Writing Tip Potpourri

[Luned]

Please share random tips you find here so we all can benefit! Here's a particularly cute/helpful one I stumbled across today:




http://imageshack.us/a/img844/8707/259012668298506240.png

The final, brilliant word on passive voice.

“She was killed [by zombies.]” <—- passive

“Zombies killed [by zombies] her.” <—- active

(Source) (http://rosalarian.tumblr.com/post/33980350254/transientlarva-daintyblackpegasus-darkjez)

[Mordelain]

This one post says more about writing style than any book - also, I spat my cidre everywhere lolling.

Double success, no? :rolleyes:

[Zook Murnig]

http://blog.writeathome.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Mark_Twain07.jpg
http://blog.writeathome.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Mark_Twain06.jpg
http://blog.writeathome.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Mark_Twain03.jpg
http://blog.writeathome.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Mark_Twain04.jpg
http://blog.writeathome.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Mark_Twain05.jpg

[Zook Murnig]

Double-posting for a guide to common misconceptions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_English_usage_misconceptions) about the usage of the English language.

[Luned]

I think you originally showed me this one, Zook, but it's a really good one.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mby4zjMvGA1ryi6o4o1_500.jpg

[Luned]

If people like to turn writing into a game of sorts to post quicker, try out:

Write or Die (http://writeordie.com/#Web+App)
If you don't meet your writing goal, you have to face punishment.

Written Kitten (http://writtenkitten.net/)
You get rewarded with festive cat pictures if you keep up progress!

[Luned]

Here's a good list of blogs for writers (http://mythicscribes.com/inspiration/9-amazing-blogs-for-writers/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter). A particularly helpful (to me) article linked from there is this piece on writing secondary characters (http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/2010/08/5-steps-to-dazzling-minor-characters.html) (or, in the context of Althanas, NPCs). I'm working on the plot for a solo and this helped me work the kinks out of a rather important NPC:


5. Give him an arc. If he has a goal and a stake, why not a full-blown character arc? If you can give one or two prominent minor characters a mini arc that either echoes or contrasts the protagonist’s, you’ll be able to deepen the meaning and complexity of both the main character’s journey and the thematic arc as a whole.

–– 5 Steps to Dazzling Minor Characters (http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/2010/08/5-steps-to-dazzling-minor-characters.html) by K.M. Weiland

[Luned]

Stole this from Zook's tumblr and thought I'd throw it in here for some discussion. I've heard mixed things on how to write dialogue/proper use (or avoidance) of the word "said". Ultimately it comes down to personal style, but here's the two cents I use in my own writing:

Said is fine once in a while (I usually use that or write the dialogue in with no tags at all), as it's one of those invisible words that the average reader doesn't notice much. Something that bugs me more is when people militantly use only alternatives, as it becomes distracting (similar to writers who go a little too nuts with the thesaurus). If someone really "muttered" something, fine, but don't throw it in there for no silly reason. In that vein, adverbs with "said" can 99% of the time be replaced with a better verb and no adverb, which –– in personal preference of a concise, modern writing style –– makes more sense and creates more impact. In short, don't say "said quietly" when you can just say "muttered", but don't avoid "said" like the plague, as that can also be distracting. Balance!

I'm interested in hearing what others think, if they have any personal rules of thumb.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/e9eb9dc58dcfadc2809513921b945771/tumblr_mez7wnacc31r3ru8oo1_1280.jpg

[Rayse Valentino]

I disagree with the 'said' thing.

If it's a well-written piece of dialogue, you can infer the way it's supposed to be taken, and 'said' leaves it to the reader. The qualifiers should be used sparingly.


Said is the verb most writers use because reader familiarity with said prevents it from drawing attention to itself. Although other verbs such as ask, shout, or reply are acceptable, some identifiers get in the reader's way. For example:

"Hello," he croaked nervously, "my name's Horace."
"What's yours?" he asked with as much aplomb as he could muster.[1]

Stephen King, in his book On Writing, expresses his belief that said is the best identifier to use.

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialogue_in_writing

Another good resource: http://www.fmwriters.com/Visionback/Issue%205/tags.htm


That's all right, isn't it? Most of the time, it's not OK. Readers accept the words said and asked; in fact, they barely notice those words as they read. However, words such as "hollered" and "bawled" often draw their attention away from the dialogue and yank them out of the story.

