Writing Tips: Databases

I have found that databases are an extremely valuable commodity. Why? The information contained within them are usually easy to search through. They are easy to build upon and you can create one for just about anything.

The following are a few ideas on how to use a database to help you with your writing. I personally use MS Excel to create my databases.

1. Characters: If you are writing that epic long novel, or a series of novels that are based in the same fictional world, this database will help you determine what names you have used before and who might be in what novel or short story. I would also keep age, race and other simple statistics that you might need easy access to. The database is sortable and some are searchable. So you can sort by each field.
2. Timelines: you can keep a timeline in a database. You will want to write it in shorthand to keep the database comfortable in size on the screen. You will be able to sort by date, this way it doesn’t really matter where you type in each entry.
3. Submissions: You may want to keep a log of when and where you submitted your short story or novel. You do not want to send the same story to a publisher or agent twice. You will also fins most publishers do not want to read more than one story from each author at a time. You will want to know which markets you have a story out to and which ones you don’t.
4. Markets: You can also create your own database for the markets you like to submit to. Keep information like editors, mailing address and how they like information to be submitted to them. After you have been submitting for a while, you will have a list of markets you send work to first and second and so on.

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If you have other ideas on how to find story ideas, write a comment. I would love to hear how you are inspired.

Writing Tips: How to Keep Up With it All

There are so many things to remember when you are writing a story. There is always the grammar and the spelling that will constantly haunt you. But there are so many elements of the story that you must remember to keep holes from forming.

Between the life changing events for your characters, items like clothing and objects that are important to the story, and the different people that come into and go out of the lives of your characters, you will find it difficult to keep up with everything, especially when you make drastic changes to it over and over again in the re-writes.

Other things that come into play is the history of the world, the history of each of your characters and the history of the important items in your story. What about the future of the world, your characters and the items that they hold. These things change so often throughout the writing of a story. You will find that it will be a challenge to remember it all. That is, of course, if you don’t have a photographic memory. I know I don’t.

There are several ways that I know of to help you keep track of all these things:

1. Write notes in your sidebar: I learned this little trick when I was in college taking notes in class. Draw a line down the center of your page (or set your margins in your word processor) so the right third of the page is blank. Write your story on the left side of that line, and take notes on what you need to remember on the left side. These notes make remembering certain information easier to remember, or at least easier to find.
2. Use the footnotes feature on your word processor. Then all your notes will be at the bottom of the pages. Again, they will be easy to find.
3. Start a Story Bible. This is good for one story, but I find it really handy if you are creating a world where there will be multiple stories, multible novels. You will be able to keep all the facts strait leading you to more believable storylines.

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If you have other ideas on how to find story ideas, write a comment. I would love to hear how you are inspired.

Writing Tips: Organic Writing

Organic Writing is basically the opposite of writing with an outline. It is about writing what comes naturally without any preparation… seeing where it will lead you. It is writing without preparing ahead of time. You create on the fly.

NaNoWriMo is a really good time to experiment with this type of writing. You don’t have to prepare to write the story. You just sit down and write. Sometimes you don’t even need an idea. All you need is a word to start. You open a book that you have lying around and open it to a random page and choose a random word. Then sit down and start writing. The idea is to see where that word, that spark goes, creating a fresh storyline. It may lead nowhere, but it may take you somewhere you never thought you could ever go. This could make for some really original stories.

If you already have an idea in mind, you could start with the basic premise and just start writing from there. If you have an interesting character trait in mind, put it down on paper and see what will grow out of it. You never know, a best selling novel might fall from your creative tree by the time it is all done and over with.

NOTE: With Organic Writing, the first draft is most likely going to be horrible. That is perfectly fine. Don’t go back to edit ‘til your first draft is complete. Feel free to jot down notes about what you know you will need to change when you do edit. But if you go back to edit now, you will loose the growth of the story. It would be like chopping a 100 year old tree at the base of its trunk and hoping to climb back to the top. It will take another 100 years to grow back to its original glory.

