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Writers Block?



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Sun Feb 03, 2008 1:26 am
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Jassie says...



Finally, I'm posting a new idea! Hoorah! Sorry, but this might be a long one!

Writing Poetry? Here's a good idea for your next poem. (Or free writing entry!)

1. Think of a color. Make it easy on yourself and use a basic color. You know, red, green, blue, yellow, orange, pink, purple, grey, white, black, or brown.

2. Think about all the things in the world that involve that color. This could be anything. For example, rainclouds are grey. Tree trunks are brown. The ocean is blue. Write down all of this on paper or type it on the computer. (Whatever you prefer) But hopefully you're writing/typing this to put it in the writing portfolio I suggested you made.

3. Imagery. Lemme educate you really quick. It's review for some of you.
Imagery is descriptive language that deals with any of the five senses (sight, touch, smell, hearing, and taste) and is intended to make the reader feel more interested in the work by creating a mental image of the subject. Imagery is any series of words used to create a mental picture, or sensory experience. Such images can be created by using figures of speech such as similes, metaphors, personification, and assonance. Images can also be created by relatable action words or onomatopoeias that trigger pictures in the reader’s mind. Imagery helps the reader imagine the sensations described as they are related through the language of the author.
*A simplistic view is that one can think of the imagery as painting a picture with words. (Provided by Wikipedia)


You don't even need to know the basics of imagery to be able to use it. If you've had enough experience with writing, you've probably been using it a long time without knowing that there was a word for it!

4. Now let's see what we can do with all these objects that involve our chosen color. When I did this activity, my color was chosen for me. (Well, I picked it out of a hat- which could work great if you can't choose yourself!) My color was grey. So of course my first pick was rainclouds. Let's brainstorm how we can get imagery from this.

Let's use the five senses:
*smell: The air always smells good before, during, and after rain (In my opinion)
*see: well... rain clouds are grey and thats why we're even doing this, go figure.
*touch: we all imagined clouds as soft, plushy, fluff balls one time or another right?
*taste: I guess we can describe how rain tastes here, unless you've personally flew up to a cloud and licked it. If so, please PM me with all of the details :wink:
*hear: This is probably the easiest. Just describe everything you hear in the next thunderstorm, or try to remember the last one. But be creative! It's never fun to get the same old: The thunder was loud and angry!

5. Here's a bonus step for you! A follow-up for the sentence, 'The thunder was loud and angry!' Let's think about what that sentence is saying.
The sentence is:
(A) Imagery
(B) Telling us about the thunderstorm

I'd say B, but we've all got opinions. It's important, in ANY and I mean ANY form of writing (poems, stories, journals, etc) that you DESCRIBE the imagery, not tell us about it.

Here's an example:
The girl cried.

Okay... so she cried. That's not very interesting is it?

How about:
The girl felt the warmth of her tears stream down her face.

Not the best, but its better than the first sentence. Your readers want to figure stuff out on their own. I'll go into more detail about this in my next post, but for now, let's get back to our colors.

6. Finally! It's time to actually write the poem (or whatever) We've got our main idea, our color. We've got some information about that color, objects that involve it. We've got a good stack of imagery ideas. Remember, you don't have to use all of the ideas. And hey, that idea you decide not to include could be great for your next poem! We're ready to go right? Sure! But there's one more thing that might challenge you. And you don't have to do it, but it might make your poem ten times better.

Don't use the color in the poem. Shocked? Don't worry, all of that was not a waste of your time. You've got plenty to work with! You're now capable to talk about that raincloud all you want without even mentioning that its grey and STILL finish with a good poem. Remember what I said? Readers want to think about what they're reading. They don't want to be told. So whether you just come up with a poem about a tree trunk or you describe whats going on in that hive, your reader WILL be thinking of colors and your poem can be a success!


P.S.- For some color means, you know, like red means love, white means pure, and all that stuff, go to this website: http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html

It's pretty good and it'll give you even more ideas about your color!

Expand this lesson! You don't have to use colors, pick a letter out of a hat and describe apples, ants, and airplanes. Be creative with these writers block lessons too!

I hope you're doing all this in a writing portfolio!

