Writing Emotions VISUALLY "What is ...VISUAL writing?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -- Visual writing is when the reader can SEE your story unfolding in their imaginations just like a movie. * Non-visual: It was a dreary day. * Visual: Icy rain slithered down the window glass from an iron gray sky. This is more commonly known as SHOWING vs. TELLING. * Telling: It was a dreary day. * Showing: Icy rain slithered down the window glass from an iron gray sky. "What's wrong with just...Telling them?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -- The problem lays with Reader interpre

Plot Devices-Deus Ex Machina? by OokamiKasumi, literature

Literature

Plot Devices-Deus Ex Machina?

Plot Devices: Deus Ex Machina or Chekhov's Gun? ----Original Message---- "What are your thoughts on Good Deus Ex Machinas? I find them hard to pull off realistically in a plot." -- Puzzled Writer ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Deus Ex Machina is when the Hero doesn't find the solution to the story's problem. The solution is handed to them, or taken care of, by someone or something far more powerful. From TV Tropes: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DeusExMachina ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Deus Ex Machina is an outside force that solves a seemingly unsolvable problem in an extremely unlikely (and, usually, anticlimactic) way. If the secret document

Plotting-Murphy's Law Method by OokamiKasumi, literature

Literature

Plotting-Murphy's Law Method

Plotting Tricks: The Murphy's Law Method "What Can go Wrong SHOULD go Wrong." If you want an easy way to plot out a story that your readers can't guess the end to by the fourth chapter, then THIS is the method for you! Basically, you begin with a character and something they desire. They go after their desire which immediately sparks complications which become a Problem that your character has to solve. Once the character applies their chosen Solution to their Problem, Murphy's Law kicks in. The Solution triggers yet another problem. This pattern continues--Problem > Solution > Problem--so on and so forth until All the problems are solv

Structure of the GOTHIC Tale by OokamiKasumi, literature

Literature

Structure of the GOTHIC Tale

What is the difference between a Gothic tale and a Horror story? Intent. Seriously. Both Horror stories and Gothic tales delve into the realm of emotional trauma such as revenge, abuse, and hate--including, if not especially, sexual trauma. However, the darkness in a Gothic tale is not expressed or defined by graphically detailed, and gruesome, violence as it is in a Horror. Though violence is often featured in the Gothic, it is NOT the main focus of the story. The drama of Despair is the vehicle of the Gothic where a Horror story is driven by the action of Violence. In a nutshell... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Horror = Action story Gothic = Drama Sto

The Wasteland AKA the MIDDLE by OokamiKasumi, literature

Literature

The Wasteland AKA the MIDDLE

The Trackless Wasteland known as: The MIDDLE -----Original Message----- The middle (of a story) KILLS me. I freeze when I have to decide which way things are going to go, and how, and that happens during the middle for me. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -----Original Message----- Middle, middle, middle... It's the Slough of Despond! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -----Original Message----- The Middle is where I usually fizzle out. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The middle is DANGEROUS territory. Why? Because the Middle of a story is where you have a million-and-one options, a million-and-one directions to choose from, and a million-and-one ways to really sho

Fishing for INSPIRATION? by OokamiKasumi, literature

Literature

Fishing for INSPIRATION?

Fishing for INSPIRATION? ~~~~~~~~~~~ Your imagination is a pond that you fish your ideas from. Like any fishing pond, what you catch depends on what you've stocked your pond with and how much you put in there. If you fish for only the occasional idea, your little ideas have time to breed creatively until they overflow the pond, leaping right out into your hand -- and onto your keyboard. If you fish a lot, you will have to restock -- Frequently. A Dry Pond = Writer's Block What's in YOUR Imagination? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What do you KNOW? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What do you love to Do, to Study, to Think About, to Talk About...? Make a lis

Story Writing for BEGINNERS by OokamiKasumi, literature

Literature

Story Writing for BEGINNERS

-----Original Message----- I want to write a story. I have a couple of ideas, but no idea what to do with them, or even how to begin! Help?! -- Newbie Writer So when you wanna write a story, where do you begin? With your PASSION! Write what you KNOW & LOVE What do you KNOW, really? What do you love to Do, to Study, to Think About, to Talk About...? Whether it's cave-diving, model trains, skate-boarding, sewing, horses, mythology, ghost legends, or particle physics your passion is where you will find your most unique and powerful work. Make a list of all the things you know well and all the things you've done -- seriously! Mythology

High Speed STORIES by OokamiKasumi, literature

Literature

High Speed STORIES

High-Speed STORIES When you absolutely, positively, HAVE to get the story done. The trick to speed-writing is to Plan the story out first, more commonly known as PLOTTING. "Diabolic" was written in 30 days -- all 15 chapters at 2500 to 3000 words per chapter, adding up to around 80k (thousand) words. A novel is 90k to 100k. I was able to do this because I already knew my main characters really well, (Vincent and Sephiroth of Final Fantasy VII,) and I knew where my story ENDED. Basically, once I knew where I wanted to go, all I had to do was figure out how to get there. Note: If you're interested, DIABOLIC can be found at Media Miner. The

Your Character TOO Special? by OokamiKasumi, literature

Literature

Your Character TOO Special?

Is your Special Character TOO SPECIAL? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Are you indulging in a few too many "special traits"? Is your story really an excuse to show off your Super Special Character? Are you committing a MARY-SUE/GARY STUE? --> Dead give-away: Your favorite character is YOU only BETTER! Who is Mary Sue/Gary Stue? According to SubReality.com: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Mary Sue / Gary Stue is any original or deeply altered character who represents a slice of their creator's own ego; they are treasured by their creator but only rarely by anyone else. A Mary Sue/Gary Stue is a primadonna (usually, but not always badly-written,) who saps life

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