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If you have other ideas on how to find story ideas, write a comment. I would love to hear how you are inspired.

Writing Tips: Writing Vs. Typing

I know what you are going to say. Why should I write longhand when I can type ten times faster than I can write. Well I am here to defend writing longhand. Don’t get me wrong, I think it is very important to type when you are creating the actual story. But there are times that you should write things down with a pen and paper.

You see, you can get inspired anywhere. Your computer cannot be everywhere you are. A writing journal can be. I, personally carry a sketchbook with me wherever I go. Being an artist, I like to have something to doodle in. I have found it extremely handy to have when I am inspired with a story idea or a character concept. I turn the sketchbook upside down and start from the back and keep a list of story Ideas, outlines and character notes. This way I can go back later when I am in front of a computer I can start typing and expanding on those ideas.

At times, I find I want to write something I don’t intend anyone else to read… something that might be a little personal to share. These are the times that I just start writing and stop when my inspirations end. If I use it later in something that might be publish-worthy, then I will transfer it to the computer and expand upon it.

I have also found that a brain dump is very useful when you have a pen and paper. This is good when you are sitting alone in a low lit room with no distractions. Then you put your pen to the paper and write the words that fall out of your brain. I find that the string of words never makes any sense and usually lacks any punctuation. Who knows, maybe later I will read what I have written and something might grow from the ideas that unintentionally came out of my brain.

As for typing, it is very important to have a quiet time to type what you have written (or even something totally new). Whenever you have access to a computer you should use it. It is an indispensable tool and should be taken advantage of whenever available. This is when the massive number of words are written and novels can form into masterpieces (or at least a crappy first draft).

Recently I have discovered MS Word on my Cell Phone. I have a Palm Treo and have spent many hours just writing on the little device when I am not home. I find it great when I am waiting in a waiting room or on my lunch break at work. Then I can transfer it to a document on my home computer. It is kind of a mix between writing by hand and writing on the computer.

Whether you longhand or type, just make sure you write. Writing is what is most important.

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If you have other ideas on how to find story ideas, write a comment. I would love to hear how you are inspired.

Writing Tips: How to Write Your First Paragraph

Like your first sentence, your first paragraph is the most important paragraph of the novel or story. If you can get them hooked by the first sentence, you will have the chance to keep them going with the rest of the paragraph. This paragraph is where you will point the reader in the right direction.

You should continue the thought of the first sentence and show your reader your world, your character(s). If they are engulfed by the world you are creating within that first paragraph, they will most likely not be able to put down your book. The only way this is going to happen is if they can relate to what your world and your characters represent. Of course you will not be able to relate with everyone, but you should be able to relate with those who think like you. Start at that point and grow. Start with what you know and make it interesting. Give the reader a reason why they should invest their time and mney in reading the next 250-1,000 pages.

Support your first sentence. Why is the first sentence happening? Make it a strong visualization and get strait to the point. If you can get the reader’s attention and make them want to read more, you can add an infinate amount of description later.

I personally like to start my books off with some kind of action. I want the reader to become involved with what the character is doing. This action doesn’t have to have to have anything to do with the main naritive, but it should give the reader insight about your character.

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If you have other ideas on how to find story ideas, write a comment. I would love to hear how you are inspired.

Writing Tips: How to Write Your First Sentence

There are a lot of people out there who feel the first sentence of your novel or story is the most important set of words in the book. It is your first and only chance to hook your reader. If they are bored with the first sentence, they will most likely put the book back on the shelf and not read any further. It is the same when a person first meets you. They will make a decision about you within the first 20 seconds. They will also make a decision about your book within the first sentence.

Make your first sentence memorable. Make it something that will give the reader no choice but to read on. If you can do this, you will have passed one of the most difficult steps in writing.

As for me, I like to state a mode of action. I want something to be happening to the main characters that will affect them with a strong emotion. Through this emotion, I can connect with the reader. I can make the reader fall in love with my character. Usually the first sentence is the essence of the struggle (if not of the entire book), it is the struggle that makes the character who he/she is.

