amandaonwriting:

Including these seven from the category ‘Writing Basics’

These books address things like structure, plot, descriptions and other basic elements of any story.

1. The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers: You can improve the quality of your writing by adding a mythical quality to them with advice and insight from this book.
2. Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler: Whether you agree with the ideas in this book or not, you’ll find it a useful and informative read for writing.
3. Word Painting: A Guide to Write More Descriptively by Rebecca McClanahan: Get some pointers that will help you make your settings and characters come alive from this book.
4. Simple & Direct by Jacques Barzun: Barzun says that his purpose in writing this book was to “resensitize the mind to words” and he does this through a variety of helpful lessons on grammar, word usage and writing that are sure to make your writing better, or at least more thoughtful.
5. Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell: This book will help you create plots that will draw readers in and make your work more powerful.
6. Elements of Writing Fiction: Characters & Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card: Check out this engaging book for a little guidance on creating more believable and fully developed characters.
7. Between the Lines by Jessica Morrell: In this book you’ll learn how to craft a cohesive and layered story through the use of suspense, transitions and more.

Other categories: Advice from Authors, Grammar, Reference, Writing as a Career, Genre, Creativity, Improving your Writing

faerieeglow:

Doug Jones you are my everything

I got to meet Doug Jones at Comic Con in 2010. He was absolutely one of the sweetest random (famous) strangers I have ever met. He kissed my hand and gave me a hug and sometimes I roll around on the floor a bit thinking about the fact that I was just an absolute flailing fan girl.

Internet confession: I may have said, “I just loved you in…everything.” True story.

(Source: comuto)

neil-gaiman:

Actually I suspect you can skip the first 8 if you just do the last one.

Have a good time with what you’re doing.

So I recently got into audiobooks. “Tough Shit” by Kevin Smith is the first audiobook I’ve listened to since the abridged Jurassic Park cassette set that I listened to when I was younger, circa 1995-ish.

I listened to “Tough Shit” within two days. It was amazing. Where had I been, left behind from this new awesome technology that allows me to basically feel like I’m hanging out and shooting the shit with the creator of some of my favorite movies?

Anyway, this is not a tip about falling behind on the interweb zeitgeist and refreshing oneself on new audio stuffs more often than once a decade.

If there is one thing I took away from “Tough Shit,” it’s that the key to all creative endeavors is self-expression. Hippy sentiment, yes, but if you don’t love what you’re doing and if it’s not at the core of it all about you, then it’s just work. And work isn’t fun. You’ll never love work. You’ll love being happy, though.

Make it work for you. If that involves taking on side projects that are just a fun time, go for it, man. It’s easy to get caught up in all the do’s and don’t’s, the laws of craft, the guidance of those who have come before us, experts and naysayers. Find the unbridled joy in just letting it all out and sharing it with the world.

Coming to this realization again has really changed my perspective recently. I have spent so much time wandering through a desert of articles and critiques, reading about what you should and shouldn’t put into your writing, how to maintain your blog, how to just put words on paper…it just all got a bit much. But emptying the sand out of shoes and saying, “You know what? I’m going to do this my way”…well, it’s like breathing again.

How are things going for you guys?

predator-and-prey:

If I had a dime for every time I heard “The Hunger Games is a rip-off of Battle Royale”, I think I’d have enough to pay for my next semester’s tuition. I swear, most people who’ve said this haven’t even read The Hunger Games.

Okay. I’ve read The Hunger Games and seen the movie. I haven’t read…

Omg. Who you tellin’? All of this.

Speaking as someone who was really, really big into Battle Royale and am now really, really into Hunger Games, I too am pretty freaking sick of this hipster mentality of ‘I was into this before it was cool, so that makes this new thing a ripoff.’

Now I’m not going to say there aren’t similarities between Battle Royale and Hunger Games, and more than once I was like, “Really? You didn’t even hear of that book/comic/movie before writing this? Are you suuuuure?” But both are very enjoyable in their own rights, both have their perks, and both are fun. People need to get over themselves.

If I can make a suggestion, OP, go movie->book->comic if you want the full Awesome Battle Royale Experience. I felt like each gave me a new appreciation of the other, and that order of enjoying it worked for me. Just my suggestion.

I promise I’m coming back. In the meanwhile…may I interest you in some corgi?

lettersandlight:

With Script Frenzy just days away, I thought I’d offer an outlining technique that I use to help me set up my scripts. In Viki King’s book How to Write a Movie in 21 Days, she refers to something called, “The 9-minute movie.” This is a way to de-mystify the screenwriting process. She…

lettersandlight:

Last night after finishing all of my readings for school I decided to put off writing my script (AGAIN!!) by meticulously cleaning and organizing my bedroom. I live in a very old and extremely strange Berkeley apartment that’s pretty much two bedrooms and a bathroom connected by a narrow hallway with an oven, sink, and refrigerator crammed into it. It is in no way the nicest place I’ve ever lived but as my roommate says, “It’s a one star apartment that we love.” But since we can’t really hang out in our hallway, I end up spending a lot of time in my room so it’s very important to me that it’s clean and comfortable enough for me to eat, sleep, study, and hang out with friends in. But with Script Frenzy upon us, I’m trying to take it a step further by converting my modest bedroom into a chamber of creativity.

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classybooks:

There is nothing more stimulating than a fart where everything goes against you.

Best literary Tumblr ever.