Tag: daily fix

Fight-Scene Mechanics

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[found on fantasy-faction.com]

“THE BUILD UP

Learn to master suspense, and you’ll have your readers literally squirming to turn the page.  This is particularly true with fight scenes.  The build up is the perfect place to lay down what is truly at stake for your characters, to make clear the price of failure.

Don’t underestimate the value of this phase.  A good build up will often last longer than the fight itself, and rightly so.  Take Gandalf’s confrontation with the Balrog in the mines of Moria, for example.  The actual fight didn’t last long.  It was the build up to that moment which made it great – the lore, the menace and the darkness, the chase through the mines, all of it culminating with the breaking of the bridge.

Sometimes there’s not even any action in this phase, because you don’t need it; everything is implied.  That nasty, serrated hatchet the goblin is shaking at your character speaks for itself.  You can just imagine the damage its rusty edge would do to unprotected flesh, and oh no, your heroine isn’t wearing any armor either.  Small details can help differentiate the impending conflict from a run-of-the-mill battle by increasing tension and upping the stakes.  It can also be a great opportunity for horror.”

To read all fight-scene tips from Fantasy-Faction.com, click the image, or click HERE.

 

Screen Shot 2014-06-30 at 5.42.27 PM

[found on http://fantasy-faction.com/2011/writing-fight-scenes]

 

Write Your Wicked

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[found on hsquiresnovels.com; by H. Squires]

 

“So how do you write wicked characters?

…I usually run down a list of good villains in my head—extracting their “not-so-nice” qualities. One specific sinister trait I enjoy is an intelligent character that teeters on trustworthiness. Another attribute is the unsuspecting or unlikely evil.

Your villain, however, doesn’t always have to be a person. Objects can be most useful. Even items—normally not scary, can become frightful if given the right antidote [sic] of suspense and evil attributes.

Answer questions about your villain(s):

          -First, identify the enemy.
          -If you were the main character, what’s so scary about the bad guy?
          -What sinister qualities does your antagonist have?
         -All characters have a weakness, what’s your villain’s “Achilles Heal”?
          -Does he/she act alone or do they have a group?
          -If the villain isn’t a person, what abilities does the object(s) exhibit?

 

In the beginning, I wouldn’t resolve the conflict between your main character(s) vs. the bad guy. For now, focus on developing the evil personality—demonstrate several situations that make them “bad”.”

[found on http://hsquiresnovels.com/2014/04/16/where-im-at-wednesday-april-16-2014/]


Promote & Market Your Book

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[found on jdscottnovels.wordpress.com; by J.D. Scott]

 

“How to make the most of social media marketing, where do you start? You need detailed, accessible and practical advice on what to do and how to do it. Planning and research are often forgotten in the rush of getting a book published. Drawing up a marketing plan and carefully thought out campaign are the only ways to ensure the success of your book and to meet the readers’ requirements. Initiate these concepts and you will see the benefits immediately!”

 

how-to-promote-and-market-your-book-cover

 

“Who is it For?

Any author who wants to create and launch a successful book, or people who chose publishing as a career.

What Will it Help You Do?

This guide walks you through the development of author’s brand and improving sales.

What is Included?

…valuable resources lists, such as book bloggers, publishers, literary agents, newspapers and magazines, independent booksellers, Facebook groups, sites to promote a book, and radio shows for authors.”

How Can You Buy This Book?

Barnes & Noble
Kobobooks.com

 

[found on http://jdscottnovels.wordpress.com/the-writer/featured-article-tips-from-a-publisher-with-the-heart-of-a-writer/]

 

On Sports Journalism

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Passing the Torch: Don’t Let Great Sportswriting [sic] Flame Out

“More than news writing, more than editorial writing, more than feature, business, or food writing, the best contemporary sports writing draws its strength from a tradition of literary excellence that goes back 100 years.”

— Roy Peter Clark

Five Examples Of Great Sports Writing

“Sports seems to bring out the best in our greatest writers. I’m not exactly sure why that is, but I suspect it has something to do with the inherent drama in sports (which can have a time-transporting effect—I felt like a 10-year-old boy again while watching the end of this year’s Iron Bowl) and the friction caused by the fact that these sports “heroes” who are treated like gods are in fact mere mortals like the rest of us…I devour great prose about sports, and will read the same piece sometimes dozens of times, in an attempt to learn more about the craft and, frankly, to be entertained. Great writing is one of the world’s last great turn-ons.”

— Monte Burke

The 13 greatest pieces of sportswriting [sic] in 2013

“Of the thousands of pieces of great sportswriting [sic] — from real-time snippets to “longish” reads, these* stood out.** (A worthwhile caveat: The “13″ thing is a handy formatting framework; the “Also Receiving Votes” group is just as worthy of your attention. As always, presented in alphabetical order by author name, with no further commentary.)”

