2012-06-30

Is there a light after the darkness? Go read
Summary: "There was a reason behind Edward's rebellious period – a reason that still holds true and brought him to Italy. His existence has been predicated on revenge for decades, to the point that forgiveness seems impossible. When Edward meets Bella, only a winter separates him from his last human prey and his own destruction." AU-Vampires.



Reviewers get a little gift (different for each chapter)



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This chapter's suggestion is represented by 
Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy


At this link you can read the Divine Comedy in English translation (the Italian original version is provided as well): http://www.divinecomedy.org/.

We mounted up, the first and I the second,
Till I beheld through a round aperture
Some of the beauteous things that Heaven doth bear;

Thence we came forth to rebehold the stars. 

 
(Dante Alighieri)


Next week I'm going to update A Good Liar. Would you give it a chance? Thank you!

2012-06-28

Once again Lissa Brian gives us some great ideas to discuss. Another amazing writing lesson! Thank you, Lissa!
 
The Part No One Likes: Dealing with Criticism: You've done it. You've finished your story/article/book, the product of hours of hard work, a labor of love into which you've poured your he...

2012-06-23

Are you up for a trip to Seattle? The 4th chapter of A Good Liar will take you there.
Summary: "The first time the Grim Reaper visited Edward, it was in the form of the Spanish influenza. The second time, Death had the lovely face of Bella Swan."



The story is due to be updated every two weeks.

Reviewers get a little gift.


2012-06-21

Lissa Bryan: The Best Advice: "Keep Writing!": SpunkyBookworm left a lovely comment on my last article: "Thank you for your words. You are inspiring me to keep at my writing." Reading ...

2012-06-17

How much do you know about the Cullen Crest? Many answers are finally arriving in this chapter. Go read
Summary: "There was a reason behind Edward's rebellious period – a reason that still holds true and brought him to Italy. His existence has been predicated on revenge for decades, to the point that forgiveness seems impossible. When Edward meets Bella, only a winter separates him from his last human prey and his own destruction." AU-Vampires.



Reviewers get a little gift (different for each chapter)

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This chapter's suggestion is represented by Francesco Petrarca's poems


At this link you can read Petrarch's poems in English translation (the Italian original version is provided as well): http://petrarch.petersadlon.com/canzoniere.html.

She let her gold hair scatter in the breeze
that twined it in a thousand sweet knots,
and wavering light, beyond measure, would burn
in those beautiful eyes...

(Francesco Petrarca)


Announcements! 
  • Next week I'm going to update A Good Liar. Would you give it a chance? Thank you!

2012-06-15

Are you reading Win Some, Lose Some, Savage7289's newest fic?
Summary: "Disorder has always been an issue for me - I just can't stand the unexpected. Everything in my life has been turned upside down, and I have no one to turn to. Do I? Quick Fic. EPOV. M."
Here's a banner -- I guess it makes sense only if you're reading the story, because appearances can be deceiving.



Enjoy the fic!

2012-06-13

Note: I couldn't find the original link of this article, but it's been reposted on many blogs. I found it very inspiring. 

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    by Chuck Palahniuk

    In six seconds, you’ll hate me.
    But in six months, you’ll be a better writer.

    From this point forward—at least for the next half year—you may not use “thought” verbs. These include: Thinks, Knows, Understands, Realizes, Believes, Wants, Remembers, Imagines, Desires, and a hundred others you love to use.

    The list should also include: Loves and Hates.
    And it should include: Is and Has, but we’ll get to those later.

    Until some time around Christmas, you can’t write: Kenny wondered if Monica didn’t like him going out at night…”

    Instead, you’ll have to Un-pack that to something like: “The mornings after Kenny had stayed out, beyond the last bus, until he’d had to bum a ride or pay for a cab and got home to find Monica faking sleep, faking because she never slept that quiet, those mornings, she’d only put her own cup of coffee in the microwave. Never his.

    Instead of characters knowing anything, you must now present the details that allow the reader to know them. Instead of a character wanting something, you must now describe the thing so that the reader wants it.

    Instead of saying: “Adam knew Gwen liked him.” You’ll have to say: “Between classes, Gwen had always leaned on his locker when he’d go to open it. She’s roll her eyes and shove off with one foot, leaving a black-heel mark on the painted metal, but she also left the smell of her perfume. The combination lock would still be warm from her butt. And the next break, Gwen would be leaned there, again.

    In short, no more short-cuts. Only specific sensory detail: action, smell, taste, sound, and feeling.

    Typically, writers use these “thought” verbs at the beginning of a paragraph (In this form, you can call them “Thesis Statements” and I’ll rail against those, later). In a way, they state the intention of the paragraph. And what follows, illustrates them.

    For example:
    “Brenda knew she’d never make the deadline. Traffic was backed up from the bridge, past the first eight or nine exits. Her cell phone battery was dead. At home, the dogs would need to go out, or there would be a mess to clean up. Plus, she’d promised to water the plants for her neighbor…”

    Do you see how the opening “thesis statement” steals the thunder of what follows? Don’t do it.

