November 2011
43 posts
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Rants by Limyaael
If you’re a writer and you’ve never read a Limyaael rant, you have been depriving yourself of a great series of essays on various aspects of creative writing.
The person known as “Limyaael” started writing “rants” back in 2003, when she was an English grad student studying for her PhD. Since then, she’s written well over two hundred separate rants over...
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Next Fanfiction Project: Blade of Misfortune
Now that Confidence Lost is done, I’ve decided to rewind a bit and recover the story I’d actually started before that one. It’s a Batman/Arthurian legends tale called Blade of Misfortune.
If you’ve read the already posted chapters, though, I wouldn’t get too attached to them. As I re-read them yesterday, I’ve decided they need a rewrite. This is primarily...
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justbecausewewander asked: Ok, so I actually just found your story this weekend, and fell in love. I was in the car for an extended period of time and actually ended up reading the whole thing on my phone. Amazing work!
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Inviting Questions and Comments about "Confidence...
The Batman/White Collar crossover story Confidence Lost is now completed.
It’s taken six months, thirty-three chapters, and nearly 80k words, but the story is finally done. I hope all of you who were following the tale enjoyed the ride. It was a pretty wild one at times.
First off, to those of you who have never read the story, you can links to find all the chapters organized at this...
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Confidence Lost (Chapter 32) (THE END)
Title: Confidence Lost (Chapter 32)
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Batman/White Collar (crossover)
Summary: Everything about Neal Caffrey’s past prior to his 18th birthday is a mystery, even to him. However, when someone unexpectedly recognizes him by a name that he has never used ...
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“A writer is, after all, only half his book. The other half is the reader and...”
– P.L. Travers
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Gotham's secret santas: Welcome to the first... →
gothamsecretsantas:
This year we want to celebrate the Batfandom with a special event: a Secret Santa project!
It does not matter if you draw, or write or craft, we accept every application, as long as you are willing to do your best with your present. Fulfill a wish and get a wish fulfilled in return! That way,…
I love secret santa projects! Count me in! If you’re a...
Over 1200 words into the final chapter of Confidence Lost. I’m hoping to finally have it completed before the end of the weekend.
The scene is finally playing out clearly in my head. I’m so happy!
Anonymous asked: Question: Have you had time to write much more on "Blade of Misfortune" on Fanfiction? Story Request: Your idea with the Norse gods and the Greek gods and Tim and Cassie and SQUEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! (Sorry. Fangirl got the better of me.)
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“Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the...”
– Orson Scott Card
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“First, find out what your hero wants, then just follow him!”
– Ray Bradbury
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10 Universities Offering Free Writing Courses... →
Are you an aspiring writer who would love to take some university courses on writing, but don’t have the money to spend on classes?
Well don’t fear. Here is a list of ten universities who are offering free online writing courses to anyone who wants to through a program called the OpenCourseWare Initiative.
Though on their own they won’t give you any official credits, the...
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“Any man who keeps working is not a failure. He may not be a great writer, but if...”
– Ray Bradbury
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“There is probably no hell for authors in the next world — they suffer so...”
– C. N. Bovee
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What Is A Trope & What Can it Do For You?
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a trope as a “cliché” or a “figure of speech”. In storytelling, a trope is far more than that.
Tropes, in writing, are common literary conventions that are so common and well known that most readers/writers can recognize them on sight. These include specific plot devices, character types, and narrative structures to name a few...
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“Why do writers write? Because it isn’t there.”
– Thomas Berger
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Fanfiction: A Brother's Influence (part 2 of 2?)
Title: A Brother’s Influence (part 2 of 2?) (part 1 found here)
Genre: Fluff/Romance
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Batman/Red Robin/Teen Titans
Pairing: Tim Drake x Cassandra Sandsmark
Summary: After being the target of Dionysus’s interest, Tim is rescued by Cassie and taken to his room, where the two Titans share some quality time with one another. Meanwhile, hours afterwards,...
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“If the artist does not fling himself, without reflecting, into his work, as...”
– Honore de Balzac
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Sonnet: Facing Evolution
The world wants to change into something new. Despite what I want, the new includes me. The mirror reflects an uncertain view. I’m confused by what I do and don’t see.
I hope these things will change for the better. But if for the worst, I don’t want to know. I need to try and keep things together. Or, at the very least, go with the flow.
Will Ibe me when this comes to an...
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“A writer should say to himself, not, How can I get more money?, but How can I...”
– Brian Aldiss
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Sonnet: Interpret the Nightmare
The fangs of the dream sink deep within me. My nightmares refuse to release their hold. I’m drowning in fears I’m failing to flee. Despite my struggles, I’m still pulled below. How many times will I wake up screaming? A good night’s rest seems so far out of reach. Visions relentless… Persistent… Frightening… I’m tired of trembling. Now answers I...
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“There are two kinds of writer: those that make you think, and those that make...”
– Brian Aldiss
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“I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.”
– Douglas Adams
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“Write drunk. Edit sober.”
– Ernest Hemingway
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Fanfiction: A Brother's Influence (part 1 of 2?)