-Jassie!
"Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."
-Cyril Connolly
For more of my tutorials: http://myspace.keonnected.com/jsimms/en/index.html
  





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Wed Feb 20, 2008 9:45 pm
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boys got cooties says...



wow, thank you uber much <333 I'm currently suffering from severe writer's block. It's so sad.
For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone - audrey hepburn
  





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Fri Feb 22, 2008 3:50 am
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Jassie says...



I called this post 'Let your readers read' because thats basically what i'm going to explain.

As I said in my last post: Your readers want to think about what they're reading, they don't want to be told. How exciting would a story be if it went like this:
Tom laughed. Jennifer was so funny. She told great jokes all the time.

Not exciting at all, right?
How about:
Tom held his stomach as he bursted with laughed. "You're hilarious Jennifer" he said as he bit his lower lip to try and stop laughing. "You're a natural comedian"

Thats not the best example, but which example seems more enjoyable to read?

Here's an exercise you can do anytime you're around people and a pen and pencil are available.
Next time your at the coffee shop or in the mall or getting lunch, whether out or at school. Oh or next time you're watching tv. It doesn't matter, just listen to a conversation real quick. Whether it's your own or somebody elses.
I mean we don't go through life saying "Jasmine scratches her head" or "Jasmine cried" as we're doing those things. That's kind of odd...
So why write like that? Write with FEELING! I'm not sure how many times I should repeat that in this post to get you to remember. WRITE WITH FEELING! If writing is your true gift/talent, you SHOULD be using emotion by now.
I don't want to compare my writing style with yours. But many times when I'm writing a story I AM the character. I began doing this when my friend was telling me about her stories and she would talk about her characters as if they were real people. She would say stuff like "That guy is just so sweet and kind. He's really hot too" and at first I thought it was odd, but then I realized that it's A LOT easier to explain to yourself your characters as if they are real people. And because of this, one time when I was writing a sad part in my story, I started crying! I couldn't believe that I was crying about it but I was. BECAUSE I WROTE WITH FEELING! Write almost as if this story or poem is like a diary. You can do it, just change it to 1st, 2nd , or 3rd person if you need to!
Please! Write with feeling! Print it, highlight it, tattoo it on your forehead, I don't care. But believe me, you will become a better writing when you start puting real feelings into your writing. And poetry is the best example of writing with feelings in my opinion.

I don't mind if you think I'm psycho but I hope I'm not the only one who is tired of hearing people my age write stories an 8 year old could write.
If you do not see progression in your writing over time, you need to try to progress. Many published authors know how they progress over time and I know many people who laugh at themselves when they read their old stories and poems because they knew less about writing back then.

Sorry this was such a long post, remember: This better be going into your binder/notebook/writing portfolio!

-Jassie :smt050


P.S.: WRITE WITH FEELING! lol
"Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."
-Cyril Connolly
For more of my tutorials: http://myspace.keonnected.com/jsimms/en/index.html
  





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Mon Feb 25, 2008 6:47 pm
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inkdragon says...



I will definately try these! I'm having uber writer's block right now.

Thanks, Jassie!
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Tue Feb 26, 2008 2:02 am
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omgafilangi says...



These are some really great tips! Haha I went out and got some notecards from one of your early suggestions. Thanks!
NaPoWriMo

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Sat Mar 08, 2008 6:11 pm
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Jassie says...



I've got a fun activity for you all today! Since theres a saturday and theres a blizzard going on outside of my house, why not stay in and write another one :D

Anyways, this one can be done anywhere, at any time and in any place. Oh and before I forget, I have a special suggestion. Almost every time I leave the house, I bring a notebook with me. (or at least a piece of paper) Why? Have you ever had one of those experiences where you're in the shower and this great idea for a story or poem comes to you and [unless you're as crazy as me] you can't run out of the shower to write it down. Well we can't really solve that situation all the time, but in other situations like when you're just out at the store or something, you should always have a pen and pencil with you. Well girls, we can keep it in our purses, guys, you always seem to have huge pockets, just make it work :)

Anyway, this activity (which will be another long one, sorry) has to do with your own personal hobbies. Me? I love video games, swimming, taking walks, riding my bike, shopping, sleep overs, making amateur films with my friends, baking pastries, and 3D art and animation. 3D art and animation? You might be asking, "How can you get story ideas from that??"
Easy. When I make pictures of random people in DAZ (a 3D animation program) They can look PRETTY real. And even though I make more still-shots than actual animations... one picture can really make a story. Like when you see a movie poster, that picture might show a glimpse of what the storyline is gonna be like.

