7 Ways to Form Healthy Writing Habits by illuminara, literature
Literature
7 Ways to Form Healthy Writing Habits
1. Write Every Day
Christy Hall nailed it when she said, “A writer writes. There are no exceptions to this reality. No excuses.” There’s nothing sexy about this. It’s tough work and requires dedication and persistence, but it’s the only way to make consistent progress. Almost everyone who writes for a living or is a productive amateur will tell you this. It’s no secret, but it’s often ignored because it’s hard. Unfortunately, there’s no magical way to make it easier, but you can form a habit through discipline. Once habit sets in, you don’t have think about it—you just do it.
The Lifecycle of a Novel Draft by illuminara, literature
Literature
The Lifecycle of a Novel Draft
This article’s aim is to teach you how to draft a novel. That’s a pretty vague statement and begs a lot of questions. What’s a draft? What work or planning do you have to do before you start drafting? Can you just sit down and start putting pen to paper and expect a draft to miraculously show up? How many drafts do you need to write in order to get a “finished” novel?
First and foremost, a draft is simply a version of a manuscript, and there will be many versions along the way to a finish novel ready for publication (or whatever other plans you have for it). The purpose of a first draft is to bring your story ki
Unique Character Design Tips by thundercake, literature
Literature
Unique Character Design Tips
In my opinion, these are the most important factors in any character design: color, concept, shape, simplicity, cohesiveness, repeatability, personality and uniqueness.
Color: Any design with colors all over the place creates too many places for the eye to look. Keep your color design very simple and zen. Looking at the colors shouldn't be jarring or confusing. This isn't to say only use one color, not at all, but try to make sure the ones you use are harmonious. Avoid mixing and matching different saturations of the same color or picking colors that clash with one another.
My rule of thumb: Stick to no more than three base colors and some
How to write a fight: A Tutorial by Master-of-the-Boot, literature
Literature
How to write a fight: A Tutorial
I've seen a few writing tutorials around, so I wanted to share something that I love doing and I'm very good at (sorry for tooting my own horn)
But let's get started on learning how to write a fight scene!!!!!!!
Step 1: The goal
This applies to all kinds of writing, not just writing a fight scene. Canadian Media Professor Marshal McLuhan once said that all writing is a trap; when you write you're looking to get a reaction from people. The only thing worse than bad writing is mediocre writing. If someone reads your stuff and feels nothing then you've personally failed as a writer. Sorry for the harsh words but it's true and it's something I
5 Tips for Writing Exposition Dumps by DesdemonaDeBlake, literature
Literature
5 Tips for Writing Exposition Dumps
5 Tips for Writing Exposition Dumps
Anybody Can Write a Novel
Chapter 7 “From Story to Art” – Section 8 “Exposition Dumps”
With Links to Supplementary Material
An Exposition—or “information”—dump is a term used for when the writer gives away the story, the plot, or the world directly to the reader, as opposed to subtly telling the story by showing it unfold. Bad! I know—trust me, I slap myself on the wrist every time I find myself doing it. Hard as it is to imagine, however, there are the occasional times when this is precisely the awkward puzzle-piece that is needed; examples