2-0

Welcome back! Did I tell you I love comments? Very few people write... Be original :)

Creative Writing - Mood and Setting

I don’t like creative writing prompts too much.

They make good writing exercises, if your idea is to just practice. But if you have a story en route, you aren’t looking for ideas to get started on a brief three page writing exercise, but ways to expand and deepen your storyline.

I’ve explored this time and again, not because I am a prolific writer, but because I am not. As a matter of fact, the only noteable story I’ve ever finished is Peregrine’s Song. In the end it didn’t come out as a written work, but as a game.

The sad truth is that creative writing eludes me, and it’s starting to annoy me.

The Fiction Kit is the result of my preliminary work to stop being annoyed. I’m not saying I covered everything. But I think there is enough for me to break out a decent first draft. You might find it helpful as well.

For now, you’ll see my take on story structure, setting, character development (attributes and relationships) and exploring possible interactions between each of those story components.

After my dozen or so pages of theorizing, each of these elements are presented in templates that you can fill out, store, edit and review until all the ideas you need for better story architecture are available.

To better understand the difference between structure and architecture, try this article by Larry Brooks.

From that point on, your writing talent is up to bat.

If you are an expert on the subject, I’d really appreciate your comments to make it better. If needed, there will be an update.

This link opens the Fiction Kit on your browser, unless your browser is old or if you right-click – save target as.

You need Adobe reader for this. It is a PDF file.

A few days ago I purchased and read Marelisa Fábrega’s ebook entitled How to Be More Creative – A Handbook for Alchemists.

The best books to read aren’t necessarily nation-wide best sellers. That does not make Marelisa an amateur, she is a popular blogger on the creativity theme and has years worth of research, leisure reading, writing and practice on the subject. She also has top-rated Squidoo lenses (<100) and a long-time readership.

Three Things that Stand Out.

The first is the writing. Marelisa is from Panama, so one can only assume that English isn’t her native language. It isn’t mine either, but my writing is nothing special. You can come back and check on that once in a while for the next few years, I will surely get better

Content is great, but when it is well written, it permeates. You remember more, are struck with more images, and ultimately are able to apply more without having to reread.

Nonetheless, content there is, and a lot of it, so printing and binding the ebook, as well as interacting with it as instructed is highly recommended.

Then there are the references. Where else can you expect to learn creativity secrets and insights from many great minds as Mark Twain, Isaac Asimov, Guy Kawasaki, Stephen King, Leonardo da Vinci, Machiavelli… And many others I hadn’t ever heard about. If you were to search the internet for such wide-ranging views on creativity, you would miss out on many.

There are also a heap of online references. Links to interactive tools and exercises, as well as further content sources that illustrate her own. Great finds for future exploration that you would miss otherwise, and that would be a shame.

Then comes the technique. You’ll come back often to explore further and apply it, because it is fun and rewarding. A few days isn’t nearly enough for me to describe the full potential, but I have made great progress already. For this blog alone, as well as my other projects, ideas and actions have been flowing easier, and I see things going much further as time passes.

Like many great resources, this is one you will want to keep close by if you have a mind to doing more, better things in the near future.

Click here to visit Abundance Blog at Marelisa Online. and get your own handbook for alchemists!

Remember that alchemists were those that turned lead into gold. Learn to create value for yourself, and others, with just what is available to you. Regardless of how insignificant it may seem at first, you have more potential than you think!