Tag: writer

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Create like a Child and Plot Without Structure

NaNoWriMo forces us to remember what writing is about: having fun, unleashing our creativity, and coloring outside the lines. It’s the perfect opportunity to break away from plot structure and rekindle our passion for pure imaginative storytelling.

How? By keeping it simple.

Centuries ago, Aristotle noted in his book Poetics that while a story does have a beginning, a middle and an ending, the beginning is not simply the first event in a series of three, but rather the emotionally engaging originating event. The middle is the natural and causally related consequence, and the end is the inevitable conclusive event.

In other words, stories have an origination, an escalation of conflict, and a resolution.

– Steven James

I’m no genius; however, I think Aristotle may have been referring to this guy:

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Keep it in mind as you sketch your story these next few weeks. Try to loosen up and plot without following rigid structures. Harness the spirit of NaNoWriMo and create like a child.

Besides, you can always edit it later…

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Three Ways Students Can Balance Their Writing and Academic Lives

Pursuing an educational goal and keeping up with your creative writing isn’t the most easiest task in the world. School can become so overbearing that it forces us to prioritize it over our creativity. Although this choice may seem responsible at the time, it’s really an avenue towards a more stressful dilemma: unproductively.

In order to keep myself from feeling unproductive, I do the following three things:

 

1. KNOW THY SCHEDULE

In fiction, thieves usually spend a bit of time scoping out a territory before infiltrating it. They discover all the possible entrances, emergency escape routes, and the precise moment the guard jabs his finger into his nose.

Ok, you wont be doing any of that; however, it’s still a good idea to analyze your day-to-day schedule.

You may also want to spend some time (I recommend a week) learning your instructor’s routine:

  • Do they arrive early, late, or on time to class?
  • Do they open the doors early?
  • Do they give breaks midway into their lecture?

Analyze your routine, too:

  • How long does it take you to study? (If you have to, time yourself)
  • What are some of your other responsibilities?
  • When do you have breaks?

 

2. BATTLE PLAN

Now that you have a general idea of your academic week, see if you can squeeze some writing in. Can you…

  • Write during class breaks?
  • Get up really early to write?
  • Take a ten minute homework break to jot down some ideas?

Come up with a monthly wordcount goal and break it down into chunks. Also, see if you can schedule small writing sessions during the day.

 

3. EXECUTE

By following the above steps, your current dilemma may shift from “I don’t have time to write” to “I’m too darn tired to write!” The solution to this problem is simple: suck it up and write.

 

SOME EXTRA TIPS

  • Don’t prioritize your creative projects below your school work. Make them equal.
  • Carry a notepad with you (or some word processing device) to jot down ideas that you may have throughout the day.
  • Find time to read for fun.
  • If your schedule is ruined by some unforeseen circumstance, don’t freak out. Reschedule and keep writing.

 

What do you think? If you could add something to this method, what would it be? If you tried this method, how did it work for you?

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One Lovely Blog Award! Yipiee!

It’s a rewarding feeling when I log onto my blog or open up my email to find awesome messages from my buds! It’s a wonder that there are people out there who even read what I write and I’m truly grateful to them. Vik Tory Arch and Kaleiyah-P are two such people. Both nominated me for the One Lovely Blog Award and said that they liked what I do here on the Tavern.

Thanks gals! I’ll do my best to keep my posts coming for peeps like you.

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Ok so the rules are…

  1. You must thank the person who nominated you and include a link to their blog. You must list the rules and display the award.
  2. You must add 7 facts about yourself.
  3. You must nominate 15 (or more) other bloggers and comment on one of their posts to let them know they have been nominated.

7 Random Facts about ME

  1. My favorite color is green
  2. I like stories where the villains are relatable
  3. I’m a clutz so you shouldn’t trust me with anything fragile
  4. I hate the feeling of falling behind!
  5. Butterfingers are my favorite candy
  6. Defiance is my new favorite MMORPG and TV series
  7. The Black List is another favorite show of mine

Tag You’re It!

