Hanlon, Emily. So You Need Some Inspiration? Try Some RPC - Risk, Passion and Creativity!

You want to write. You really do. But the passion you feel never gets translated into actual writing. And if it does, it doesn't last very long. You run out of steam.

There are reasons for this. First, you may be writing out of your conscious mind. Another problem for many writers is that they don't have enough technical facility with the craft of writing to know how to develop a piece. That can be taught, but technical facility alone won't do the trick. Technical facility lies in the domain of the left brain, and you'll give the Inner Critic an open season if you fixate on technique alone. But technique fed by passion is unstoppable.

Passion = Creativity and Creativity = Passion

Think of what happens when you are passionately, lustfully in love. Are you not amazed at the risks you take to be with your beloved? Are you not amazed by how wonderful and beautiful you feel? Are you not amazed at the creativity that is unleashed all around? Passion, risk, belief in self-these are paramount to the creative experience.

I have a theory that has been very successful in my teaching. I believe that anyone who has taken the trouble to find me and taken the risk of coming to see me much less signed up for a series of workshops or private lessons has a writer within dying to break free. With that in mind, even if the person is a novice, I never experience her as such. Instead, I imagine I'm talking to the Inner Writer whom I feel already knows everything I have to teach.

The aim of my teaching is first to acknowledge the Inner Writer and give her permission to come to the fore. She is a bit groggy from being kept in the shadows for so long, so I need to remind her of certain things. The Inner Writer literally soaks up the teaching, and if allowed, will guide the student into whatever landscape and characters beckon. Sometimes in only one session a character never before dreamed of flies free.

"But I've never thought about such things before," the writer will say, sometimes delighted, sometimes taken aback. "I didn't know . . ."

"Not in the conscious mind," I tell them. "But in the dream world and flights of dark fancy you knew." The knowing beyond knowing is a place of comfort and excitement for the writer within.

This method of teaching or dialoguing with a student's Inner Writer has had results that I once found astounding and now muse over. Let me tell you about Jean, whose success is one of never-ending delight and inspiration not only to me but also to others in the class. Jean was an unassuming schoolteacher when she came into my workshop. She hadn't written any fiction in five years, and her first months in class were difficult.

Week after week Jean was sent back to the drawing board; the situations she wrote about had potential, but the characters were somewhat stiff and unbelievable. There was one character of more interest than the others; he was emotionally bloodthirsty and seemed to devour, suck out the lifeblood of those around him. I urged Jean to go more deeply into his dark emotions. This was difficult for Jean, whose Inner Critic basically wanted her to make nice stories, certainly not to write about such subjects as violence and definitely not sex.

But Jean had a passionate need to write. It is possible to sense a writer's passion even if it is shackled. It rises off the page in bursts of unexpected electric currents; it is like a caged panther filled with a devouring hunger for freedom.

Each week I pushed Jean further and further, driving her deeper and deeper into stories lying in her character's past, exploring his motivations, finding out what makes him tick. In essence, I was pushing Jean to become this character. To forget herself and move into the skin, the blood, muscles and sinews of her character, to see the world through his eyes.

This is an extremely subtle and important move-out of self and into the character. You never want your character to be you. Instead, you must become your character. This is truly a wondrous metamorphosis, and when it happens, you can feel it in your body, mind and heart; it is the moment when you cease being you with all your doubts, judgments, desires and Inner Critic yappings and move into the being of another. Then no matter if the character stands for everything you are not (and some of your best characters will), you have moved out of judgment, you are no longer writing from the left side of the brain and you have fallen not only down the Rabbit Hole but in love. You see your character's flaws, but no longer judge them. You love your character despite his flaws, you love him for his flaws, you love, you are in love, and the real magic can begin. You no longer try to stop or change the character. You are passionately along for the ride.

I could sense Jean was approaching this place. She kept on saying things like, "I don't know why I like this guy so much. He's mean, he's brutal, he cheats on his wife, envies and hates his brother, but . . ." She couldn't help smiling and her eyes lit up. "I can't help loving him."

She kept on writing about this fiend, and although the writing improved, it still didn't reflect the passion that Jean clearly felt. And then in the middle of a workshop, her emotionally bloodthirsty character transformed in my mind into a vampire and I asked her, "Do you like horror stories?"

