New Years Pintresolution

Don't you just love Pinterest?  I am constantly scouring boards for pins in the name of 'inspiration', when really, I'm just procrastinating because I'm afraid to write the second page of my book.  I recently found this pin on my quest.


Isn't that inspirational?  Don't be afraid to write just because it isn't your best work.  Not every page has to be a masterpiece.  Relax!  And write!

And a shameless plug for my own board, Be awesome!  Be a book nut! from Dr. Seuss's quote which you can find here.

New Years Resolution: NaNoWriMo.  Thoughts?

May your pens stay sharp!
*Evyn
P.S. What do you think of the blog's new look?  I'm trying to stay up-to-date and keep it looking sharp.

Dare

When a new day begins, dare to smile gratefully.

When there is darkness, dare to be the first to shine a light.

When there is injustice, dare to be the first to condemn it.

When something seems difficult, dare to do it anyway.

When life seems to beat you down, dare to fight back.

When there seems to be no hope, dare to find some.

When you’re feeling tired, dare to keep going.

When times are tough, dare to be tougher.

When love hurts you, dare to love again.

When someone is hurting, dare to help them heal.

When another is lost, dare to help them find the way.

When a friend falls, dare to be the first to extend a hand.

When you cross paths with another, dare to make them smile.

When you feel great, dare to help someone else feel great too.

When the day has ended, dare to feel as you’ve done your best.

Dare to be the best you can –

At all times, Dare to be!”

~Steve Maraboli

The Ending

When you've finished the beginning and middle of your story, you face yet another choice.  You have three options to choose from: Happily, Tragically, or Not At All.  Let me explain.
Happily:
The guy gets the girl.  They get married, the dead person isn't really dead, the bad guy gets what he deserves, and everyone is happy.

Tragically:
The guy doesn't get the girl.  Actually, no one gets the girl because she dies.  The guy is so distraught that he kills himself.  The bad guy triumphs and you become the author of a classic.

Not At All:
You end the story right there.  There is no resolution to the conflict.  The story is seemingly put on pause as you type "The End".  Tip: these books are rarely published or bought.

I suggest one of the top two.  Of course, you can mix them.  The bad guy escapes but the guy and girl live happily ever after.  The bad guy is caught but the hero and girl never see each other again.  Whatever way you end it, remember to tie up any loose ends (even leaving the reader hanging can be tying up knots).  We don't want to close the book with the hero dangling over the precipice, unless there is a sequel (in which case that might be a very good idea).  Let me know which ending you use!
May your pens stay sharp!
*Evyn

The Editor

Okey dokey.  This is the hard part.  Now that I've walked you through exactly how to write a story (right? right?), you're going to need some help - some outside help.  This help comes in the form of an editor.  Now, I'm not talking some person in a tall office building who does this for a living.  I'm talking about your mom, dad, sibling, or good friend.  There are a few requirements for your editor.  See below:

1. He or she must have good grammar.
If he says 'they was' or 'used to could', he is not a candidate.

2. She must be someone who will use constructive criticism, and not just be mean.
Comments like 'what were you thinking!' and 'you need a lot of work' aren't helpful.  Make sure your editor will be specific in what you need to fix and how to do it.

3. He or she must be relatively available.
If you live in New York, someone in Oregon really isn't going to work.  Sorry.  ;)

Those are pretty much the guidelines for your editor.  Don't ever be pressured into giving your story to someone you don't trust.  A writer's story is a part of him or her and should never be taken by force.  Don't be bullied into sharing.  Once you find a person who fits the requirements, ask him if he'd be willing to edit it for you.  Most people would be thrilled.  Good luck!
May your pens stay sharp!
*Evyn

The Villain

Just like every story demands a great hero, every story requires a great villain.
Writing your villain will be fun.  They are twisted, cruel people who make your hero's life miserable.  Of course, sometimes the villain is the weather, a situation in life, or the public as a whole.  However, for the sake of this post, let's assume your villain is a person whose goal in life is to thwart your hero's success. 
After reading the Alex Rider series, I realized why I didn't really enjoy the books.  Not only was the hero not much of a hero, the villain wasn't scary.  Each book brought a villain who was bigger and more evil than the last.  It wasn't terrifying because I knew what to expect.  This made me wonder what makes a villain truly convincing and scary?

On a whim one day, I asked my parents who they thought the most evil villain was that they'd ever seen in a movie.  My mom said the dude in "Terminator 2".  My dad said the guy in "Silence of the Lambs" or the Joker from "Batman: The Dark Night".  This frustrated me exeedingly because I haven't seen any of those movies.  For a good substitute, I chose the mummy from (no duh) "The Mummy".  I remember watching it when I was about eleven, clinging to my mom, and almost screaming.  Finally I made them turn it off.  Why did the mummy terrify me so greatly? I dissected the character of the mummy and discovered what it was that scared me so badly.  Here is my great revelation:
The mummy, though not exceedingly scary to look at, is a terrifing villain because it messes with your mind rather than with your body.  Granted, he does mutilate and dismember a few unfortunate souls, but for the most part his cruelty is directed toward the human mind rather than flesh. 
My overall point is that in order for a writer to create a truly terrifying villain he/she must delve into the villain's viewpoint and personality, extracting what may be good and throwing it away, and then magnifying the bad.  It isn't enough to make his teeth dripping with blood and his body scarred. Although quite convincing in a movie, writers have to do more work because the readers cannot see said villain like a movie audience can.  As a person reads, they do not always picture the villain as you've described him and so a little more effort must be put into his personality, and therefore will come out through his dialogue.  Try it.  Who knows what great villain will pop out of nowhere?  You might suprise yourself!
May your pens stay sharp!
*Evyn

Channeling the Flow

If you are the kind of person who seems to have chronic writer's block, this is not your post.  Oh, feel free to keep reading, but just know that this is for people who can't stop writing.  If you are like me, the flow of words, sentences, and paragraphs (even without the story) is so strong, you are constantly overpowered by tittle-tattle.  The characters yell at you, desperate to escape the confines of your mind, ready to leap into the world and share their adventures.  However, the problem is with you.  School, chores, sports, and family get in your way and you just can't seem to make any time to write.  There are a few simple solutions.  This list is a combination of how to get your ideas out quickly and how to finish them. 