    If nothing else, cut the opening sentence and place it after all the others. Better yet, transplant it and change it to: Brenda would never make the deadline.

    Thinking is abstract. Knowing and believing are intangible. Your story will always be stronger if you just show the physical actions and details of your characters and allow your reader to do the thinking and knowing. And loving and hating.

    Don’t tell your reader: “Lisa hated Tom.”

    Instead, make your case like a lawyer in court, detail by detail.

    Present each piece of evidence. For example:
    “During roll call, in the breath after the teacher said Tom’s name, in that moment before he could answer, right then, Lisa would whisper-shout ‘Butt Wipe,’ just as Tom was saying, ‘Here’.

    One of the most-common mistakes that beginning writers make is leaving their characters alone. Writing, you may be alone. Reading, your audience may be alone. But your character should spend very, very little time alone. Because a solitary character starts thinking or worrying or wondering.

    For example: Waiting for the bus, Mark started to worry about how long the trip would take…”

    A better break-down might be: “The schedule said the bus would come by at noon, but Mark’s watch said it was already 11:57. You could see all the way down the road, as far as the Mall, and not see a bus. No doubt, the driver was parked at the turn-around, the far end of the line, taking a nap. The driver was kicked back, asleep, and Mark was going to be late. Or worse, the driver was drinking, and he’d pull up drunk and charge Mark seventy-five cents for death in a fiery traffic accident…

    A character alone must lapse into fantasy or memory, but even then you can’t use “thought” verbs or any of their abstract relatives.

    Oh, and you can just forget about using the verbs forget and remember.

    No more transitions such as: “Wanda remembered how Nelson used to brush her hair.”

    Instead: “Back in their sophomore year, Nelson used to brush her hair with smooth, long strokes of his hand.

    Again, Un-pack. Don’t take short-cuts.

    Better yet, get your character with another character, fast. Get them together and get the action started. Let their actions and words show their thoughts. You—stay out of their heads.

    And while you’re avoiding “thought” verbs, be very wary about using the bland verbs “is” and “have.”

    For example:
    “Ann’s eyes are blue.”

    “Ann has blue eyes.”

    Versus:

    “Ann coughed and waved one hand past her face, clearing the cigarette smoke from her eyes, blue eyes, before she smiled…

    Instead of bland “is” and “has” statements, try burying your details of what a character has or is, in actions or gestures. At its most basic, this is showing your story instead of telling it.

    And forever after, once you’ve learned to Un-pack your characters, you’ll hate the lazy writer who settles for: “Jim sat beside the telephone, wondering why Amanda didn’t call.”

    Please. For now, hate me all you want, but don’t use thought verbs. After Christmas, go crazy, but I’d bet money you won’t.

    (…)

    For this month’s homework, pick through your writing and circle every “thought” verb. Then, find some way to eliminate it. Kill it by Un-packing it.

    Then, pick through some published fiction and do the same thing. Be ruthless.

    “Marty imagined fish, jumping in the moonlight…”

    “Nancy recalled the way the wine tasted…”

    “Larry knew he was a dead man…”

    Find them. After that, find a way to re-write them. Make them stronger.
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Your comments?
Do you think this method can be effective?
Have you ever tried it?

2012-06-11

Who was waiting for Bella on the road? The answer is in the 3rd chapter of "A Good Liar."
Summary: "The first time the Grim Reaper visited Edward, it was in the form of the Spanish influenza. The second time, Death had the lovely face of Bella Swan."



The story is due to be updated every two weeks


2012-06-06

The lovely Camilla recommended me this article. I found it very useful, and I hope it will help you, too. 

Mike Wells, author of several paranormal thrillers, will guide you to summarize your book in an effective way.



After that, you can take the


And if you're looking for something to read, you can download a free copy of Wild Child.

Summary: Briana Fox is the wildest girl in school.  She and Kyle have been close for a long time...almost lovers.  But Kyle is afraid that if he pushes her, he'll have his heart broken and lose his best friend.  When Briana challenges him to a swim across the lake, she's injured in a horrific accident, but discovers a mysterious substance in an underwater cave that saves her life.  What seems to be a magical yet harmless "power drug" invokes superhuman abilities, and Briana soon becomes dependent on it for her very survival.  When two government agents learn of the discovery,  they will stop at nothing to find the source and turn Briana into a human experiment.  Is Kyle willing to risk everything to protect his love?

2012-06-02

Edward has finally met his target. What will happen now? Why is he planning to go to Volterra?
Summary: "There was a reason behind Edward's rebellious period – a reason that still holds true and brought him to Italy. His existence has been predicated on revenge for decades, to the point that forgiveness seems impossible. When Edward meets Bella, only a winter separates him from his last human prey and his own destruction." AU-Vampires.


Reviewers get a little gift (different for each chapter)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This chapter's suggestion is represented by Gandhi's works

"An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind."
At this link you can read The Story of My Experiments with Truth for free: http://wikilivres.info/wiki/An_Autobiography_or_The_Story_of_my_Experiments_with_Truth.


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  • Next week I'm going to update A Good Liar. Would you give it a chance? Thank you!

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