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Category Archives: Literature
Writing by the Book
There are sets of questions that writers can answer to create different kinds of stories which are used for psychological thrillers or horror. There are also guidelines to writing romance by the beat. Search “formulas for writing a book” on … Continue reading
Posted in Drama and movies, Ideas for writing, Trends in books
Tagged Actions films, Book formulas, Story telling, Thrillers
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From Music to Words
My first experience with music as an inspiration for writing occurred in the summer between high school and college. I lay in bed at night listening to the radio and trying to go to sleep when a pop song with … Continue reading
Grasping at Ideas
Books exist that relate the basics of writing stories: how to create plots that follow specific beats and pacing, how to develop characters and throw continual problems at them, how to use settings to enhance your story. But, all this … Continue reading
Writing and Age
As writers get older and improve at their skill, they sometimes bemoan the lost years of youth—time when they had more energy and yet were not writing. There are excuses that we give ourselves. Getting an education, working to pay … Continue reading
Posted in Creativity, Generational differences, Literature, Novels, Poetry
Tagged age, Frank McCourt, productivity, research on writers, SE Hinton
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Surviving Creativity
When I was much younger I studied Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Despite his theory that fulfillment of physical and psychological needs leads to self-actualization and creativity, I found many creative people driven by something else–something that often causes them … Continue reading
Posted in Creativity, Ideas for writing, Literature
Tagged art, music, theories of creativity, wiriting
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How Monumental Should Fantasy Heroes Be?
Fantasy provides a kind of escapism for young adults (and even some older adults). Characters come from a less technological era, in which a teenager could be considered an adult capable of making all their own decisions. The popular fantasy … Continue reading
Posted in allusions, Characters, Literary devices, mythology, Novels, Trends in books
Tagged Fantasy, mythology, superheros
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Everyday Fantasies
Years ago when I coached teams of graded school-aged children for Odyssey of the Mind, I learned about imagination in the psyche of the preadolescent child. Some children wanted to be conformists and preferred not to suggest ideas that were … Continue reading
Posted in Literature, Novels, Trends in books
Tagged conformity, Fantasy, Tropes, Young adult
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Messrs & Co
Vernacular language can both draw in readers and become a pitfall. When we understand the vernacular, we feel a closeness to the author, having come from the same world and using those same words. Acronyms and abbreviations are no different. … Continue reading
Posted in exclusion, Group psychology, Literature, Nonfiction, Social media
Tagged Abbreviations, Acronyms, vernacular, writing abbreviations
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Writing Like You Speak
When reading an author’s discussion thread, I noted that more than one person assumed the trick to creating a unique writer’s voice was “writing like you talk.” There is some truth to this if you are a good verbal storyteller. … Continue reading
Posted in Ideas for writing, Style and voice, Teaching writing skills, Trends in books
Tagged colloquial, newscaster, venacular
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