"I love them," she said as if that were a deep, dark, dirty secret. Jean's eyes are always a dead giveaway to her inner delights. They sparkled as she admitted to what her Inner Critic surely thought was a sinister truth, and she laughed nervously.

"So write a vampire story," I said.

"Oh, no, I couldn't!" she protested.

"Oh, yes, you can. Next week, come in with one."

She did. She wrote a cute vampire story, on the surface. Underneath, however, I sensed she'd hit a vein-so to speak. Beneath the cute, the characters were bleeding. She didn't sense this, but I encouraged her to write more vampire "stuff," to take more chances, go deeper, darker, bloodier.

It was a process that took months, and Jean had to wrestle with some pretty powerful demons, but a year and a half later, she is nearly finished with the first draft of a terrific horror novel. The hero is a vampire who is as seductive as he is bloody; but the novel is also humorous, sometimes deliciously tongue-in-cheek and, at its core, explores what all good writing explores, the shadow side of the human condition, that confusing place in all of us where good struggles with evil, love dances with hate, lust rushes unbidden through our veins, and mercy, tenderness and forgiveness slip through our fingers again and again. And sometimes I think that best of all is that Jean is having the time of her life!

The following excerpt from Jean's book shows the lush sensuality of her embracing of the darkside. The vampire hero, Devon Ducayne, has just murdered an important politician to the strains of a chamber music concert. As the man falls lifeless, there is a knock on the door and his daughter enters.

****

"Father, you are missing the concert. Bring your guest out. Let's enjoy the . . ."

A young woman, slender, tall, and attractive, stepped into the room. Devon recognized her as Frawley's daughter, Mary. She looked with horror at the body of her father draped over the desk. She opened her mouth as if to scream when the vampire bounded through the air and hurled himself at her. She bounced against the wall with a loud sigh as the air was knocked out of her. Stunned, she dropped onto the floor and slammed her head against the edge of a cumbersome bookcase.

Blood gushed from an open wound. It splattered over the floor and formed bizarre patterns on the white wall. A satiny red puddle next to the girl widened and glistened in the dim light of the fire. She was barely alive; he felt the warmth of her body; he heard the soft irregular breathing. He smelled the sweetness of the blood, saw vapors lifting from the pool. He felt his loins grow warm. He ached to feed. He felt the sticky texture of the fluid on her soft curls. Flicking his tongue in and out he licked at the wound and pressed his lips to the girl's neck in eager anticipation. The music stopped.

"Sir Henry! Are you there, sir?"

The guests were out in the hall just beyond the door. They were milling about waiting for their host. Devon rose. "Damn you all to Satan's fires!" he muttered. He looked back with longing at the girl. Life was draining from her body. "Sorry, my dear," he murmured as though they had been lovers who were interrupted in their mutual fervor.

****

Jean took the risk to go to places her Inner Critic thought inappropriate; she released the passion-both hers and her characters'-and her belief in herself, in her creativity, flew free as a bat rising against a full moon!

©The Art of Fiction Writing, Emily Hanlon 1995-2009 This article is excepted from The Art of Fiction Writing or How to Fall Down the Rabbit Hole Without Really Trying. This is a workbook with two CDs from writing coach, Emily Hanlon. The Art of Fiction Writing is filled with easy-to-use writing techniques, fiction writing prompts and creative writing tips open doorways to your imagination, and teach you a way of writing that will surprise, delight and free the writer in you!

Follow this link http://www.thefictionwritersjourney.com/art_of_fiction_writing_special_offer.htm and you will receive 20% savings.

About The Author

Emily Hanlon is a writing coach, a creativity coach and novelist. She holds workshops, teleSeminars and retreats. Her website is http://www.thefictionwritersjourney.com

The author invites you to visit: http://www.thefictionwritersjourney.com

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McKenna, Jason. A TREATMENT to a Screenplay

Script and Screenplay Definitions

Encyclopaedia Britannica defines “script” as, “in motion pictures, the written text of a film. The nature of scripts varies from those that give only a brief outline of the action to detailed shooting scripts, in which every action, gesture, and implication is explicitly stated. Frequently, scripts are not in chronological order, but in the order most convenient for filming”, while about “screenplay” it writes, “written text that provides the basis for a film production. Screenplays usually include not only the dialogue spoken by the characters but also a shot-by-shot outline of the film's action. Screenplays may be adapted from novels or stage plays or developed from original ideas suggested by the screenwriters or their collaborators. Early drafts often include only brief suggestions for planned shots, but by the date of production, a screenplay may evolve into a detailed shooting script, in which action and gestures are explicitly stated.” Thus, we see that “script” is essentially common parlance FOR THE WORD SCREENPLAY, a TREATMENT is just the outline of the movie and the SHOOTING SCRIPT is the final draft that is used during the shooting.

