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Learn to Write – Do I Need to Be Creative to Write For Children?
by Lisa Brunel
One can learn to write children’s books but it involves a different level of a writer’s creativity to keep children’s attention within what you are writing. Children’s topics can be most compelling to draw out curiosity from them and to let them stay focused on your book. A children’s book has to be well organized; plots should be appealing and thrilling as well and they must be composed of colorful characters too.
Being creative is a natural gift waiting to be unleashed within you and it requires neither education nor age. Find your purpose in writing some children’s book that will satisfy you and your senses. Unleash the creativity in you by practicing being creative in everything that you do and think daily. Creativity can become your ally when all your dreams disappear and you want to bounce back from life. When writing a children’s book think like a child and let your imagination work.
Being creative will not happen magically within a snap of a finger. When you learn to write children’s books it can actually make or break your writing career so knowing how to proceed is very important. Here are 4 good reasons why you need creativity in writing books for children:
1. Being creative will make it easier for you to pick topics that you feel like writing about instead of thinking what others would like you to write on. You can draw on the inner passion within you to express nice plots and you can make the scenes appear real to your young readers.
2. Creativity will lead you to develop and shift any kind of plot structures from action, drama and adventure beautifully. It takes a lot of creativity to do this especially when your audiences are children. It is never very easy to create rising and falling action, terrifying stunts and exciting moments because only a creative person can do that.
3. A creative writer can guide the young ones to express their ideas and emotions. If you are just writing for the sake of writing something, well then it can bore your audience especially when they are children. By being creative, you can think of a learning interaction between you and your readers perhaps by way of fun activities to test their reading comprehension. Reading is never enough for children; it has to be reading with comprehension matters most.
4. A creative mind is an observant mind. When you are creating children’s books, it is necessary that you have keen observation in almost anything that caught your attention. Being creative can set you above from the rest; you want better results and to achieve all your goals.
Writing can be a rewarding career path for anybody if you only believe that you can do it yourself. Learn to write children books as soon as possible so that your creativity can take its place and you will never know that by just writing children’s books you can unleash the creativity in you! If others can, why can’t you?
Do you want to learn to write creative children’s books? It’s not a necessity to be a creative in order to write a book, but, in order to capture your audience (children) and keep them involved in your story, in turn creating a successful career as an author, takes something special! Visit http://www.unleashyourcreativeside.com and learn how you can bring your inner child out to play.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lisa_Brunel
Creative Writing for Highly Sensitive Persons – 6 Tips to Boost Your Creative Flow
When surfing the net for tips on writing, I came across many articles and sites giving valid and useful tips on how to write a story that will sell – to editors, to agents, and so forth. However, for me as a creative and a highly sensitive person, much of the advice went against the grain.
For instance, the very first article I read explained how to write a proposal and approach literary agents without ever having done any writing whatsoever. Only when a buying party was attracted, the book would be written, almost as an afterthought. Now you may call me naive, but to me as a creative person this seems like the world turned upside down.
Yes, as a writer I want to be read, so of course I want to sell my books. But they have to be my words, my stories, not the stories I think agents and sales managers are going to like because they think they can sell them.
When you are writing to sell, you should probably skip this article. When you are like me and are writing from the heart, writing because you have stories to tell, you may find some of my tips useful.
And by the way: I actually believe that in the end, writing from the heart will yield a better harvest than writing for a buck – if not in a monetary sense, than at least in satisfaction, joy, and recognition from like-minded souls.
Writing tips for the high-sensitive writer
I hardly ever suffer from the dreaded writer’s block, and after finishing my first 444 page novel in one year, I began to wonder why that was. I have decided it is because I am writing from the inside out. I’m not writing from the head – I’m writing from the heart. I let the stories tell themselves.
When writing from the heart, writer’s block becomes a thing of the past – an obstacle that only surfaces when you start writing because you have to, not because you want to. But even when you write because you love it, you may encounter blockages and obstacles on the way.
So, here are some writing tips for writing from the heart and overcoming those obstacles.
- · Write the story you want to read Choose a setting you would like to walk around in – however gruesome or dangerous it might get sometimes. Choose a storyline you can get excited about, create conflicts for your characters you can identify with. Write characters you love – or love to hate.
- · Turn off the chatter The endless chatter of the mind can be a great distraction to creative flow. If, like me you have no patience for meditation, there other ways to silence the mind and gain inspiration at the same time. Music, art, movies that inspire you, physical activity like dance, sports, yoga, etc. can all serve to still internal chatter and get you into ‘writing mode’.