1.  Keep a small notebook and pencil in your purse or pocket for quick story skeletons you want to scribble out before going on your way.  These little ideas pelt you constantly so it's a good idea to write them down.

2.  My mom suggests getting up early to write, my philosophy however, is to stay up late.  Not a good idea, but it works. 

3.  Outline your story in one or two sessions with your laptop or notebook and when you come back to it, start adding details.  Don't begin with the words "Once upon a time".  Contrary to what people say, the beginning is not a good place to start.

4.  After you've finished writing and using my other posts as your guide, print out your story and find a good red pen.  I don't mean a pink pen, I mean RED.  Some people find red scribbles on their paper offensive - a writer knows the power of those scribbles.  The scribbles being, of course, your editing.  It's fun to edit your own stories during a car ride or while you eat dinner.  Be harsh, be critical, be constructive. 

5.  After you've edited your story and made the changes so that your story is nearly perfect, find someone who has more writing experience than you and have them edit it.  Tell them to be harsh, critical, and constructive.  After they've edited it and you've made changes, you face a choice.  See step 6.

6.  Now that your story is finished, you have several options.  You can leave it on your shelf and forget about it until sixty years later.  You can pay a lot of money and have it professionally edited and then published.  Or, last, you can self-publish.  Popular websites for self-publishing are as follows:
www.xulonpress.com
www.amazon.com
www.createspace.com
www.outskirtspress.com

Self-publishing is becoming more and more popular because it is less expensive and just as easy to promote.  Check out self-publishing and let me know how it works out!  Tell me what you think in the comments!
May your pens stay sharp!
*Evyn

To be, or not to be...

Name that quote!  Shakespeare, right?  Right.
Well, this post's goal is to have you write a bestselling phrase that readers will think of long after they've closed the back cover.  I've put it in steps for you.  Enjoy:

1. Take inventory of your purpose.  Are you calling a reader to action?  Are you trying to tug at their heartstrings as the woman lays dying?  Or are you cracking a funny joke that you want readers to reuse?  Consider the impact your quote will have on your audience, and build around that.

2. Take a look at the possible people who could be speaking.  Let's say your example contains a woman and a man.  Which would have a greater impact on your audience if they were to use the line?  Context matters a great deal for Step 2 so you'll have to think of that on your own.

3. Use strong words that are easily remembered.  For instance, in Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (the movie), Sam says, "There is some good left in this world and it's worth fighting for."
Those are strong words, right?  But they're simple enough to remember.

4. Sign your name with the quote and when you become famous people will start remembering it even more.  Really. 

Have fun creating your own one-liners and then using them around your friends.
May your pens stay sharp!
*Evyn

Haikus

Haikus are a Japanese form of poetry.  They require five syllables in the first sentence, seven syllables in the second sentence, and five syllables in the third/final sentence.  They are usually about nature but I like writing them about lots of things.  The 5, 7, 5 beat pattern makes it fun to play with.  Here is an example:
The wind blows softly,
It whispers to me and says,
Follow me away.

Read it aloud.  Can you hear the beat?  Sometimes it helps to count the syllables on your fingers as you say it.  Read the following and see how I've noted the pattern:

  1       1       1       1   1      = 5
The wind blows softly

 1     1   1    1   1    1     1      = 7
It whispers to me and says,

   1   1   1    1    1   = 5
Follow me away.

You can write about nature, a person or activity you love, or something silly.  Share your haikus in the comments!  If you have questions, leave them below in the comments or email me at alabamawriters@gmail.com.  Haikus are hard to get the hang of so keep with it!  Feel free to ask me if you have any questions.
May your pens stay sharp!
*Evyn
My pen flows swiftly,
The pages of my story,
Adventure awaits.

Vocabulary

Well, this is extremely important.  First, a writer must have a good, strong vocabulary.  If you cannot think of more than three synonyms for 'run' (jog, sprint, trek, lope) then you need to work a little harder on expanding your word selection.  With a large vocab., 'hate' becomes 'abhor',  'jump' becomes 'leap',  and 'ask' becomes 'inquire'.  However, while substitution is fun, take care with the character speaking.  A six-year-old isn't going to say, "I detest that whiff of scent." 
Uh, what?  No!  He will say, "That smells bad."
Likewise, a grandfather isn't going to use the term 'legit' when describing an experience.  So make sure your word usage is in context, then have fun with it!
Go back over stories or chapters you've written and check for simple words that could be replaced with better ones.  Look at context and characters before changing and have fun!
May your pens stay sharp!
*Evyn
P.S. A good, simple way to expand your terminology is by checking out my Word of the Week!

Humor

Gee whiz, there is nothing (in my humble opinion) harder to write than humor.  In life, we are usually silly to make others laugh. 
Silliness, in a story, comes across as desperate. 
In writing, the author must be witty and clever.  A character's humor must come from sarcasm or a well-placed verbal blow.  A person falling down the stairs is nowhere near as funny in a story as it is in a movie, unless they crack a clever joke at the end.  As you write, don't forget to add some clever humor.  Leave the slapstick comedy to the actors.
May your pens stay sharp!
*Evyn