Tag Archives: WritingTips

Aug 01

This article takes the opposite approach to mine.

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This article takes the opposite approach to mine. It spends three of its four points on using punctuation more freely and creatively, then, almost as an afterthought, notes that you should know the incorrect usages so you can avoid them.

I’d say: learn the conventions solidly and first (they are just conventions, but literate people will expect you to follow them). Then, once you have mastered your scales and arpeggios, start your jazz improvisation.

http://csidemedia.com/wellpresentedms will get you started.

Originally shared by Joanna Penn

Punctuation is one of the most basic tools in the writer’s toolbox. But let’s face it, we all struggle with it sometimes!

We can use professional editors, proofreaders, and services like Grammarly to help us fix our mistakes, but it’s important to understand the fundamentals.

In today’s article, Dominic Selwood, author of Punctuation Without Tears, gives us some tips. #writingtips #punctuation

https://www.thecreativepenn.com/2018/08/01/punctuation-without-tears-4-tips-for-professional-punctuation/?utm_source=googlePlus&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=SocialWarfare
Apr 13

All writers have their preferred methods for inspiration, and for me, it’s always been setting.

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Originally shared by Joanna Penn

All writers have their preferred methods for inspiration, and for me, it’s always been setting. I visit a place and find story there, which is why travel is so bound up in my creative process, and why my books often span the globe.

But other writers have other strengths … and weaknesses. One of the most common issues for new fiction writers is “talking heads in an empty white room,” where character and dialogue are fine but the setting is almost entirely missing.

In today’s article, Joseph Bendoski shares some ways to write better settings. #writingtips

https://www.thecreativepenn.com/2018/04/13/write-better-settings/?utm_source=googlePlus&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=SocialWarfare
Dec 16

I haven’t read this yet – sharing to read later – but as someone who’s grown up reading both British and American…

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I haven’t read this yet – sharing to read later – but as someone who’s grown up reading both British and American books, I know the difference, and it can be painful watching an author get it wrong.

Originally shared by Joanna Penn

#writingtips Word choice differences and spelling between US and UK characters. Are you getting it right?

http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2016/12/16/british-american-characters/?utm_source=googlePlus&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=SocialWarfare
May 07

When Characters Argue

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Originally shared by MJ Bush

When Characters Argue

Punctuate with action. Like leaving.

Don’t let it get drawn out and flimsy.

DO something.

A drawn out argument loses punch, and makes us wonder why neither is putting their foot down or compromising. It makes the positions look weak and the emotions seem insincere.

Action solidifies a position and makes us believe they mean it. Makes us believe they feel it.

Not open to negotiation? Leave.

Ready to fight? Throw a punch.

Bonus: Give them attitudes and multiple things to argue over, then let subtext reign. Even if it lasts longer, this adds substance and keeps the exchange from seeming flimsy and insincere.

#writingtips  

Dec 11

I was working on my Writing Short book yesterday, tinkering with the ideas chapter, and this is more or less what I…

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I was working on my Writing Short book yesterday, tinkering with the ideas chapter, and this is more or less what I said there (and what Neil Gaiman says when people ask him).

Ideas are easy. Execution is hard.

Originally shared by John Yeoman

This Simple 3-Step Plan Gives You Plot Ideas Galore

Would you like to be able to find stories everywhere? So you’re never short of plot ideas? Just take a moment and I’ll show you. A moment? Yes. That’s how long you’ll need to gain more story ideas than you can ever handle, free and without effort. How? Enjoy three proven strategies, ready to go, at my new blog post at Writers’ Village:

http://www.writers-village.org/writing-award-blog/this-simple-3-step-plan-gives-you-plot-ideas-galore

Do you have an interesting way to get plot ideas? Tell us in a comment at the blog. Every comment there gets a fast helpful reply. Look on this post as a ‘micro workshop’ in story telling. Don’t lurk in the back row. Raise your hand!

#amwriting #CreativeWriting #WritingTips #Writing