- · Stuck in a rut? Take a walk Sometimes, sitting behind the computer, wondering where the story wants to go, you may get stuck in your head and the story no longer flows. When writing from the ‘rut’, you may find your dialogue getting stiff, your characters behaving out of character. Stop and take a walk! Get your body moving. Go do some grocery shopping. Many of my best story ideas came when cycling, or doing the dishes.
- · Let’s have some music A great way to get back into the flow, and experience your story from the heart, is choosing some music that fits the atmosphere, the feel of your story or scene. Use an MP3-player, choose the appropriate music and lay down on the couch. Relax. Now, if your story were a movie, this would be the score to your movie. See what images pop up when you listen – don’t try and force it, just let them flow naturally from the music and the mood. For instance, when writing medieval battle scenes, I like to listen to Hans Zimmer’s ‘Gladiator’.
- · Let the story tell itself – go to the movies To take it one step further, while listening to your score, you can step into the movie. You might, for instance choose a moment in the story where there is conflict, where things are moving, or about to get exciting. Step in and take a look around. It’s like stepping into a time machine that can transport you to any moment in time. What is it like to be there? How does it feel? How is the overall mood? You may (and probably will) note things you had not noticed before, when you were sitting at your desk: the atmosphere, the weather and how it effects the mood, little background details that can give your story more ‘backbone’, etc.
- · Let your characters speak for themselves When you step into the story, you may choose one character, step into that person in your imagination and experience the scene from his/her point of view. Identify with them. What do they feel? What do they think? How do they experience their conflict? This will help you get to know your characters intimately and will truly put flesh on their bones, so to speak. It will help you write them as three – (and sometimes more) dimensional characters that live and breathe, and most importantly, feel. Alternately, you could choose a general point of view, the storytellers’ perspective.
I hope you find these tips useful. They may not help you sell stories. But they may help you write stories that are authentic and alive – the kind of story I definitely would want to read!
Wendy Gillissen (1969) is a psychologist, dream worker and author of ‘Curse of the Tahiera’, the engrossing new fantasy novel. She has taught dream work since 1998 and has her private practice in the Netherlands. Currently Wendy is working on the sequel to ‘Curse of the Tahiera’. In her spare time she plays the Celtic harp.
Wendy’s author site
Wendy’s book on Amazon
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wendy_Gillissen
Losing Them – A Rough Guide to High-Speed Pursuit
By Brett James
People always tell you to write what you know, but the truth is, if you’re prone to gunfights, high-speed pursuit, and jumping out of airplanes, then sitting inside writing about these events isn’t going to be much of a priority. That leaves the task up to us bookish types. So, armed with only my imagination and a handful of vicarious experience, I present to you this guide, should any of your fictional characters find him or herself drawn into a high speed chase.
Doesn’t it always happen the same way? You’re heading back from yoga when you notice that the black sedan which turned out of the parking lot at the same time you did is still behind you several miles later. So you take a few unnecessary turns and it’s confirmed: you’re being tailed.
And, just your luck, the Aston-Martin is in the garage, leaving you stuck with an old station wagon where the motor feels like an after thought and its newest tire is half a decade old. To top it all off, you’ve no better idea how to ditch a tail than Walter Mitty would.
So what do you do?
The first rule is not to panic. High-speed pursuit is dangerous, which is why few people do it anymore. That’s not to say you shouldn’t step on the gas a little, but bear in mind that the faster you choose to go, the harder you’ll end up hitting something. Besides, there’s no rush. Chances are your pursuers are just hired muscle trying to figure out where you’re going, not trying to mow you down.
Now that you’re not panicking, take a minute to assess your advantages. Are you familiar with this area? Do you know it well enough to lose your tail on a maze of side streets or to time a light so they miss it? And how does your car compare to theirs? A big car might have a big fast engine, but it won’t corner very well. A compact car will probably have decent handling even if it’s not sporty, but it won’t have much kick under the hood. A sports car will do well at both, but it will also crumple like tinfoil if you lose control or let your tail get close enough to ram you.
Figure out what makes your car better and use it to your advantage. Be creative. Even a full tank of gas can be useful if you can keep the chase up long enough. But even if you can’t figure what you have in your favor, don’t forget the first rule.
There is one advantage that you will always have when you’re being tailed, and that is you’ll be in the front. You’ll have a better view of the road ahead, and of what’s on it. You’ll get to set the pace and you can make sure it’s one you feel comfortable with. Once your pursuer starts to fall behind, you’ll get the chance to duck away when you’re around a curve. If they’re too close, they won’t have time to react to any sudden turn you might make (hint, hint). Plus, any yellow light you run will be a red one for them. Heck, you can even irritate your pursuer by spraying them with your wiper fluid.