Editors and critics often refer to melodramatic dialogue tags as "said bookisms." They know that these phrases give your story an amateurish look. Your readers might not know what the darn things are called, but chances are that they'll notice them, too. Especially if you use said bookisms every other line.

In most cases, the word "said" would work just fine, and using said bookisms detracts from the dialogue. Avoid drowning your dialogue in phrases such as exclaimed, murmured, shouted, whimpered, asserted, inquired, demanded, queried, thundered, whispered, and muttered. These words make it sound as if you have fallen in love with your thesaurus. If the dialogue is strong enough, "she said" and "he said" will do. If the dialogue is not strong enough, rewrite the dialogue instead of using said bookisms to bolster it.

[Luned]

This is neat:

http://24.media.tumblr.com/73f912a1d0e18f2ad83800d8f612dfdd/tumblr_mft5lpRiy01r2qa6go1_1280.jpg

[Zook Murnig]

I'll just leave this here. (http://shannahmcgill.tumblr.com/)

[absentwizard]

I'll leave this here. (http://www.rinkworks.com/fnovel/)

[Luned]

Skie shared this on Tumblr and I had to add it. "Body Language Cheat Sheet":

http://24.media.tumblr.com/881f239c1935dc0564562e601604119a/tumblr_mj2at2yuIw1s312m6o1_1280.jpg
http://25.media.tumblr.com/57c2bd061d02bca45dcf62056a53fa29/tumblr_mj2at2yuIw1s312m6o2_1280.jpg

(PDF download (http://archetypewriting.com/resources/downloads/bodylanguagecheatsheet.pdf))

[Luned]

Stolen from Skie, totally useful rule of thumb:

http://25.media.tumblr.com/2c5423650313c1187b2d846b4a16b87e/tumblr_mtikycTamt1qcgrqso1_500.jpg

[Zook Murnig]

Jim Butcher, author of the Dresden Files and Codex Alera series, has started a livejournal (http://jimbutcher.livejournal.com/) for writing tips and advice.

[Mordelain]

Why can't the lecturers on my adult literacy course produce slides with such devilishly flawless grammar :(.

[Gunther]

The best tip anyone can provide is Edit, Edit, Edit!
After you write a post, passage, page, or what-have-you; read it. If it sounds stupid to you, more than likely it will sound stupid to your audience. Figure out what will make it sound better. Some RPers, will post directly onto the forums and hit submit post as is. This form of RP post can be painful to read, unedited. Instead of writing your post in the forums, write them on Word, Works, notepad or whatever text base software you are using and then copy/paste them to the forums after you have edited them properly. Then once copied to the forums, hit preview and edit again.

EDIT: As an example, I edited this post before hitting Submit Reply.

[Aurelianus Drak'shal]

I have taken to using a technique that has helped me many-a-time.

It's called 'Murdering Your Darlings.'

After finishing a piece of writing, read over it carefully. Any line that looks to you to be perfect, literary gold, any line that strikes you as the best thing you've ever written - strike it out. Delete it. Because chances are it's self-indulgent twoddle that has no place in the text other than to jerk off your own ego.

I thought this would be a stupid idea when I first read of it, but after doing just so a good few times, I have found it makes my writing much better. And to prove this, I utilised this technique while writing both the threads I have, that have achieved a Judge's Choice award.

[Ashla]

Three Tips For Careful Writers (http://www.dailywritingtips.com/3-tips-for-careful-writers/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook) (Like me)

Ten Pairs of Words and Their Useful Destinctions (http://www.dailywritingtips.com/10-pairs-of-words-and-their-useful-distinctions-2/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook)

[Luned]

This is cute! The Periodic Table of Storytelling Elements (http://aerogrammestudio.com/2013/11/12/the-periodic-table-of-storytelling/):

http://i2.wp.com/aerogrammestudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/The-Periodic-Table-of-Storytelling1.png

[Luned]

https://36.media.tumblr.com/441ab2f05396141c57e3ad0f72f09758/tumblr_mgvm3mHI741rnvzfwo1_500.png