Professional Help to Convert Your STORY IDEA into a Screenplay

To convert a STORY into a screenplay is not an easy task and it requires hard work and experience. If you are just starting in this field, this work would seem like a mountain to climb, but fortunately you can have professional help with this. There are companies and experienced individuals who will help you turn your STORY into a screenplay for a fee. You can benefit from the services of any of them and make sure that you have in hand an effective screenplay.

Experienced Team

Script Central is a team of experienced Australian writers, script editors and script consultants. They'll provide the fresh set of eyes and constructive feedback that all screenwriters need at the end of a long draft. They'll give you honest but encouraging evaluation to help take your script to the next level. They offer a range of services from a basic assessment to a full edit of an entire draft of your script.

With SIXTEEN experienced writers and script consultants, they will point your script in the right direction, sharpen your screenwriting skills and help give your story the great leap forward it needs before venturing into a competitive marketplace. They provide expert script services to writers of all levels of experience, directors, producers and others interested in taking their screenplays to a higher level of development. If you have a script but don’t know if it is good enough or would like help with writing your first script, Script Central is here to help you. For more information on the company and the team of consultants, please drop by at www.scriptcentral.com.au.

About The Author

Jason McKenna has been in the script writing business for the past 4 years. She is well versed in the intricacies of the industry and writes articles to educate people about the same.

The author invites you to visit: http://www.scriptcentral.com.au

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/writing/article_1781.shtml

Ajava, Thomas. Writing Your Novel - Always Keeping Time In Mind

There are many aspects to writing a novel that one has to keep in mind. One that rather obvious, but can be easy to forget about, is the simple concept of time. While you may inherently know where you are in the timeline of the story, are you sure the audience does?

A very common approach to writing a novel is to use a variety of storylines. You might have two or three that inevitably lead to a result that either creates a global ending or contributes to it in one way or another. The evil character might be weakened in the final climatic scene and one of your storylines can be about how that comes to be while another storyline gets your hero to the proverbial finishing line and so on.

The multiple storyline approach is a time tested one. That being said, it also introduces subtle problems. Switching between storylines can result in problems of time. While writing them, you may just assume that the storylines are taking place at the same time, but how does your reader know this? If the individual stories are taking place at different times, have you alerted your reader? If not, the story can quickly become an incoherent mess.

You need to use transition cues to avoid time problems. These cues are phrases or words that let the reader know you are making a transition to another time or storyline. You can make them witty, subtle or blatantly obvious. It doesn’t matter so long as the reader understands what is happening.

With timing cues, the best writers will use something very subtle. For the rest of us, going with something much more obvious is wise since we want to make sure the reader understands what is happening. The simplest choice is the header for each chapter. You can literally put the time and day in. For a novel that takes place over days or weeks, changes in the weather are a popular move. For epic tomes, changes in the seasons can be the ticket. The specific cue isn’t really the issue. The issue is making sure you include them!

You know the story being told better than anyone. That being said, make sure you don’t leave the reader behind in time when telling it.

About The Author

Thomas Ajava writes for http://www.nomadjournals.com - writing journals for writers.

The author invites you to visit: http://www.nomadjournals.com

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/writing/article_1782.shtml

Katariya, Pragya. How to Write SEO Articles to Promote Your Website

Your website is not optimized for search engines or picked up by their software/ crawlers for higher ranking in search results unless it is keyword rich. In other words, your content should be informative, unique, and relevant to the subject that your website deals with and it should also contain keywords or the words that a user would enter in the search bar to find the products or services you are offering.

Again, a high quality content of this type, by itself, may not be able to attract the search engines to rank your website high on their first pages.

The question, therefore, is: How to optimize your website for high search engine ranking?

One of the most cost effective or even free methods to do so is to write SEO articles about the product or service that your website seeks to promote. The articles should be published in prominent article directories.