  1. J.H. Mae
  2. Nirvana
  3. Luther M. Siler
  4. Mishka Jenkins
  5. Taylor Grace
  6. Raevenly Writes
  7. David J Delaney
  8. Arya
  9. Sabrina Wolfheart
  10. Damyanti
  11. D. Emery Bunn
  12. Winter Bayne
  13. Story Medic
  14. Carol J Forrester
  15. Rachel Carrera
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Freewrite 11: Disconnect and Write

You’d figure she’d get a headache…

Quick! Grab a pen and paper.

Got it? Now distance yourself from every piece of technology in your home (cellphones, laptops, TV, teleportation devices, laser guns, etc). If it’s not deterimental to your health, leave it! I personally suggest that you take a field trip into the backyard or a local park.

Distanced? Great.

Get cozy. Write for fifteen minutes.

 

The point of this Freewriting exercise is to pull you away from all distractions (twitter, facebook, email, texting, your blog, so on) forcing you to do one thing: Write. Be hard on yourself! Don’t go back into your home or pick up any piece of tech until you’ve written something.

What should you write about? That’s your choice.

 

Freewrite #11 Goals:

  1. Get away from technology. (Go in the backyard, park, coffee shop—somewhere!)
  2. Write for fifteen minutes. (I suggest using a pencil and notepad)
  3. Don’t censor / edit yourself.

 

Once you’re done pat yourself on the back. You’ve just done one of the hardest things for a writer to do. If you want to share what you wrote on your blog—FANSTATIC! If not, let me know how this experience helped (or did not help) you in the comments. Good luck!

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Harry Potter Book Tag!!

Nirvana tagged me in a book tag!

And not just any tag. But a Harry Potter Book Tag. Ooh!

What’s the difference? …It’s Harry Potter-ish…don’t question me darn it!

Here we go:

 

1. Expecto Patronum! (A childhood book connected to good memories.)

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DeathNote by Tsugumi Ohba. Yeah, I know, it’s a graphic novel! But this is the book that started my unhealthy manga crave.

2. Expelliarmus! (A book that took you by surprise.)

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The Weight of Blood by David Dalglish. I went on Amazon searching for a specific book (I can’t remember which) and happened across Daglish’s novel. I fell in love with it after reading the summary and sample. I ended up finding a new favorite author!

3. Prior Incantato! (The last book you read.)

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Choices by K.W. McKabe. Here’s my review.

4. Alohomora! (A book that introduced you to a genre you would’t have considered before.)

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The Cleaner by Mark Dawson. At one time I only frequented fantasy and science fiction. Dawson taught there’s a wealth of stories in other genres too.

5. Riddikulus! (A funny book you read.)

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The only funny book that I can remember is Captain Underpants. It never gets old!

6. Sonorus! (A Book that you think everyone should know about.)

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The Crown Tower by Michael J Sullivan. If you haven’t read into his series yet—you’re so missing out.

7. Obliviate! (A book you wish you never read)

There’s never been a book that I wish I never read. Simply because I don’t finish the ones that I don’t like.

8. Imperio! (A book you had to read for school.)

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The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. What’s there to say? Hinton’s book has a way with connecting to kids. This was the first book that my classmates and I didn’t fall asleep on.

9. Crucio! (A book that was painful to read.)

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Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton. It was just sad to read about a priest divided by faith and fatherly duty.

10. Avada Kedavra! (A book that could kill.)

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“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

I respect classics…but…I can never get pass that sentence.

 

Tag YOU are it!

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Hopeful September Goals

I’ve had a busy August! Though I didn’t get much blogging done, I definitely completed asmart_goals number of other tasks.

Like:

  • Started / read / and edited many of my projects
  • Read a few shorts (and reviewed them)
  • Finished a book (not reviewed)
  • Cut my posting frequency down
  • I’ve lost count of how many school assignments I’ve had to do

August caught me by surprise. But, now that I know what I’m dealing with, I’m ready for September.

