and you can find amazing stories. My grandfather on my father’s side told stories of World War II, while my grandmother told me things about her life in Australia (she was born Tasmanian). The stories passed on from generation to generation not only share entertainment value, but make up the kind of people we are.

Think outside the box, and you find stories surround you all the time, every day, with everything.

Prompt: Think about the mentioned sources of stories and brainstorm potential plots from them. Remember, think outside the box and see where it takes you.

Technorati Tags: stories,prompts,novels,writer,tips