The content of the articles should also be keyword rich, informative and compelling so that the readers are motivated to get more information about your offering. If they are interested, they can click the link/s, also called back links, in the articles that will direct them to your website.

Keep in mind that writing just one or two articles will not optimize your website for search engines. You will need to write and submit articles in article directories to get the necessary exposure.

The more the clicks you get, the higher your website will be ranked. A thumb rule for search engine optimization is that the more quality links a website attracts from the searchers through the articles, the higher the page rank the search engines give to the website.

Writing unique, informative and keyword rich content for the website or for article directories is a laborious and time-consuming job. Not every body has the time or the expertise to write SEO articles that can bring them a high page rank. You can contact content writers who specialize in writing copy that is search engine optimized and interesting enough to motivate readers to click on the links and reach the website to find out more about the products and services.

About The Author

Pragya Katariya is a professional writer and marketing specialist with over 10 years experience covering a wide variety of subjects, from producing articles for print and online media to writing copy for brochures, newsletters and web copy in clear, concise language. She runs her own consultancy http://www.oceanbluecommunications.com/

Please visit her website for more details on your content writing needs.

The author invites you to visit: http://www.oceanbluecommunications.com/

Nickson, Steve. Poetry Scam - How To Avoid Becoming A Victim

Has this ever happened to you? You dream of being a published writer and can't wait to get your work in print, or you receive an offer that will make your publishing dreams come true.

Then it is important that you are aware of the poetry scam.

This scam preys on the hopes and aspirations of unassuming authors. It starts out by you contacting several companies and then one of them sends you an email to say you have been selected for publication. You are over the moon. However, before you break out the champagne, you should do some research!

This could be a poetry scam. You are advised that to make it to print you usually have to pay the publication costs yourself. You may be so desperate to get published that you choose to run with it. What you could end up with however is a garage full of books that you have trouble selling. An alternative scenario is that you end up with only a few copies that cost you thousands of dollars each, or in some cases, you end up with no books at all!

Scammers are very good at deceiving you into believing that they run reputable publishing houses, and will charge you much more money than it would cost if you self-publish on your own.

Publishers or agents who charge reading fees for submissions should also be avoided. It often indicates they are making money from your fees rather than book sales!

For beginner writers looking for success, the most popular method is to get an agent who will submit your work to publishers. If you bypass the agent and deal with publishers who charge for the publication of the books, they are not traditional publishing houses. These sort of companies are known as vanity publishers or print on demand publishers and are usually not regarded highly in the publishing industry.

They tend to charge very high prices, carry out little or no editing, and provide little or no marketing or promotion of the books. The book quality is generally not high. This is not the recommended route for beginner writers.

A recent variation is for self publishing scammers to try to appear as reputable publishers claiming to charge no publisher's fee to accept your book. Instead what they do is require the author to pay an editor from a list the publisher provides, to get the manuscript into shape. In fact the 'editor' is one of the publisher's employees, and the author's money ends up back in the publisher's pocket.

Avoiding the poetry scam starts when you first begin submitting your work to prospective publishers. Start by checking to see if the publishers are legitimate by looking them up in the Preditors and Editors website. You can also look for publishers in the Writer's Market book.

You should also verify the address of the publisher [scammers tend to use a post office box or drop-off address], and ring the phone number [scammers often don't provide these]. If the contact details such as address, phone, fax and email are not prominently displayed on their web address, look somewhere else to be published.

Join a writer's group such as the Romance Writers of America as it provides the opportunity to ask about any agents or publishers you are considering.

When you finally have a contract, take your time and seek expert advice. No reputable publisher or agent would object to this.

About The Author

Steve Nickson makes it easy to avoid being scammed. Find out how you, or someone you care about, can learn to recognize scams, and the steps you can take to avoid becoming a victim by visiting http://www.watchforscams.com

The author invites you to visit: http://www.watchforscams.com

Ajava, Thomas. Bring It To A Point – A Closure Technique

Some people have a problem with starting a story. I don’t. I have a problem with finishing them. I know where I want to go, but getting there can be a problem. One technique that I’ve learned to use is called bringing it to a point. If you have closure issues, it might work for you as well.