Another thing, how can I take my boring walks and turn those into a story? Well about a week ago I was walking in the woods with my friends and we were trying to build a bridge to cross a creek, because we were too bored at my house. We also, to my disgust, found a dead deer. Now as disturbing as this may sound, it COULD turn into an interesting story.

So, what I'm trying to do is teach you how to take something interesting out of your everyday life and turn it into a story. Like when you're at swim practice, there's some challenging stuff right? You can write a story about a guy or girl and swimming. And what's even better is that your story could be a completely different person, but you could write it like a diary and, if you've been practicing, you're writing with feeling and your story will surely make you happy in the end.

Sorry if this wasn't the best activity. I'll be writing a Part II, probably tonight because I'm so bored and I feel that it's necessary.

Goodluck everyone!
-Jassie :elephant:
"Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."
-Cyril Connolly
For more of my tutorials: http://myspace.keonnected.com/jsimms/en/index.html
  





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Wed Apr 16, 2008 2:52 am
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Jassie says...



It's late, I'm sick and I'm really tired. But I decided I could add another tip because I haven't in a long long time!

So here we go... This will be short.

What's your view on writing a character your readers will hate? Well in my opinion, it's pretty interesting when I write about an extremely mean character because mean people usually make me sad.
But I've got this cute story going about a guy who BECOMES mean over time because of past experiences.
So let's take... your mean boss, your mean teacher, that rude kid who sits in front of you at school, or maybe the bagger at your grocery store who could care less that you just asked how they were doing.

Everybody has a reason for their emotions. Whether it's from a past experience or maybe they're just having a really bad day.
This exercise can not only help you come up with an interesting character but it may give you a better appreciation of all of those people who just seem depressing.

Next time somebody gets an attitude with you, don't get mad (yet) just think about what they said. Was it something you did? Are they having a bad day? If so, how do you know?
Often when people go off on someone, its because one person went off on them and one person went off on that person and so on.
So a great activity is to pretty much analyze somebody's attitude.
Try using some of these questions
1. Did you upset them in any way?
2. Are they just having a bad day?
3. If they're having a bad day, how do you know?
4. How do they react to their problems or troubles?
With questions four think about this:
Do they throw things when they're angry?
Do they cry when they're angry?
Do they blame others?
Do they blame themselves? (Self esteem maybe?)


You can use these questions not only on an angry person, but a sad person, a happy person.
Your best friend is smiling from ear to ear. Did you help their happiness in anyway?

Goodluck! I'll be adding a Part 2 very soon!


Remember: Like I say at the end of EVERY post, write these down in your writing portfolio or folder or notebook or whatever you use to keep your things together and organized. (I hope you're at least trying to be organized)
From personal experience: I just lost several pages of a new story about a week ago. I was upset at first but luckily I remembered. It's all up in my head and always ready to be rewritten!

Hope this helped! :smt051
"Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."
-Cyril Connolly
For more of my tutorials: http://myspace.keonnected.com/jsimms/en/index.html
  





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Sat May 24, 2008 1:52 am
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Jassie says...



I'm back! It's been over a month, but I'm bored and sadly home on a Friday night. So I have another Writers Block prescription for you guys!

I've recently read this really interesting book called "As Simple As Snow" By Gregory Galloway. It's about an average kid who meets a goth girl. He wasn't sure what to think of her at first, but eventually they both started having feelings for each other. This led to them going out. (And in my opinion, they are the cutest fiction couple I've ever seen so far!)
Unfortunately (*gets teary eyed*) his new girlfriend goes missing. And the rest of the story takes you through his journey to try to find her. I personally didn't like the ending but a cool website was even made to go along with the book (http://www.assimpleassnow.com/) where you can download the songs mentioned and get clues and stuff... BUT ANYWAY...

