*Jerry Lee Lewis voice* HEY DAVID CHAAASE!
Tag. 🙂 Comment and let me know, and then I’ll delete this.
2
Follow
Ruthanne Reid: Editor, Becoming Writer, 100 Day Book, Moderator
Member since December 10, 2014
Frothy, according to Kirkus Reviews. Thrives on regular servings of good books and cute cats.
Website: http://ruthannereid.com
Recent Writing Pieces
ASK YOUR PARENTS FIRST
I figure I might as well post this here and see how this goes! “Sweet swinging starfish, what did you do?” The space between the
1
Recently Critiqued Posts
Weekly Short Story – 995 words
Once upon a time, there was a new forum. The end.
3
The Caul
This is the first short story I ever wrote. It’s a Fantasy piece. I entered it into the Spring TWP/Wordhaus Contest in 2015. I was
2
Thank you Joe, for making The Story Cartel Course. It gave me confidence to agree to make future, stressful phone call. It may be the hardest phone call of my life.
I was testing the title limit there. Wanted to see how it would look. The following is a true story about me personally. Last March,
2
Cool Poem #1
Roses are red Violets are blue The forum’s awesome and your face is too.
4
Does anyone know a publisher?
Hi, im a new and excited writer to be sharing my stories with you all lol their very good and I hope to be publish
6
I’ve been demoted.
I am no longer a Super Moderator. (Whatever that was if anything.)Sigh, I have been demoted to a mere Moderator. “Super Moderator” was what showed
4
Fake Letter to Joe
(Now, I know we were told to send questions to Joe’s e-mail, but I wanted to play around with this site for a while before
3
Scars
Scars It’s not the scars you see that are the problem. Those I can deal with, it’s the ones under the skin that are the
4
See Ruthanne's other Write Practice activity outside of the forums
The Powerful Reason You Should Tell Your Story
For a lot of us, this has been a rough year, a tiring year, a painful year.
Some years carry a heavier toll than others, and this is one of them. Yet in spite of that—or maybe because of it—there’s something you need to do: tell your story. I know how tired you are. I know some of you you don’t feel heard. I know some of you might fear you don’t matter.
You do.
53
Empathy: How to Show Empathy in Writing
Stories create empathy. Stories bring hope. Stories change history. Yes, even yours—especially when you know how to show empathy in writing.
34
How to Create Your Own “Rules of Writing”
It’s good to study other writers’ rules, but in the end, those rules were not made for you—they were made for other writers. If you’re serious about being a writer, then you need to figure out your rules of writing and stick to them. This post will show you how.
24
JK Rowling’s 8 Rules of Writing
You know who JK Rowling is. You know Harry Potter took the world by storm. You may even be aware that Rowling had trouble getting published at all. Ms. Rowling has shared a lot of terrific writing wisdom, but in my opinion, these are her eight best rules.
84
7 Haunted Halloween Writing Prompts
BOO! It’s Halloween—what better day to write some spooky stories? Sharpen your pencil and take a stab at one of these Halloween writing prompts!
9
The 8 Rules of Writing, as Told by Neil Gaiman
Some of you may have noticed that the esteemed Mr. Gaiman is my favorite living author. Even if he’s not everyone’s cup of tea, it’s hard not to notice him: books, graphic novels, award after award—the man is prolific and very good at what he does. So when I realized he had eight rules of writing, you better believe I beelined to read them. And guess what? They’re fantastic … with a few explanations. Read on for more.
35
How to Start a Story
This is a question I hear a lot:Â How do I start my story? The answer is simple, but not easy. Got your diving mask on? Here we go!
51
6 Revealing Characterization Prompts to Know Your Character Better
Here’s the underlying principle: your characters are people. People are complicated; I suspect you might know a few. Characters are much the same way. Your reader will relate to them if they behave like people, and for characters to behave like people, they need to be built like people.
You need to know your characters like you do other humans, and these six prompts will help you pull that off.
6
There’s Hope For You as a Writer (And Here’s Proof)
Let me tell you, sometimes there is drama in the world of publishing. This week, that drama was not only jaw-dropping, but it proved this powerful
12
3 Essential Questions for Writers
Greetings, fellow writers. I’m tackling something deeply important today: three questions you must answer if you call yourself a writer.
22
You May Not Be Ready to Publish Your Book
That’s a touchy statement, isn’t it? Before you light me on fire for typing it, give me the chance to explain. There are two aspects to being ready to publish your book: preparing your book and preparing yourself.
26
How Character Relationships Will Make or Break Your Story
I want you to think back to your favorite book or television show. There may be many things that stood out to you about that story—the plot, the scenery, the outfits, the scope, or something else. There’s one aspect, however, that underpins all those things. One detail which, if missing, leaves your readers unable to really invest themselves in your story: relationships between characters.
20
How You’ll Recover From Writer’s Block
Writer’s block. Do the words give you shivers?
I’ve struggled with writer’s block many, many, many times. I know the fear it causes (I’ll never write again, I can’t do this, I will never finish this book, etc.). I also know how to get out of it.
Brace yourself. This won’t be pretty, but if you’re willing to fight, it will work.
14
The Ugly Truth About Self-Doubt as a Writer
Today’s topic won’t be a comfortable one. I’m going to address an issue I’m pretty sure you don’t want to hear—but by the time I’m done, you’ll be armed, better prepared, and stronger than you were. And what is this uncomfortable topic? Self-doubt.
No matter what you do, your doubt as a writer will never go away.
52
The Secret Every Frustrated Writer Needs to Know
Are you frustrated with your writing? Tired of writing words you know aren’t as good as you want them to be? Frustrated writer, I know why.
A weird thing happens when we finally sit down to write The Book: we expect it to come out as magnificently as we think it should. We see or feel what it should be, and hey—we’ve read and written stuff all our lives, right? It should just come out!
But it doesn’t.
This is normal.
37
3 Whimsical Reasons to Daydream Your Story
Daydreaming is one of your greatest writing tools. Mind you, some people call it visualization. Others call it imagination. I call it story-prep, and here and now, I am officially giving you permission to daydream.
Not convinced yet? Here are three reasons why daydreaming might just be one of the best things you do for your writing today.
13
The Fundamental Secret to Finding Time to Write
Hey, you. Yes, you—the one with the storied dreams and the demanding imagination. You need to TAKE the time to write. I’m sorry to say this, but that time will never materialize on its own.
11
The One Secret to Finishing Your Writing Projects
A funny thing happens when you move.
You start out carefully. Each glass is conscientiously wrapped in six pages of newspaper. Each collectible is cushioned and boxed as if interred, and each box Sharpied with item, location, and name. Then a few days into this, something strange happens: you realize it doesn’t matter.
To put it another way, when you’re running out of time, you no longer have the luxury of faffing around. That’s when you really get down to business.
10
One Frightful Characterization Tip That Will Transform Your Stories
People are complicated. I know, that’s like saying, “Hey, fire is hot!” but when it comes to characterization, this needs to be said. Our tendency as authors is to stick imaginary people into tiny two-dimensional categories, forgetting that no human being fits into tiny two-dimensional categories.
One of the things that makes humans so confounded complicated is we are not logical.
43
Why Music Is a Writer’s Secret Weapon (+ Win a Year of Music for Writing)
Music is awesome. It’s evocative. But you know this already; after all, there’s a reason movies and inspirational/religious services use it so carefully.
Music can help you become a better writer. You don’t have to listen while you write; I know many of you need silence to spin words. However, I believe it’s important to have a soundtrack for your stories, your books, your worlds. It makes them feel richer; it helps you, the writer, to create the mood effectively.
64