Writer's Tools--tools to be a better writer

Oh My...

photocopyme — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 18:57:48 GMT

....I am a terrible moderator. I should do some more advertising to try to bring more people into this community so that we can all get more motivated and feel better.

I'm not motivated at all, and that's the problem. I won't let myself be motivated. I'm supressing myself and I don't know why. I need motivation and I'd like to make this community something that actually is useful rather than a burden to your Friend's Page.

What A Year!

photocopyme — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 19:43:07 GMT

It's been a while since, I, your moderator, have posted on here, and I do apologize for that. My life has been quite hectic lately and it's been kind of hard to manage work, resting, and other aspects of my life.

Anyway, Since National Novel Writing Month is long over, I thought I would inform everyone else of all of the other Wrimos out there.

The first is National Novel Writing Year:
http://nanowriye06.suddenlaunch3.com/--this is the official forums for it

Set a goal for the year and spend the entire year working to achieve that goal!

Then there is Script Frenzy:
http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/

Attempt to write 100 pages of any script in the month of April!

JulNoWriMo:
http://julnowrimo.thewrigro.com/

Write 50k in the month of July!

NaNoPubYe:
http://www.nanopubye.org/

Spend the year working on getting that finished novel of yours published!

ShoStoWriMo:
shostowrimo

A WriMo that isn't a contest unless the writer/contestants want it to be, but it is still a WriMo challenge.

There are quite a few more, but I haven't found links for them yet. Feel free to post some that you know of, too!

bri_delight — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 03:49:33 GMT

Hi, okay so this has absolutely nothing to do with NaNoWriMo or anything. It's actually that I need some feedback on something I just wrote. It's a one time thing and I wanted to know what others thought about it. It;s dark and moody and sexual, for those of you who don't like that, it's a heads up. Its about a really messed up guy and one night he dragges a girl away and basically abuses her. It really is a lot better than it sounds... Anyway, it's called Dark Raptures.

Anyone interested? Here's the link: Dark Raptures

Hello, and a question...

funkyturtle — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 20:38:01 GMT

I just found this community off of the nanoforums. Hello!

If anyone is seeking nanofriends, my userpage is: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/66487

I love the community userpic. Is borrowing it allowed?

Wooo!

photocopyme — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 03:31:08 GMT

I'm almost to 50k! However, I am no where near finished with my story!

First line...

amaya_aneko — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 00:32:57 GMT

I'm getting really anxious to start writing on the 1st, but I know exactly whats going to happen. I'll get up at 5am that morning... and have NOTHING to write! I can't bear to even write the first line cos it'll feel like cheating. Has anyone got any advice that I can use when this inevitably happens?

I already have a detailed plot/ theme/ character outline, and a few bullet points for the first section.

Outline?

pbmaxca — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 21:01:21 GMT

Is there any advice you can give on outlining for NaNoWriMo? I've got a fairly basic storyline, but not sure what order to put stuff in.

Thanks!

Hey NaNoites!

photocopyme — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:26:30 GMT

Well hello to anyone and everyone who is participating in NaNoWriMo 2008! I'd like to formerly welcome you to Writer's Tools, the LiveJournal community for anyone who needs any kind of help with writing. Whether it be the mechanics of writing, or you're just looking for someone to give you ideas or help you edit something your wrote either for class or for fun, Writer's Tools is here to help you!

Anyone of any age or background is welcome here. I'd like everyone to feel comfortable posting here and asking for help. No question is stupid when it comes to you wanting to improve your writing. You can post anything from questions about comma placement to asking for someone to help you edit a paper, story, poem, whatever.

There really are no rules here, as there has been no reason to put any up here yet. Just common sense and common courtesy. If you do plan on posting any stories or poems you have written to this community, please place THE ENTIRE piece behind a cut. On that note, if anyone does post their work, please give them constructive criticism. Do not bash on them, keep your comments to them polite and point out what is wrong grammatically or mechanically and what you think they could improve on. Please refrain from calling them names. That'd be nice.