My goals are:

  • Keep up with my school work (I shiver at the thought of falling behind)
  • Continue working on my writing projects
  • Read (I’ve got a couple of books on my TBR list)
  • Write some book reviews
  • Blog twice a week
  • Keep slogging through my critical read through for my NaNoWriMo project

I’m pretty sure that I’ll run into some problems this month. Maybe something distracts me or I’m “too busy” to do something else. Even so, that’s no reason for me give up. At least I can say “I tried.”

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Dude, What Happened to You?!

So there I was finishing my last writing assignment for the week. After slapping on some finishing touches and glancing over my wording to make sure it was “Desiree Authentic,” I felt odd. Empty. Alone.

A tumbleweed would’ve complement my emotional state perfectly.

Yeah, like that! Thanks, Internet!

Then my Inner Voice spoke out…

INNER VOICE: You do realize its been weeks since you visited your blog. Right?

 

What rhymes with knowledge but gives you head tumors? College. Which is also the reason behind my absence.

At the beginning of the semester I knew I was going to have to sacrifice a ton of time in order to keep up with my studies. But I had NO IDEA it would take up so much time. Not to mention that I’m only juggling a third of my actual course load.

However, as odd as this next bit may sound, I enjoy studying. The awesome part about college is that you can study what you like (within certain parameters). I like my writing, so, I study the craft. In fact, my classes are pushing me to be more creative.

So, to all those who were wondering, I’m alive!

 

What’s been going on in your neck of the woods?

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Freewrite 10: Using Articles for Fiction

You can use it for fanning yourself…right?

What do newspapers and magazine articles have in common?

Paper mache? C’mon, be serious.

That’s it! You could use them for your writing.

Lets say you run across a magazine article about an organization that gives away free furniture.

Why would someone give away free furniture?

Maybe the owner use to be homeless.

How did that happen?

They did something bad that caused them to loose their job and family.

Now that sounds like something interesting to write about!

Freewrite #10 Goals

  1. Find a newspaper or a magazine article that interests you (it can be online or off)
  2. Fictionalize it.
  3. Write it!

Post your freewrite on your blog! It’s your choice if you want to share the article that you used.

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Do You Know What “Draft” REALLY Means?

Let me tell you what I discovered after two continuous weeks of editing a short story.

We all know what happens during the first draft. We just sit and puke “creative vomit.”

What do you do with vomit?

No seriously…

Do you sit down and pick out the orange carrots and sweet peas?

No! You flush it.

The purpose of the first draft is to get a general idea of how you want your story to go. Then you go to the second. Is that draft perfect? Of course not.

Time for the third edit. Perfect? Nope. Fourth? …You get the idea.

So when can you finally label a manuscript “my final draft” or “my finished draft” or “ready for publication?”

Never. There will always be a draft! A-L-W-A-Y-S!

You may now throw your computer at the wall.

Don’t let this bit of information discourage you. The trick to overcoming a draft is knowing when to say “enough is enough.”

Enlightening, right? You’re welcome.

 

Have you ever had something like this happen to you? Why do you think it happens to you? Lets talk in the comments!

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I’m Gunning you Down, August!

Hectic, productive, eye opening, and oddly relaxing.

Huzzah!

That’s what July has been for me. I got more done this month than I originally planned!

Lets see…

  • I read and reviewed 2 books
  • I participated in Camp NaNo and finished the first draft for my novel
  • I finished the critical readthrough of my sci-fi novel
  • I wrote a short story (first draft)
  • I’m all set for classes

Looking ahead, I plan to…

  • Read through Lantern
  • Start the second draft of my sci-fi novel
  • Finish editing my short story
  • Start and finish a 4000 word short for a writing competition
  • Read a book, a few shorts, and review them all
  • I may cut my posting frequency down to twice a week (gotta keep myself school focused)

So…that’s what my August looks like.