The Blog Writer…thoughts on bloggers

While exploring the medium of video blogging on Youtube, I’m also exploring what appeals to the viewer in the way of blogs and youtube channels.

For instance, most blogs have a shtick, or specific topic. Here are some examples of vloggers (video bloggers):

Freddiew- Freddie Wong is an American movie maker who focuses his youtube channel on entertaining short films. He also shares the behind-the-scenes movie making videos.

Real Life Mario Kart

Gamer Commute

CGP Grey, on the other hand, focuses informative and educational videos, crammed full of facts. He does this with a wonderful flare of humor as well.

Coffee, The Greatest Addiction

How to Become Pope

Although the medium is video, I find the content entertaining, and even informative.  The channels are, however, specific to something. Viewers go there, subscribe to them, anticipating more of the same.

I found some amazing author vlogs as well;

Vlogbrothers- With bestseller author, John Green, and his brother, Hank Green, vlog back and forth to one another.  You’ll find tons of topics, but their theme touches upon sharing thoughts and information to one another. He shares his experience as a writer on his video A Day in the life of a writer (who has no friends).

JacksonAPearce- This author shares her opinions as well as her experiences as an author. Her video Misconceptions covers author misconceptions people have about writing.

Although the non-writing topics can be interesting, its their experiences with becoming authors that bring me back.

Other blog, not writer related, includes the same gimmick with sticking to a theme.

Some examples include:

The Featured Creature- This blog posts regularly interesting animals, often adding photos or even video. You can find other blogs talking about animals, but this offers stunning photography with amazing animals. You’ll find the exotic, the gorgeous, and even bizarre creatures at this site.

The Bloggess- Although she writes on a many different topics, her gimmick includes a special snarkiness and humor. She is, in fact, the Queen of Snark, and well worth reading her popular post, And here is why you should learn to pick your battles which left me in stitches. Its hilarious.

My youtube channel is a bit too  mix-and-match. I talk about homeschool, my spirituality, my pets, and sometimes tutorials on word processing. I don’t have a shtick. I’m not that entertaining. I’m not sure how informative I am, and doubts continually scream at me to just stop. I have to wonder if other blogger and vlogger feel the same.

What are your thoughts? Are you a fan of a specific vlog/blogger? What keeps you coming back? What’s the appeal? Post in comments.

Technorati Tags: vlog,blog,youtube,jackson pearce,john green,the bloggess,writer,author

 

 

 

TedTalks Writers

If you’re not familiar with Tedtalks, you should be. This page on TedTalks Authors includes a number of speeches by authors on their writing experiences. (You can also find so much fascinating science and education speeches too).

I really enjoyed A.J. Jacobs, A Year Living Biblically, where he shares his experiences as an agnostic living by the 700 rules of the Bible.

 

Elizabeth Gilbert of Eat, Pray, Love, shares her writing thoughts in ‘Your Elusive Creative Genius”.  I like her writing style, but didn’t really enjoy her book. I will try to read her other stuff to see if I like them. Her lecture, however, goes on about her experiences as a bestselling author, and the writing process.

 

And then there’s Shane Koyczan, a poet with words that just grip you hard and shakes you. His To This Day poem touches upon bullying and the impact words have on you….for a lifetime.

These are just a few of the many writers and poets, among scientists and educators, who share amazing stories through TedTalks. If you have favorites- post in comments.

Technorati Tags: writer,authors,eat pray love,a year living biblically,aj jacobs,gilbert,shane koyczan,tedtalks

Short story vs novels

I like the idea of writing short stories compared to novels. Either provide authors challenges as well as rewards, and today, I’d like to discuss them;

Short Stories

Challenges:

- Short stories are condensed plots. They quickly get to the point, and move along.

- Short stories tell the story within 10,000 words. For some plots, this can be a real challenge. Every word counts.

- Short stories offer hurdles in getting published, unless a magazine, or anthology.

- Short stories don’t earn as much as novels, but with the Internet and e-publishing, I think we’ll see changes in that regard.

Rewards:

- Short stories, obviously, don’t take the amount of time and rewrites as novels.

-Short stories have fewer characters to remember and wrangle.

- Short stories generally have one main conflict and perhaps an internal subplot.

Novels

Challenges:

- Novels range from 50,000 – 150,000 word story. This takes more time in drafting, rewriting, and editing the manuscript.

- Novels include a number of plots. This includes the main conflict, internal conflicts, and a series of subplots from various characters.

Rewards:

- Novels offer more space and time to draw out the story. You can explore, in depth, character and plot development.

- Novels earn more money, if and when you’re published.

- Novels offer a greater range of choice with word counts. Novellas run about 50,000 words, while novels run around 75,000-150,000.

I have a number of stories that expanded into novel length. I believe this is why short stories do not explain every little thing; its not necessary. You only include vital information to move the story along.

What’s your thoughts? Do you prefer short stories or novels? Have you written both? What tips or advice would you give would-be writers on the subject? Leave in comments.

How to write a short story

Technorati Tags: writer,authors,short story writing,publishing,novels,challenges

Writer Wednesday: Taylor Mali

Today I want to share a poet I enjoy named Taylor Mali. Profound and eloquent, his words mix with a cadence and rhythm while splicing emotion with his words alone.

I love the idea that he’s also a teacher, and perhaps somehow his brilliance will pass onto his students. Check out some of his stuff.

 

And I’ve shared before but its well worth sharing again:

Technorati Tags: Wednesday writer,poet,def,writer,taylor mali

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

The fun in tropes

A trope=

trope n.

1. A figure of speech using words in nonliteral ways, such as a metaphor.

2. A word or phrase interpolated as an embellishment in the sung parts of certain medieval liturgies.

I found tvtropes.com, which offers every known trope in books, movies, video games, and more. You can look up by specific media, or specific trope. Such concepts as Villain Decay or Wimpification best illustrate how so much we find in story telling has been done before. This doesn’t negate their entertainment value, however.

Their site states “Tropes are devices and conventions that a writer can reasonably rely on as being present in the audience members’ minds and expectations. On the whole, tropes are not clichés. The word clichéd means “stereotyped and trite.” In other words, dull and uninteresting. We are not looking for dull and uninteresting entries. We are here to recognize tropes and play with them, not to make fun of them.”

If anything, tropes offer a writer a means in which to show universal symbolism we find in stories such as the Action Girl, Beware the Nice Ones, and Sociopathic Hero are just a few of the tons of tropes out there.

I love how its organized as well. You can look up by specific book, movie, comic, etc or look up by specific tropes such as hero, villain, sidekick, or any other trope that comes to mind.

Many of the articles cross link and references other tropes. You can be lost in there for hours, so be sure you have snacks or coffee/tea on hand.

Technorati Tags: character,plot,story,novel,literature,writer,tropes,cliche,metaphor,stereotype,plot device