— Dan Shanoff

Tip POE Through the Tulips

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[found on grammar.yourdictionary.com]

Tips for Writing Poems:

  • “Know your purpose. Why are you writing a poem and what do you want it to do?
  • Pick a subject. You do not have to pick a stereotypical poetry topic such as nature, animals, love, or some sort of darker topic. Poems can be written about any topic under the sun.
  • Choose a pattern. You might choose to use free verse, rhyming couplets, or an epic poetry style. It’s better to let the words flow with the style, than to return later and try to fit your already-written ideas into a totally new scheme.
  • Avoid clichés. These are sayings that have been overused, like busy as a bee, or blind as a bat.
  • Use imagery. Paint with your words and use concrete words that appeal to the senses. Abstract words can not give the reader a good picture of what you are trying to say.
  • Use similes and metaphors. Similes compare two things, like “you are sweet as honey” and usually use the word “like” or “as.” Metaphors state that one thing is another thing, like “you are a pig.” Things being compared in a metaphor have at least one thing in common but are very different in other ways.”
[found on http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/grammar-rules-and-tips/tips-on-writing-poems.html]

A Proposition for Prepositions

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Which prepositions  go with which words? This is what the CMS has to say:

“You fill A with B but instill B into A; you replace A with B but substitute B for A; you prefix A to B but preface B with A; you force A into B but enforce B on A; finally, A implies B, so you infer B from A. And that’s only the beginning of it.”    
— Chicago Manual of Style [regarding idiomatic uses of prepositions]

 

List of prepositions

 

A through D

  1. aboard
  2. about
  3. above
  4. absent
  5. across
  6. after
  7. against
  8. along
  9. alongside
  10. amid
  11. amidst
  12. among
  13. anti
  14. around
  15. as
  16. at
  17. atop
  18. before
  19. behind
  20. below
  21. beneath
  22. beside
  23. besides
  24. between
  25. beyond
  26. but
  27. by
  28. concerning
  29. considering
  30. despite
  31. down
  32. during

 

E through M

    1. except
    2. excepting
    3. excluding
    4. following
    5. for
    6. from
    7. in
    8. in front of
    9. inside
    10. instead of
    11. into
    12. like
    13. mid
    14. minus

N through R

    1. near
    2. next
    3. of
    4. off
    5. on
    6. on top of
    7. onto
    8. opposite
    9. out of
    10. outside
    11. over
    12. past
    13. per
    14. plus
    15. regarding
    16. round

S through W

  1. save
  2. since
  3. than
  4. through
  5. till
  6. times
  7. to
  8. toward
  9. towards
  10. under
  11. underneath
  12. unlike
  13. until
  14. up
  15. upon
  16. versus
  17. via
  18. with
  19. within
  20. without

 

 

Back Up Your Work

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What is the first rule of having a writing project? Back up your work. Your writing should be backed up in four different places not including your computer.

1) Online storage

Not only is your work stored online (protected), but you can access it from your mobile devices as well. This allows you to continue your research and writing anywhere, and anytime. Here are some examples of online storage:

2) USB Thumb/Flash drive

This is a drive to attach to your keychain, or toss in your makeup bag. Although they aren’t saved in real-time like the online servers, it still is an excellent idea to have it as a backup. Flash drives can be bought online or in stores ($6-$150). They can range in storage size from 4 GB – 128 GB, and are the physical size of a ChapStick. Here are a few types:

3) External drive

An external drive is capable of storing much more than a few files. Usually, then can store the backup of your entire computer, plus room for other files. You can find desktop as well as portable versions, both online and in stores. The storage size runs from 250 GB – 4 TB ($70-$1000). Here are some examples of external hard drives:

4) Email to yourself

This is sometimes referred to as the modern poor-man’s copyright. However, don’t rely on that as being so. Here is a link about the true rules of copyrights. Emailing it to yourself does, however, allow you to be sure you have another copy stored in case the unthinkable happens.

When emailing the document to yourself, include information that will make it easily searchable (in case you need to find that version in later years). Most email providers can search the text in the emails if you include:

    • Book Title
    • Last updated as of (00/00/0000)

If you have these backups, then if your computer is misplaced or crashes, you still have your work. If you are out of town, you still have your work. If a flood takes out all the online storages, you still have your work. Daily, remember to back up your backups. Always.

Foreword, Preface, Introduction…Oh my!

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[found on kunzonpublishing.com; by Joseph C. Kunz, Jr.]

“It is essential…to understand the differences between the foreword, preface, and introduction of a book. Each section plays a vital role in the critical and financial success of the book. Without these three sections, a non-fiction book is incomplete, and not giving the readers their money’s worth…

1. The Foreword (Why the reader should read the book)
The foreword is the place for a guest author to show the reader why they should be reading this book.