Anyway, anyone feel free to post anything and everything about writing. Maybe you have some tips? Share them! Maybe you know of some good books? Post about them! Have a book review or poetry review? Go ahead and post it, but keep it behind a cut!

Thanks to everyone here, and welcome to all the people who may be flooding in here from the NaNo boards or any other new people!

Your Mod,
Becca

30-Day Novelists Unite!

saellys — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 22:56:37 GMT

Anybody doing National Novel Writing Month this year? I didn't think I would, but yesterday an idea came to me, thanks in small part to a dream I had the other night, and now I think I'll have to turn it into a poorly-written science fiction novella. I've started NaNoWriMo for the last three times and have yet to make it past about 2500 words. I'm not sure why I think I can make it all the way this time around, but I always have fun attempting it.

There's a dust-jacket-worthy summary under the cut, if you're into that sort of thing.

Apogee

In 2012, extraterrestrial life forms made contact with Earth. They came in the form of the Gyre, glowing spherical beings that communicate telepathically with chosen humans known as the Merged. Through their human partners, the Gyre give humanity guidance and directions for improving their existence.

Three years later, in 2015, a crew of astronauts--including Kara Brooks and Thomas Daemon, two Merged--are sent by the Gyre on a mission to retrieve several deactivated satellites. All goes according to plan until Daemon is murdered. As suspicions threaten to destroy the crew, Brooks tries to expose Daemon's killer without losing her own life in the process. Little does she know that the motives of the Gyre and their plans for humanity will be the very secret that untangles this drama twenty-two thousand miles above the Earth.
If you're participating, post your novel ideas or lack thereof! We should have some kind of periodic excerpt-posting program for the month of November, too. Who's with me?

bri_delight — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 02:50:54 GMT

I created a little snippet some time ago and I decided to post it here, on the ever-lovely livejournal to get some feedback on everything. It's a bit of angst and a tad depressing, that's just a warning, if things such as that get's to you, you probably shouldn't read it but I've shone it to some people and they told me it as good. Getting some unbiased responses would be wonderful though. I seem to have a tendancy towards making all my angsty pieces last thoughts of someone dying.

The tiny snippet is titled "Suffocating" for now, until I can come up with something better. It'll take all of two minutes to read, it's that short.

Please click here to read the little snippet

The Guest

photocopyme — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 18:03:04 GMT

In the dim light of the morning, she awoke without a sound. In the distance she could hear vehicles zooming past on the highway and even closer she could hear the growling buzz of a lawn mower starting up. She lay motionless for a few moments taking in all the sounds and the still unfamiliar lay of her new room. The walls were a pale purple and the curtains were a bright white and clung to the windows gracefully like a costume to the hips of a perfectly-shaped ballerina. Every so often the curtains sighed as the air vent breathed air into the room. Sometimes she wondered what it would be like in this new place if the air conditioner didn't bring life into the fragile things in this house.

She took in a large amount of air before sitting up, and then yawned it all out with a soft, but forceful "huuuuuuh." Pushing herself up with her right hand, she noticed that once again her back ached from sleeping on this firm mattress. Her poor bones were only used to extravagently soft mattresses and linens. This would take quite some time to get used to, if she could at all. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes with the ring fingers of both her hands taking care not to touch any of the rest of her fingers to her face. Taking another morose glance around the room, she swung her legs out of bed where her bare toes were licked by the cool wood floors. A shiver sent up her body and goosebumps arose on the surface of her skin. She groaned with disdain, but walked to her closet where her tiny blue terry cloth slippers awaited her feet like they always had.

As her ears began to focus on the sounds of the house, she noticed she could hear something going on in the kitchen downstairs. Most likely it was one of the cats or dogs. Surely everyone else had left early to go to work as they had everyday since she arrived here. She scuffed over to the bedroom door and opened it carefully, peeking out to make sure no one was waiting on all fours for her to come out. The cats like to lay in front of her door and mew until she came out some mornings. It just made her want to throw the cats out of the window. She had never really cared for animals and this place was pushing her tolerance levels. Not only did this hell hole of a house have several cats and dogs, there was an aviary of parakeets in the sunroom, a 55-gallon tank of freshwater fish in the living room, and a myriad of reptiles and small rodents. It was like a domesticated zoo.

