Quotes to Get You Writing

We have lives outside of our laptop or pen and paper. It’s understandable. Jobs, school, friends, family. Writing isn’t necessarily the center of our lives.

But  I’ve noticed that my writing has been dwindling until recently – that’s only because I’m on break. It seems that school eats away at me and I have no time to write at all.

Writing is important. It’s used everywhere, in school, out of school. But it’s especially important for aspiring writers, who love to write and really want to do it for a living.

One of the biggest things writers can do for themselves to improve their writing is practicing. Whether it be with writing a story, or just scribbling down random notes, practicing writing will ultimately make you a better writer.

Steven Moffat on Writer’s Block

Whether you think that Steven Moffat is the best writer ever or that he’s is spoiling Doctor Who and Sherlock at the same time, you’ve gotta admit that the guy is a genius. I was watching a little interview on BBC Writersroom the other day, and he said something about writer’s block that really struck a chord with me:

“Writer’s block – embrace it, know it. It is your internal editor. It is telling you that you haven’t got it right yet, that you can write what you want to write, or the scene that you’re going to write, or the chapter you’re going to write – one reason, it’s not *right* yet. So listen to that voice and sit in agony until it all blossoms in your head. It’s not a fault, it’s just that you haven’t got it yet.”

Watch the interview here.

 

Improving Your Writing

Hi guys.

It’s been a long while, hasn’t it? Well, I’m back, and with some writing tips that I find very useful. These tips can help you write more often and better your writing, to be more and more like the professionals. For those who do not know, I start college in two months, and I will be majoring in creative writing to become an author. Hopefully I’ll learn many more tips in my classes, and I’ll be sure to share them with you all.

Tip #1:

Suppressing Talents: something between an open letter & a rant

There’s this TED Talk by Ken Robinson about how schools are destroying creativity. I agree with him strongly. Our educational institutions are thoroughly career-oriented because most people are under the impression that getting a job and earning a lot of money are the two main purposes of life. Sure, they’re important, but by no means are they the most important goals you have to achieve in life. We’re being forced to use just the left side of our brain when it comes to education, and our creativity, passion and imagination are being suppressed. Anywhere you go, you’ll find the arts down at the bottom of the subject hierarchy, far below languages, maths, the sciences and the humanities. Why? Because dance won’t get you anywhere. Because algebra is more important that singing. Because drama is just a pastime and cannot be considered as a real subject. Because painting does not make you the CEO of a large company.

This is a subject I feel very strongly about but a recent meeting with a doctor, who was a total stranger to me, made me feel compelled to write the following:

OPEN LETTER TO A DOCTOR I MET A FEW MONTHS AGO-

Dear Mr. My-Father’s-Incredibly-Smart-Colleague,

You asked me what I’m planning for my future, and I told you I wanted to have a future of full-time writing.

You, a total stranger, then proceeded to give me a long lecture about how writing is just a hobby and it won’t get me anywhere. You had the nerve to compare me with a relative of yours who used to want to be a flight attendant and ended up studying microbiology or genetic engineering or something, which I respect but, I am not her.

Creative Writing Tip: Going Deeper in Your Fiction

One last one… =D
All aspiring authors must visit this blog (crimsonleague.com) by Victoria Grefer, the author of the Herezoth Trilogy.

Creative Writing with the Crimson League

We authors–at least, authors who are like me–are always aware of a need to take a first draft deeper. To connect with the characters more, make them more alive.

This is particularly true in my case, as I have a simple, precise style and my first drafts are rather minimalist. (Are you that way, a fellow Hemingway? Or are you a Faulkner?)

But what does “going deeper” mean? What’s the difference between going deeper and adding fluff?

Writing is never easy, and it’s not something you can do alone: you will always need beta readers and editors to help you fill in holes and iron out the excess.

Still, there are general ways I find myself taking a draft “deeper” before I ever send it off to beta readers.

• I CUT DOWN ON WHAT FEELS SUPERFLUOUS. A book can only have so many words, after all, and you…

View original post 456 more words

Creative Writing Tip: Factors that Affect Dialogue

Once again, a post which can really help you improve your story and deepen your characters as well.

Creative Writing with the Crimson League

Dialogue that really hits–that’s intriguing, and funny, and just sounds genuine–is one of the best things about a great book. Writing dialogue, though, isn’t easy.

One reason that writing dialogue is so tricky is that there is so much that goes into it, and also, there are just so many variables in play. Really great writing takes all of them into account. Now, I’m no dialogue guru or anything like that, but as a student of literature, I’ve noticed these are the things that really make me judge dialogue as excellent. Consider the following criteria when you’re editing:

• WHERE IS THE CHARACTER FROM? Dialect’s much more than an accent. Every region and place has its own turns of phrase. In New Orleans, where I’m from, a “median” is always called a “neutral ground;” “snowballs” are what we call snowcones, and they’re eaten, not thrown; people call you “chère” sometimes; you…

View original post 416 more words

5 Psychological Struggles That Enhance Great Plot in Fiction

A must-read. Certainly helped me improve my writing!

Creative Writing with the Crimson League

I used to study literature professionally, so you could say I feel very connected with, and know how to appreciate, the psychological depth and intensity of fiction.

Don’t get me wrong: I LOVE books with heavy action, and I definitely believe writing should be about the characters. Some of my favorite novels–Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Les Miserables–involve deadly struggles or social uprisings. That means “ACTION.”

The thing about action, though: while it might work on its own for some people, it’s not enough on its own to attract me as a reader. I have to know the people who are behind that action and being affected, deeply, by what is happening as their world threatens to fall apart.

Otherwise, things feel cheap. I can’t invest in or care about what’s going on. And that’s what I mean when I talk about “following the characters” in my writer’s handbook:…

View original post 739 more words

Writing Quote #3

“You can only write by putting words on a paper one at a time.”
― Sandra Brown

Writing Quote #2

“10 Steps to Becoming a Better Writer

Write.
Write more.
Write even more.
Write even more than that.
Write when you don’t want to.
Write when you do.
Write when you have something to say.
Write when you don’t.
Write every day.
Keep writing.” ― Brian Clark

Writing Quote #1

The reader will focus on what stands out. Turn the reader’s attention where you want it to go —The Editor’s Blog