2. The Preface (How the book came about)
The preface is a place for the book’s author to tell the reader how this book came into being, and why.

3. The Introduction (About the content of the book)
The introduction introduces the material that is covered in the book.”

To read the expanded article from Joseph C. Kunz, Jr., click here.

[found on http://kunzonpublishing.com/2011/10/foreword-vs-preface-vs-introduction-a-guide-for-self-publishers/]

Find the Word, and Magic…!

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[found on tameri.com]

“We believe the greater the vocabulary, the more concise the writing. Unfortunately, readers might not understand what you write. The definitions for some words listed are not the “common” meanings; we have chosen to focus on the words and meanings used to impress audiences.

Serious readers enjoy new words and writers love using the rare greats. Reading teaches vocabulary as we study context at all levels: elemental grammar, plot, setting, and more. Readers thrill at the discovery of new words; writers should thrill at using them wisely. There is more to words than winning at Scrabble™.”

Example of what you’ll find on their site:

“abrogate (v) – void, do away with, repeal

abscond (v) – to depart secretly

abstemious (adj) – moderate in consumption

brook (v) – to endure, tolerate

bucolic (adj) – rustic, pastoral, natural; simple

celerity (n) – speed, rapidity

censure (v) – to rebuke officially

chary (adj) – wary, cautious

diffuse (adj) – spread out, wide-ranging; using too many words

dilate (v) – expand

dilatory (adj) – delaying

enervate (v) – to weaken, to drain, to take vitality from

engender (v) – to create, to produce, to cause

feign (v) – to pretend, act, deceive

fervent (adj) – emotional; zealous

fester (v) – ulcerate; rankle. festering (v)

garner (v) – gather, store up

garrulity (n) – talkativeness

impervious (adj) – resistant, strong, incapable of being affected

impalpable (adj) – imperceptible, intangible

jejune (adj) – poor; unsatisfying

jetsam (n) – object tossed overboard to lighten a ship

kinematic (adj) – relating to motion

knavery (n) – untrustworthiness; lack of principles

libidinous (adj) – lustful

licentious (adj) – sexually immoral

mellifluous (adj) – sweet like/as honey

mendacious (adj) – dishonest. mendacity (n)

nebulous (adj) – vague, cloudy, murky; lacking form

neologism (n) – a new word or usage

neophyte (n) – convert; beginner, novice

obfuscate (v) – to make confusing; to mislead

objurgate (v) – to scold

paucity (n) – scarcity; lack

pedagogue (n) – narrow-minded teacher

quaff (v) – to drink; to quench thirst

qualm (n) – misgiving, reservation

refutation (n) – disproof of opponents arguments

reciprocal (adj) – mutual, shared, exchanged in kind

sanction (n/v) – permission, authorized; a penalty

sanguine (adj) – cheerful; hopeful

sapient (adj) – wise; shrewd

taciturn (adj) – silent; not fond of talking

tantamount (adj) – equivalent in effect or value

taut (adj) – tight, tense

ubiquitous (adj) – everywhere, widespread

ulterior (adj) – unstated; hidden

venerate (v) – to respect. veneration (n)

veracity (n) – truthfulness, honesty

wangle (v) – bring about by manipulation

welter (n/v) – turmoil; to roll, to tumble

xenophobe (n) – one afraid of strangers

xyloid (adj) – like wood

yammer (v) – to talk with a sad tone

zymotic (adj) – of fermentation; caused by disease”

 

[found on http://www.tameri.com/write/coolenglish.html]

Be Thou Funny; Nay, Hilarious!

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[found on thewritepractice.com; by Joe Bunting]

Joe Bunting’s Commandments to Writing Funny”

“1. Thou Shalt Not Worry About Offending

First and most important, if you’re overly concerned about what others will think, don’t try your hand at funny . . . . stay true to your voice and integrity.

2. Thou Shalt Pay Attention to the Mundane

Jerry Seinfield wasn’t funny because he could do impersonations, or was overly animated or creative. He was funny because he told the truth about the mundane….

3. Thou Shalt Take Clichés to Extremes

…when there was report after report about the Occupy Movement marching on streets all over the nation, I wrote Occupy Marches on Sesame Street—twentysomething angst taking on the puppets who lied to them first.

Taking cliches to the extreme is the bedrock to satire.

4. Thou Shalt Use Metaphors and Similes Like the Bubonic Plague

(First, see Commandments 1 and 3.) Metaphors and similes are to funny as Hugh Grant is to romantic comedy.”

To read the entire article by Joe Bunting, click here.

[found on http://thewritepractice.com/four-commandments-to-writing-funny/]