With the ultimate writing competition, the Nanowrimo, just round the corner, it's the right time to put up some links to the good stuff you can find online to help you write November's magnum opus.(You don't know what I'm talking about? Go visit the website.)
First off, do you need an instant plot for your work of genre fiction (whether dragon-filled, neo-noir or dismally dystopian)? This hilarious generarator from Wondermark [found via]... well, it might not actually help you, but it is sure to raise a good chuckle.
Paperback Writer links to Ten Things for the NaNoWriMoer's including blog badges; a progress graph so you can chart your progress towards the 50,000 word target; a random name picker to help you name your hero or heroine; and advice to help you write the outline of your novel in 30 minutes.Mashable also has a very useful toolkit for the writer with plenty more nice things to play with.
I'm finding Twitter enormously helpful as a blogger (since it enables me to scoop up interesting stories quickly, and I can tweet even when I haven't time to blog) and it is nice to discover about how it can also help writers. Debbie Ridpath Ohi lists ten ways, and has blogged A Writer's Guide to Twitter with lots of good advice.There's nothing like advice from the master, and Kurt Vonnegut gives us some excellent advice about how to write with style, which he nicely distills into 7 principles (Finally someone who doesn't feel the need to have as many points as they have fingers!) :
1. Find a subject you care about2. Do not ramble, though
3. Keep it simple
4. Have guts to cut
5. Sound like yourself
6. Say what you mean
7. Pity the readers
9 comments:
Fun! I also like the Dilbert office mission statement generator...
Debbie Ridpath Ohi also draws a very funny cartoon series for writers.
On the Fiction Generator: someone made a script that gives you a different combination each time you refresh. Handy!
Wonderful! Now I finally know what to write about! I'll be a billionaire for sure!
Good luck everyone who's taking part!
I'm going to take the plunge this year as well, and if anyone wants to add me to their Nanowrimo profile page, you can do so here.
See you at 50k! (and hopefully many times before that as well.)
This fler here has no less than FIFTY strategies for writers (eep): http://www.sfwa.org/2005/01/50-strategies-for-making-yourself-work/
"Write an hour for every hour you read."
"Pay yourself an hourly wage for time worked, and don’t allow yourself leisure activities (movies, dinner out, etc.) unless you can pay for it with this writing money."
"Promise your sweetie a steady supply of bedtime stories." - You'd need a very supportive sweetie!
Sharon, thanks for the links!
Thanks for the tips. I wish I were taking part.
On second thoughts, why not? It is as good a writing exercise as any.
it is a writing exercise. just a bit bigger in size than most.
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