Title: A Brother’s Influence (part 1 of 2?) (part 2 found here)
Genre: Fluff/Romance
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Batman/Red Robin/Teen Titans
Pairing: Tim Drake x Cassandra Sandsmark
Summary: At Titan’s Tower, Cassie gets an unexpected, unwelcomed visit from one of her many half-brothers, who ends up taking an interest in bestowing a few of his gifts on Tim.
Dick was more...
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The 10 Types of Writer's Block (and how to... →
I am honestly very surprised with myself, that I didn’t post up a link to this list sooner, especially considering I found this several weeks ago. The article, written by the very insightful Charlie Jane Anders, editor at io9.com, is a resource that every writer should keep in their back pocket whenever writer’s block strikes.
Below is a list of the ten types of writer’s block...
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Kurt Vonnegut's 8 Rules for Writing Short Stories
Kurt Vonnegut (born 1922, died 2007) was one of the most well known and respected authors of the 20th century. His most famous works include the novels Slaughterhouse-Five and Cat’s Cradle, although he wrote a large number of novels, short stories, essays, and plays over the course of his life.
In one of his short story collections, entitled Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncollected Short Fiction,...
“You don’t have to be perfect when you write stories. Just have fun and give...”
– I’m Wil, The Voice of Experience. (via wilwheaton)
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"Pride and Prejudice" as Facebook Status Updates
A person had the absolute brilliant idea of taking the story of Pride and Prejudice and formatting it to resemble a series of Facebook status updates. You can find the original source website here. Below is a graphic of the entire story.
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The Hero's Journey, ala Christopher Vogler
If you are a creative writer and you have never read the book, The Writer’s Journey by Christoper Vogler, then you are seriously missing out on an incredible storytelling resource. In Vogler’s book, he explains and applies a concept called the monomyth to modern day storytelling.
The monomyth, also called the hero’s journey, is a concept that many stories, myths, and legends...
Bad plot bunnies! Bad, bad, bad plot bunnies! How dare you dig up a concept for a Young Justice/Silent Hill crossover!
Evil plot bunnies…
Why must you tempt me so?
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Writing a Novel Using the Snowflake Method →
If you’re stuck on writing your latest novel, and traditional avenues of plot development are just not cutting it for you, why not try a different approach.
A fiction author named Randy Ingermanson has developed a technique called the Snowflake Method. It’s called the snowflake method because, like a snowflake, you start off with a central idea and branch out from there, subsequently...
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Ten Sets of Commonly Confused Words
English is a tricky language, even for the native speaker. There is an extremely large collection of words that can be extremely troublesome for both readers and writers alike.
Why are these words problematic? Well in some instances it’s a case of mistaken identity. The words are homonyms (words that sound alike or are spelled differently). Others are words that are have their meanings...
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NaNoWriMo - Day 9
Word Count: ????
I’ve been writing, but I haven’t been counting recently. This is a marked departure for me from previous years participating in NaNoWriMo. In years gone by, I would obsess over daily word counts to an almost unhealthy degree. It would drive my friends and family crazy.
This year… Not so much…
Maybe it’s a testament to all the massive...
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The Best 100 Opening Lines From Books →
Another writing gem found through StumbleUpon, I found a great web page created by Stylist magazine from the UK.
This link will take you to a page listing some of the one hundred best opening lines from a wide variety of books.
The first line of any story is the most important. This is the line that will initially hook your reader and reels them into reading the rest written after that. ...
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NaNoWriMo: Day 4
End of Day 4 Word Count: 5,392
Ended up skipping over Day 3 why…?
…because my wonderful, much beloved 2 1/2 year old daughter decided that 4:30am was the perfect time to wake up and turn on every light in the house, INCLUDING mom and dad’s bedroom.
Oh sweety… Just wait till you’re a teenager. One day I will have my revenge.
Story Notes
I had a conversation...
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What is Flash Fiction & What Can You Do With It?
Works of fictional prose are often categorized by their lengths (aka. word counts). To be considered a novel a story should usually be of upwards of 40k words. Novellas are between 17k and 40k. Novelettes are 7,500 to 17k. Finally, anything under 7,500 is classified as a short story.
However, there is another type of story even shorter than that. If you have a story that counts in at 1,000...
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NaNoWriMo: Day 2
End of Day 2 Word Count: 3556
Didn’t make it to 2k words today like I’d hoped, but I’m still on track. Unfortunately, the weather here in Denver made the morning commute hellish, and trying to write on a bus when it’s 28 degrees out and you have no gloves of any sort is damn near impossible.
Hopefully the weather will be better tomorrow.
Story Notes
Focusing a lot of...
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NaNoWriMo - Day 1
It’s the first day of National Novel Writing Month, and like so many other writers I’ve been rarin’ to go.
Stockpiling time on a daily basis is going to be key for me this year. Because I know there will be days in November where writing will be damn near impossible (aka Thanksgiving), I’m attempting to write at least 2,000 words per day, instead of just 1,667. That...
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Even Bestselling Authors Received Rejection... →
Came upon article while browsing through StumbleUpon and had to share it.
Everyone aspiring to become a published author has to face it at some point… The dreaded rejection letter. Rejections always sting. There’s no getting around that. However, you’re not alone when you get them. This page shows that even best selling authors had to suffer the pain of these scraps of...