There have been times when I describe the evil that the villain is capable of. Usually it is only a fraction of what lays before the heroes of the story, but is strong enough to hook the reader.

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If you have other ideas on how to find story ideas, write a comment. I would love to hear how you are inspired.

Tired of Ebooks that Don't Give You the Info Without a Price? This One Is FREE!

I’ve spent a lot of time and a little bit of money looking for an eBook that has real information about making real money online. The only problem is that most eBooks give you little information and try to get you to buy something bigger. Something that only really benefits the creator of that eBook. You may have resale rights to that book, but the profits that you make on these resold eBooks are measly. They sometimes don’t even cover the cost of the eBook. The real money that is made is going to the creator who is making money from the links that are in the eBook.

After reading many eBooks and emails that claim to have the perfect information I came across this intriguing eBook. Not only did it offer real information about how to make money, it offered it for FREE and promised an amazing realization in the last chapter.

This eBook Gives you everything you need to know to earn money online without spending a dime. The website where you download the eBook doesn’t even ask for your email address or any other personal information. You heard me right. You are able to download this eBook in PDF format without providing any information to me or to the creator of this eBook. The eBook is chock full of great information about how you can earn money online, how to start your own online business and how to be successful at it.

As you read the information, you will learn the tricks that internet marketers use to make large sums of money. The cool thing is you get this information for FREE. Then, in the last chapter you get the most amazing tool I have ever seen. Please read the book from front to back. The information builds upon itself. You will want to know all the information in Chapters 1-4 before you read chapter 5. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.

To get this FREE eBook, click here.

How to Write Better Blog Posts

I have spent the last couple of months surfing the web looking for ways to better myself a blogger. There are so many people out there who just write these little dinky articles about things they know nothing about and expect to make money off the links that they place in them. They don’t realize that people are smarter than that. Most people are able to quickly assess a page of copy and easily diagnose it as garbage. They are looking for content and information about the things they are interested in.

This article is designed to give you a few pointers on how to write a better blog entry. If you can write something that people want to read then you will be able to honestly send them to links that might actually generate income for yourself. If they don’t like what you have written or don’t even stick around long enough to read through what you are offering, then there is no doubt that your offer will be left wanting.

Check out these simple tips:

1. Write about what you know. This is the big one. If you write about something you know nothing about, you will discredit yourself before you even get started. If you sound like you know what you are talking about and actually seem genuinely interested in what you are talking about, then most people will continue to read.

2. Don’t be dry or dull. Joke around or tell stories that go with your subject. Be entertaining. People want to enjoy what they are reading. They don’t want to just read dull facts. (I know, I haven’t joked around or told any stories in this post, but that brings me to my next point.)

3. Get to the point. Watch the length of your post. People surfing the internet generally have short attention spans. So hit them with the facts first. This will lead them into whatever you have to say after that. Separate your points so they can skim through your long windedness and move on to the next point.

4. Offer a prize. There should be something that will get them excited. Giving them something for FREE will usually entice them to keep reading, or will at least make them wonder what other stuff they might be able to find on your website or blog.

5. Mention other blog posts you have written. If you mention other blog posts (like How to Stack Pennies) or groups of blog posts (like Online Business), your readers will more likely hang out on your website longer. Mention the links and categories that they can find in the sidebar of your blog. Make sure you make these suggestions in the context of your post. If they see that you are blatantly advertising stuff, they will just pass the link by.

6. Suggest links that support the context of your post. If I were to suggest a link for this post, I would suggest to my readers to visit PayPerPost.com. I would support that suggestion stating that if they enjoy writing and would like to make extra money while posting blog entries, PayPerPost.com would be a great way for them to do that. I would also mention that they could get paid if they review this blog post. People like to get paid, especially if its easy to do so.

I hope these tips are useful. I plan to keep searching the website for ways to better my own writing. I will continue to post my findings here on my weblog. If you want to get email when I post new entries, go to the main page and type your email address in the space provided in the sidebar. Also, feel free to comment on what I have written. I would love to hear from you.