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How to Write Words Worth a Thousand PicturesGlenn White Our Image-Driven Society We live in a new image-driven society. It can be hard on writers unless they learn to connect with today’s readers. Writing that connects is easy when you keep a few basic writing principles in mind. Let’s face it, as a writer, you are competing with the greatest influence in our image-driven society, the film and television industry. So, let’s take three well-known words in film making as cues for effective writing. Ready Lights! Camera! Action! Lights! Catch the readers attention. You catch your readers attention when you know who they are and what holds their interest. Yes, write what you know but also write for who you know. For example, avoid using abstract words and concepts when writing for children. Kids wont understand and you wont grab their attention. The effective writer writes about what interests the reader using words the reader relates to and understands. When you write fiction or even creative non-fiction; develop catchy titles, contemporary themes, strong heroes, good plots, intense conflict, and create interesting characters. When you do, lights go on for your reader. Camera! Describe, describe, describe! Use specific, concrete, and concise words. Write to describe but avoid using too many adjectives. Mark Twain said: "When you catch an adjective, kill it." Strong words from Mr. Twain but when you cut out adjectives and use descriptive nouns, your writing comes to life. Instead of writing "big, beautiful house," try writing "mansion," "villa," "castle," "palace," or "chateau." Use a thesaurus and find image-driven nouns to replace superfluous adjectives. Sorry, I couldnt find a noun to replace "superfluous adjectives." But you get the idea. The contemporary writing advice, "show dont tell," echoes in the ears of most writers. And for good reasons. The writer must "show" readers rather than "tell" to grab their image-driven attention. For example, use vivid detail instead of vague generalizations when describing emotions. Write, "sweat dripped from his forehead," not "he was nervous." Let the images come alive in your story. Action! Use action verbs, avoid "to be" verbs. Put your reader in the middle of the action in your story. Describe the action with the senses of sight, sound, smell, taste, and feel by using action verbs. Use moving images and carry your reader along, dont let your story become a study in still-life. Dont sprinkle your story on your readers; dunk ‘em in over their heads! Go ahead, get em soaking wet with the action in your story. They will love you for it. Lights! Camera! Action! will connect your story with your readers. Go ahead, give ‘em pictures they’ll never forget! Copyright 2002 © Glenn White
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Absurdity of Absurd: Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot What does ‘Absurd’ mean When I searched the glossaries ,I found the word to be ‘out of harmony’1.But yet the definitions trying hard to explain the term , just to end in total ‘Absurdity’ assuming for a while that we know the meaning of the word,as they talk in total sense, the nonsense about it and of course that means they failin their attempt .But considering the term to be linked with literature and other forms of art too!,when I searched for more I came across the lines that states that no ‘literary criticism’ [in which I include the attempts to explain the literary terms] can take the literary work itself ,or to be more specific ‘…it [literary criticism]is not substitute for reading the work itself’2,as it [the piece of work]is the most exactly and precisely ,the thought conveyed or explained.So,I reached the idea that to understand ‘absurd’ .I must view an absurd work by an artist, rather than poring over the talks about it. Hence as a literary student what first came to my mind at this instant is none, but WAITING FOR GODOT by Samuel Beckett,the so called absurd play structured around ‘Godot’,the axis all absurdity[as till the date none could declare with confidence ‘who’ or ‘what’ Godot is !] Writing For Sex Markets Many professional freelancers will go their entire career without ever once writing a story about sex. Oh, they may craft a racy scene or two in the course of writing the next Great American Novel, or they might someday write an article about the latest in sexual research, but thats about as far as many writers will ever take the concept. Everything I Needed to Know About Article Writing I Learned from My English Teacher By now you probably understand how important writing for trade publications is to establishing credibility in the home business world. Killer Press Kits - Press Kits That Demand Attention So,m youve had your book published or youve gone the self-published route, but what do you do now Is The Theme Running Throughout The Story Creative Writing Tips – Top 10 Ways to Know your Book Concept will Sell--Before you Invest Time and Money Make your book stand out from the crowd! Test your books significance, find your market before you write, and treat your book as part of your business. The Unwritten World Of The "Reality" Of Letterwriting The unwritten “reality” of letter writing Who Wants to Be An Internet Guru I Do Do YOU The Internet Gurus.What do they doHow do they get so richWhat do they have in common Characters In A Romance Novel Before you even begin writing your novel, you need to know who your characters will be. Minimally, you would want two major characters, the hero and the heroine. They will interact mostly with each other throughout the novel. How they interact with each other will determine the outcome of the story. Will they resist each other in the beginning of the story and by the end, fall in love Or will they fall in love in the beginning of the story and then be driven apart by conflict Once you’ve chosen them, then you need to decide what age they are, their personality traits, and their names. The Myths Of Writing: Have You Bought Into These There is an image most people carry of the artist think Van Goughs self-portrait, the one with his ear bandaged, working in solitude in a barren garret in a dark corner of the city. Everyday is a struggle. He continually walks between moments of brilliance and moments of insanity. Its a romantic image, I suppose. Built around the belief that an artist must suffer for his art. The Cost Of A Web Site Just starting out, you can start with a simple informational site, which is all most need initially, and build up to a fuller site e-commerce and/or interactive when you can afford it. Six Tips for Submitting Fiction You can learn a lot about what it takes to place a story in an ezine by starting up one of your own. Beginners Blues: How to Collect Samples, Testimonials, and References as a Freelancer Beginners Blues: How to Collect Samples, Testimonials, and References as a Freelancer by Brian S. Konradt of BSK Communications and Associates |
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