A visit to the bathroom was a must before trekking any further down the disentigrating wooden halls. The bathroom window was open, emitting a gentle breeze of cool air. The light was pure, bouncing off the crisp light blue walls and pristine white tiles. This was probably the most modern room in the entire house. It was spacious for a farmhouse bathroom, but she would not complain about the size of this bathroom as it was sometimes her sanctuary.

Once finished with her business, she gazed out the open window to the dancing grass below. The sky was full of puffy white clouds that posed no more threat than a newborn pup. This sight should make her smile, as it was beautiful out today, but the ability to smile left her long ago. She resumed her journey down the hall to the stairs. When she got nearly half-way down the stair case, she could hear more clearly the sounds in the kitchen. A coffee pot was working and a cabinet was being opened and closed, and the sound of a mug touching the counter greeted her ears. So someone was home, she thought to herself, it was a little strange, but she thought maybe someone had called in sick. She stepped down to the ground floor and swung around to face the kitchen. And almost immediately she wanted to run back up the stairs and hide.

"Hello Regina," came the voice from the person standing in the kitchen next to the coffee pot, "I'm so glad that I finally found you."

*******

Let me know what you think! I'm not sure if I want to continue it from here, or just stop it here. And of course, don't be afraid to correct any errors that I may have in here!

Word of the Day

photocopyme — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:05:45 GMT

comestible \kuh-MES-tuh-buhl\, adjective:

1. Suitable to be eaten; edible.
2. Something suitable to be eaten; food.

Word of the Day

photocopyme — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 18:23:47 GMT

fop \FOP\, noun:

A man who is overly concerned with or vain about his dress and appearance; a dandy.

Bum

photocopyme — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 21:10:19 GMT

Okay, so I've been a bum about my daily updates! I apologize for that! However! I shall post a word of the day today! Yay! Be happy!

redress \rih-DRES\, transitive verb:
1. To put in order again; to set right; to emend; to revise.
2. To set right, as a wrong; to repair, as an injury; to make amends for; to remedy; to relieve from.
3. To make amends or compensation to; to relieve of anything unjust or oppressive; to bestow relief upon.

Dun dun dunnn, if you'd like to use it in a flash piece, then go ahead and post it in a comment on here!

Story: Serenidy

bri_delight — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 20:31:53 GMT

So I've recently posted a small part of a story I've been experimenting with in my journal. I'm not too sure where it will go but I'm liking it so far, right now I've titled it 'Serenidy' but I don't think it'll stick. It's basically about a journalist who's recently gotten a new partner and she's starting to like him but she can't get involved with her co-workers. Now she has to learn to deal or get with him because she won't risk her job.

Serenidy

bri_delight — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:50:50 GMT

I'm relatively new here and I'm just getting the hang of this. I've been writing on and off for a while now but I've never actually let people read the work I create. I'm excited to get started as soon as I can.

Hello

hhdavid65 — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 23:53:33 GMT

I just wanted to introduce myself. I'm new to the site, so I'm still getting my bearings. I am very glad I found this community.

cubanseapower — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 04:55:37 GMT

I haven't written anything in a while. Being in an all senior's class is really frustrating. So out of the blue, I decided to write a screenplay. I know people frown upon them on the internet, but I don't give a damn. Now I know I might not be following the exact or correct rules for how a screenplay should be written, but please just try and read this (it won't take long). There's some brusque humor in it. And language.

The summary for what I have right now is really simple: A boy lives his life organic and all natural, and you get a little taste of his interesting family. That's it for now. :) Have a delicious day.

And of course everyone knows all the rules. Yes? No stealing please? Or else I shall break into your house and steal all your DVDs. Yes? Yes.

The title is called Organic. :D

Venting

photocopyme — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 02:17:02 GMT

So, I wrote this as a Myspace bulletin with every intention of it being a really hateful message to someone just because I was PMSing and I wanted to blow off some steam. I didn't mean for it to turn into an erotic poem of sorts.