I write like I paint. There is stuff everywhere. Okay, and maybe badly. Regardless, the storyline that starts out in detail quickly ranges to and fro like a ship on a storm filled sea form some great Viking yarn. I used to fight it, but now I just go along for the ride and hope I’ll find myself with some great story of value. Sometimes the boat finds the promised land. Sometimes it sinks! Regardless, it is an opened ended form of writing that can go as long as you can write. What if, however, you know the destination, but can’t see how to get there. You need a technique to develop this process in your mind.

The technique of writing to a point is admittedly a simple one. Perhaps it is even infantile. All I know is it has helped me with this issue. So, how does it work? The answer is in structure. Pick a predetermined length of text you are going to write. I usually go with five or 10 pages. Now nail down your ending in a short paragraph. Write it on the bottom of the last page. You know have your point.

The rest of the exercise is pretty simple. Start writing on the first page and practice bringing your story to the final paragraph. Will you will rarely, if ever, pull this off. You also do not need to worry excessively about grammar, punctuation or any such thing. None of these things is the point, pun intended, of the exercise.

To me, a story is an arc. It starts here and ends up there. The point of this exercise is to train yourself to deal with the last part of the arc. You’ve written to the highest part of the arc. Now, how do you bring it back to a defined finish…a point if you will? Frodo Baggins went underground, over water, through marshes and so on. From the word go of the story, however, he always had to complete an arc that found him in Mount Doom.

Many stories succeed or fail in how they close the arc of the story line. Getting from here to there is obviously important, but it is often the last 100 steps that make the journey a success or failure for the reader. Using the bring it to a point technique is one way to practice making those steps worthwhile in your story.

About The Author

Thomas Ajava is with http://www.nomadjournals.com - makers of writing journals for writers and readers alike.

The author invites you to visit: http://www.nomadjournals.com

Aversa, Annika. Pseudonyms: Reinvent Yourself

When I first began my online business, I soon learned that it would be advantageous to do article marketing, which meant I would have to write. I’ve always been a casual writer, but the thought of writing for the public activated my inner critic. Each time I sat down at my computer to write an article, I could feel the hesitancy come over me. “What if my friends were reading my articles, what would they say?” “What if I don’t do this right and people think I’m ridiculous?” You know how it goes. I was driving myself crazy.

But, I persisted. My articles were filled with great information that I wanted to share, but the writing was stiff, very “academic,” ho-hum. I knew that I needed to “write from the heart,” but how do you go about doing that if you are thinking the whole world is looking at you? My inner critic was turned on full blast, literally preventing me from writing. After several frustrating days, struggling with each word, I realized that my biggest block could be dissolved if I wrote anonymously. Why didn’t I think of this sooner? I could use a pen name to conceal my identity!

Using a pseudonym has been a common practice throughout history. Some very famous authors have used pen names to escape detection, write about a controversial subject, address a specific audience, and even collaborate with other authors creating a “collective pseudonym.” Sometimes you just need an easier name to remember.

Female authors sometimes create androgynous pseudonyms to gain larger audiences by hiding their gender. An example you might recognize is J.K. Rolling. She wrote the Harry Potter series and felt that her audience (young boys) would not identify with a female author. Other famous “nom de plumes” for women authors are: George Elliot (Mary Ann Evans) and George Sand (Mme. Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin).

Of course, you know Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) and contemporary author, Richard Bachman (Stephen King).

Using a pen name provides a degree of anonymity. There’s a certain freedom you attain in being anonymous. You can speak freely and “from the heart.” Consider creating an alter ego, a “second self.”

Try this: make a list of first names you’ve always liked. Then randomly flip through the telephone book for last names. Make a game of it. Come up with three top names and then write a sentence or two describing their personality, how they look and how they speak. Then, open an email account in the new name. Sign up for newsletters in your new identity. Build an identity in your niche.

Reinvent yourself with a new name, a new personality. Writing with a pseudonym can free you of shyness and allow you to really speak up.

Would you like more information on building your identity in a niche?
Go to: http://www.maverickmoneymakerslearnmore.com

About The Author

Annika Aversa is a retired teacher offering tips, strategies and products that are valuable learning tools to help create the right home business opportunities for you.

For more information on internet coaching programs that address your unique needs visit: http://www.MakeMoreBucks.com

The author invites you to visit: http://www.MakeMoreBucks.com