Finally getting to the point in my post. I realize that many of my newer stories have been about guys.. not girls. This may be like more of a lecture than an activity, but I just want everyone to know, IT'S O.K. TO WRITE A STORY ABOUT A MEMBER OF THE OPPOSITE SEX!
I know soooooo many people who only write about girls or guys who only write about guys. I think a male author writing a story about a girl is great!

I find it a lot of fun to write stories about guys (I'm a girl in case nobody has figured that out) I can write about guys by remembering the way my male friends act or the way they express themselves. And I don't know why but I go through phases and right now I'm going through a phases where I find it a lot of fun to have my main character be a guy. Probably because I'm not one.

Have you ever felt interested in a book because its main character was a member of the opposite sex? Okay maybe not a book but, a movie, or a tv show.

I just want to encourage all of you to read that book and give yourself a large playing field when you're writing.
I'll go more in dept about this in my next post. Wow! I'm getting new ideas for more posts as I type this!

Goodluck!
P.S.- Should I still be reminding you to write this in your writing notebook? I hope not! :roll:


Until next time.... ~Jassie~
"Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."
-Cyril Connolly
For more of my tutorials: http://myspace.keonnected.com/jsimms/en/index.html
  





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Wed Mar 11, 2009 10:52 pm
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Phantomofthebasket says...



Oh my God, I swear you are my savior.
I've been having friends give me ideas over and over for stories to get over MY writer's block, but only a few has worked...
I'm SO glad I found this.
Keep on adding things!
Most defiantely!
Please.
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Mon Apr 05, 2010 2:13 am
Jassie says...



Close to two years later... I finally got around to having the time to post again.

When it comes to writing a story and getting ideas, your local library is your best friend. Even if you don't own a library card. Research is extremely important and helpful when it comes to story ideas. Whether writing a story on a war hero back in 1942 or a princess elf in a make-believe land, you might need some ideas or history to assist you in your writing.

If you seriously cannot get to a library (and you're not just being lazy) these websites may be able to help-

MSN Encyclopedia:
http://www.encarta.msn.com

Official Smithsonia Website:
http://www.si.edu/

PBS.com (FREE education videos and documents)
http://www.pbs.org/

Knowledge Base:
http://www.bartleby.com

Online Encyclopedia:
http://www.britannica.com/

Greek Mythology Websites:
http://www.greekmythology.com/
http://www.pantheon.org/

Medieval History:
http://www.medieval.org/
http://historymedren.about.com/

Pirate History:
http://www.thepiratesrealm.com/

And for you (sigh) huge Twilight fans...

Vampire Folklore:
http://www.vampiresamongus.com/history.html
http://hellhorror.com/vampires/history_of_vampires/

**Hellhorror.com has many great articles on other monsters as well.

Werewolf History:
http://www.mythicalrealm.com/legends/werewolf.html
http://www.werewolves.com/tag/werewolf-history/
http://werewolves.monstrous.com/werewolves_history.htm

Egyptian History:
http://www.legends.egyptholiday.com/
http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/gods/explore/main.html
http://www.touregypt.net/godsofegypt/
http://www.egyptianmyths.net/

**I'll find some more websites for various categories if anyone PMs me.

Please note that many of these websites may seem very "home-made." Many of these websites are folklore and myth. We all understand that we can't believe everything we read on the internet (especially when it comes to Mythology) but even if these websites aren't true; it doesn't mean that they can't inspire you and assist you in writing your next big story.

Any information you find thats helpful! Whether it's in the library or online. Write down the information, highlight it, copy it; do whatever you need to do. Remember to keep the names of the books or websites you use (pages and authors as well) in the event that you need to make citations later.

I hope this helped! I already have a good idea for my next post so I'll surely post again soon [for real]

Have a Happy Easter!
"Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."
-Cyril Connolly
For more of my tutorials: http://myspace.keonnected.com/jsimms/en/index.html
  








Remember, a stranger once told you that the breeze here is something worth writing poems about.
— Shinji Moon