Alternative words Source: pinterest

Alternative words Source: pinterest

How to Overcome Writer’s Block You hold a pen in your hand or sit in front a computer screen and stare at the blank page and nothing significant comes to your mind to write. Been there? If yes, then y

I used to be skeptical of writer's block. I didn't believe that there was such a thing. Now I suspect that it was because I was following some good habits.

Source for word: Merriam Webster

Thanks to the wonderfully demented friends who send me this stuff! THE IDEAL WRITER’S DESK!

This made me laugh. The only shot missing is the photo with dog. I happen to come across many of those in books.

In this guide you can find everything you need to know about medieval fantasy castles and their defensive fortifications.

Worldbuilding Workbook with 100 Unique Pages - DOWNLOAD AND FILL, no special software needed

Today on the blog we've decided to have a little fun. We created a quiz that will determine which classic writer you are most like.

My parents took me to see Singin’ in the Rain on Saturday. They were showing it downtown on the big screen and it was awesome. But, as I watched for probably the hundredth time, I suddenly saw it from a different perspective- oddly enough, I saw it through Lina Lamont’s eyes. We tend to simply see her as the villain, as the one who causes trouble for Don and Kathy. She’s fun to laugh and poke fun at and she’s simply there to cause trouble. She’s very one sided, very much a villain from the 50’s. But, as I watched, the writer in me started to mold her into a different kind of villain. I started trying to see into her, in to how she ticked and work, and tried to find the motives behind what she did. And, I realized, if that movie were made in a different time, Lina Lamont could have been a much more interesting villain. But, she’s not. She’s just a cardboard cutout posing as a villain to move the story along (don’t get me wrong, I still love that movie, I’m just not impressed as a writer with the way the villain’s portrayed…) One of my favorite quotes ever about villains is by Tom Hiddeston- “Every villain thinks he’s a hero in his own mind.” See, we tend to forget villains are human. That they are people with thoughts and feelings and desires. They want things just as badly as the hero does and will work just as hard to get them. They have things they care about and love and there are things that make them laugh and cry just like us. But, we’re scared to admit that because if we do, then suddenly, it’s a lot harder to hate them. And, we need to hate the villain. Because that’s good, right? Personally, I don’t think so. Creating people our readers hate is easy. It’s almost the lazy way out. And, it’s not how we’re really supposed to live. We shouldn’t divide people into categories of good and bad and then root for the good one and hope the bad die. But that’s what literature teaches us. We’re taught from a young age to learn who to love in stories and who to hate. Who is good and who is bad. And then that’s what translates into our lives. We divide people into groups of good and bad and when someone gets up into the bad category, that’s that. There’s no turning back. Yet, God teaches us that there is hope for the worst of sinners. That anyone who desires to can change. That we don’t have to remain in our filth forever. So why aren’t we portraying that in our stories? Why do we insist on cardboard villains who are nothing more than a vehicle to move the story along? Why does their development begin and end with “villain”? I think it’s because we’re afraid of making our villains too real. We’re afraid that if we make them human it will hit too close to home and we’ll start seeing ourselves in them. We’re afraid of finding out just how fine the line between hero and villain really is. A truly great villain is one who people are conflicted about. He should be someone your readers want to root for. They want him to succeed. Obviously not in the ways he wants succeed but in other ways. They should want your villain to change to be better. And, at the same time, he should scare them because they should see themselves in his thoughts and actions. He should mirror the reader’s fears about the person they’re scared of becoming. Your villain should always represent a negative ideal. They should always be evil and cruel and violent. But, they should also be human. There should be a reason why they’re the way they are, a believable reason we can relate to. It can be something twisted and insane, but it needs to be a path the human mind can follow. “Because they’re evil” is no longer an acceptable motive for a villain’s actions. Readers deserve more than that. So, I’d like to challenge you to take a long, hard look at your villain and see where he fits. Is he a cardboard cutout or a human being? Does he have things that make him smile or afraid? Does he feel love and pain and loss and joy? Or are his emotions simply a mirror of the evil he represents? Is your villain going to be a person or a vehicle? If you’re going to work so hard to create a hero and supporting cast of characters who are both human and complex, why short change yourself when it comes to the villain? You owe it to yourself and your readers to create something more than that. How about you? Who are your favorite villains and why do you think they’re such great characters? Also, my email is still open if you haven’t sent in a question this week for Candor Fridays yet (http://ivorypalace.blogspot.com/2014/07/candor-fridays-come-ask-questions-to.html) Looking forward to hearing from all of you!

I’m a knitter. I really like the knitting part of knitting. But I’m much less enamoured of the finishing off stage. I currently have two cardigans needing their buttons sewn on. Mmmmm …I’ll d…

Free and Funny Confession Ecard: You know you're a writer when... the characters in your books are far more interesting than people you know. Create and send your own custom Confession ecard.

This week, Writer's Post has asked us to write a page from our brag book or something we'd like to share. My share session reminds me of the senior citizens who love to boast and brag over whose back aches the most or who has more problems. My post is something like that. I've been a lousy blog hopper, I know, but life is hard with the day job. Did you know I leave for work every morning around 7:00 and don't get home until after 6:00? Plus, I take the work home with me so that if home commitments don't get in the way, I'll spend another hour doing more just to keep afloat. If I don't fall into bed by ten, I can barely function the next day, which isn't fair to kids who need a smiling face at school. Thank G-d for the week-ends where I can finally drop on a blog or two and maybe leave a post... but, not this one. "Silly Sunday" Erica is home from college, and I'd rather visit with her than you. No offense, but blog hopping takes time that I don't have. I'm doing well to post on mine. Why is teaching so time consuming? To start, not only do I plan lessons, but I'm also a special education teacher who must write IEPs and conduct meetings with everyone on my case load. At 91, my student population is small compared to other years. During my planning time, often occupied with parent meetings, I'm trying to find the time to give achievement tests to two little guys. However, I can't slack off because I'm due for a "pop in" evaluation any day now. I've been keeping on my toes for the pop in since January, and the stress is killing me. I'm thoroughly sick of the public criticizing us for not doing miracles with the young generation. These kids are working harder than I ever did at their age, and the curriculum is tough. Did you solve algebraic equations in third grade? Did you diagram complex sentences in fifth? In all fairness, my students are intellectually gifted, but still! I'm expected to show growth on their achievement tests even though most of them are starting out in the nineties. I pray no one sneezes during the test! November 1, 2016. That's the day I'm eligible to retire, if we can afford it after paying college tuition for three kids. I think I'll take my slim retirement pay and supplement it by greeting Walmart shoppers. At least that way, I could leave the job at home and go back to having a life. Meanwhile, I've eaten some of the stress and tacked on a few pounds and am fighting hot flashes, waking at night, and all the other messes associated with my awful age. See. Ha! I'm more miserable than you! Thanks to all who visit my blog regularly, and I'm sorry I don't always return the favor. I wanted you to know why. I promise to post something lighter for Silly Sunday.

We've spoken about writing a sex scene, and male sexual archetypes. In this post, we talk about writing sex scenes using 6 female archetypes.

Eureka is now on Amazon Prime so it's a good time to catch up if you haven't watched it before. There's 5 seasons which is a good blend of en ...