I want to hit you.
I want to scream at you.
I want to punch you.
I want to kick you.
I want to sob in front of you.
I want to push you to the ground.
I want to shove you against the wall.
I want to kiss you hard.
I want to bite you.
I want to dig my nails into your skin
And rip away all of your insecurities and fear.

I want you against the wall, hot and sweaty
I want you bare-skinned and breathing hard
I want you to lay all your passions on me
I want you digging your nails into me.
I want your sinking your teeth into that spot on my neck.

I want to feel your breath behind my ear.
I want to hear your screams of ecstasy
I want to feel you squirm beneath my talents
I want to taste what you've got to offer me
I want to smell your body heat rising.

excited

russellkats — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 00:48:52 GMT

I am sooo excited to find this web site. I have been writing off and on for years but never thought of myself as a writer until this y. Now i realize the you don't have to be published to be a writier. I am starting to take the writing I do a bit more seriously (kinda). I am still having a hard time finding the time to write the way I want. If I write like i used to with pen and paper i can be very spontaneous and write everywhere about anything but then I have to take the time to type it up and I hate that. But If i don't type it up it makes it harder to make changes. I haven't found that happy middle ground yet and it is affecting what I write, believe it or not.

Eep!

photocopyme — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:29:48 GMT

So sorry that nothing has been posted here by me in a while! I've been a bit preoccupied as of late.

Anyway....anyone have anything to share with us? We'd like to see it!

For Those of you that are Watchers

photocopyme — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 02:41:48 GMT

I was wondering, is there a reason why you only watch instead of join up? I'm not attacking your choice, I'm just wondering. Since you're not an actual member and I don't think you can post, I suppose send me a message to answer my question.

I hope everyone is enjoying this community so far. I'm doing my best to make it enticing.

Daily Word Challenge.

photocopyme — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 18:02:46 GMT

I fell behind yesterday and didn't get around to posting yesterday's word of the day. So, the word for 8/13/08 is:

Gormless- adj. lacking intelligence and vitality; dull.

Today's (8/14/08) word of the day is:

Equanimity- n. mental composure; evenness of temper, esp. in misfortune.

I challenge you to use them both in a flash story.

Post in a comment on this thread.

Daily Word Challenge

photocopyme — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 01:38:23 GMT

I just had this idea to start a daily challenge! I will post a daily word. I will randomly flip through my dictionary and pick a word. I will write the definition here, and then you will be challenged to write something using this word in context somehow. Of course, this is the first test, so it will probably be morphed over time, but for now let's see how this works!

Today's word:

Smirch- (sm-erch)- v. & n mark, soil, or smear (a thing, a person's reputation, etc.) 1. n a spot or stain. 2. a blot (on one's character, etc).

Post in a comment on this thread.

A Little Vignette

dumpstermouse — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 01:19:42 GMT

I used one of the writing prompts at http://creativewritingprompts.com and came up with a little flash fiction-type piece, just to keep my hand in.

The prompt, #161:

"Write a mini-story (100-250 words) that begins with: 'They had nothing to say to each other.'"

They had nothing to say to each other. The curtains were drawn, giving the room an air of finality, of suffocation. The silence ticked in John’s ear like a clock, a bomb. “They must be punishing me for something,” John thought, but he could not imagine what. He had brushed his teeth every day this week, and picked up his stuffed animals whenever asked. They were too engrossed in silence to pay attention to him, his worried glances between closed faces.

John’s mother cleared her throat, straightened a small dish of shelled pistachios on the coffee table. The dish was made of glass, and scalloped like a seashell. John put his thumbnail between his teeth, then remembered and placed his hands in his lap, one on top of the other, the way his mother did at luncheons and teas. To distract himself from his fingernails, he began to count the deer in the painting over the fireplace. The large buck in the center, head high, antlers fierce: one. The doe, demure and partially obscured by tall grass: two. Before he could count the fawn, the doorbell rang and John heard the maid greeting the guests, removing their coats. John’s mother stood and smoothed her skirt, a warm smile already replacing the frozen void. John relaxed; here at last was his mother, another dinner party, and here too was his father, rising, shaking hands. It was such a relief to hear him speak at last.

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