Lastly, a little bit about the driving itself. Come into curves at the pace you intend to go through them. If you start too fast, you’ll have to break, which means losing momentum.
Try to take the curve as straight as possible. For a curve to the right, that means starting and ending in the left lane and cutting through the right lane as you hit the middle. A curve to the left is a little trickier. You’ll have to cut through the oncoming lane at the middle of the curve, when your visibility will be at its worst. So be careful with this one, and remember: it’s better to lose a little ground on the curve than get into an accident and lose the whole game.
As for getting the most power out of your engine, the rule of thumb is the higher the RPMs (revolutions per minute), the better. The red line on your tachometer (the RPM gauge) is the safety line put there by the manufacturer for regular use, and you shouldn’t shy away from going over it in an emergency. How much over it, or for how long, depends on the design and the condition of your car.
Revving all the way to the red line is not always to your advantage. In most mass-manufactured cars, the power drops off long before you get there because their small fuel injectors leave the engine starving for gas. And many gear boxes are designed to be shifted at lower RPMs. The key is to determine when is the best time to shift in order to get the most power out of your engine, and this will be different for each car, and each gear. And, if your car doesn’t have a tachometer, don’t worry: odds are that your car has a built-in limiter to keep you from over cranking it.
The most important thing in any car chase is to think ahead, not behind. Focus on the road in front of you and don’t waste time checking up on your tail. In fact, try to forget that they’re even back there. Remember, a car chase is like any other race: it is won by the gradual outdistancing of your opponent, not in one amazing, catch-all move. And just so long as no one starts shooting, you have plenty of time to execute your escape.
Sadly, escaping a tail is a skill few of us will be able to apply in real life. But hopefully this virtual guide it offers some help for the next time one of your fictional charcters has to. Either way, don’t forget to buckle up.
Author Brett James first put pen to paper for the screenplay of his 1996 film, Cold War. He has since written and directed six films of various lengths, winning honors at a dozen festivals, including the Judge’s Award at the Florida Film Festival and best short at both the Northern California Indie and the Seattle Underground.
Brett James is a member of the New York-based art collective, The Madagascar Institute, and has installed his art in New York, San Francisco, Amsterdam, and Croatia. He has most recently worked on The Big Rig Jig and Burning Man’s 2009 temple, Fire of Fires. He was raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Deadfall Project is his first novel. For more information, visit: http://thedeadfallproject.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brett_James
How to Write a Romantic Comedy Screenplay
If you want to write a romantic comedy screenplay then the first thing you need to think about is character. A good romantic comedy usually contains someone annoying and frustrating to the audience, and it’s their inability to change or act “human” that draws us in. When you find what your characters traits are then you can use this to your advantage and create situation comedy. Situation comedy is where the character says or does something and makes a fool of him/herself, a good example of situation comedy is The Office. The three main things you need to have in a romantic comedy are; strong comedic characters, characters with opposite personalities and an engaging plot line.
Creating Comedic Characters
Very often comedy characters are based heavily on stereotypes. If you decide to stereotype your character then you already have an idea of what they are going to be like and the audience will already be able to relate to them. If you don’ want to use a stereotype then you need to pinpoint a certain problem that character has an exploit it in every way possible, making whatever his/her goal just a little bit harder.
Using Character Opposites
In a romantic comedy screenplay you will usually find that the two lead roles are very different from each other and it’s this clash of personality that causes drama and humour. When you are thinking of lead characters then always make sure that they both have different personality’s and similar if not the same goals. That way you will find that whatever one of them does then the other will suffer in one way or another.
Structuring The Plot
Most of the time the plot of a romantic comedy will sit in the background, using mainly the characters to engage the audience. However you still need to think about a few things such as what are the goals of the leads characters? What situation are they in to cause tension? What happens in order for them to find it more difficult achieving their goals? Once you have answered these questions then you will have a good indication of where your plot might go.
Writing a romantic comedy screenplay can be quite a challenge. Remember that you don’t have to rely on gags and jokes to make your script funny, situation and clash of personality can be far stronger. If you are a beginner screenwriter and haven’t had much experience then I would recommend learning all of the basics of writing a screenplay in general and not just how to write a romantic comedy script, there are certain rules that need to be applied to all screenplays such as structure and format and you don’t want your script to be wasted just because you haven’t learnt the basics.
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alejandro_Manuel
