Brandon L. Rucker's Blog
The wisdom and trials of others.
(Warning: Strong/graphic content) As part of the Q&A Podcast Fight Club 15th Anniversary Special, in which host Jeff Goldsmith sat down with novelist Chuck Palahniuk (Choke, Survivor) and screenwriter Jim Uhls (Jumper) to talk about the 1999 film, Palahniuk was asked, among other things, about his writing method, including his inspirations, habits, etc. In response, he proceeded […]
~ Words by Nicole Bianchi ~
Once upon a time, the typewriter was the only piece of technology a writer had to make his work easier. Now we not only have computers, but we can also access an endless array of useful writing tools on the Internet. Best of all, many of these web applications are absolutely free!
But it takes time to hunt down these apps (time you could be spending on writing), so I’ve done the work for you and put together a list of my favorites. I hope these web applications will help you with your next writing project!
Read on to discover 15 of the best free web applications for writers: “15 of the Best Free Web Applications for Writers” @NicoleJBianchi https://writingcooperative.com/15-of-the-best-free-web-applications-for-writers-fadea650fda1
~ Words & Humor By Sarah Cooper ~
Ever wonder how I get so much done? Me too. That’s why I decided to document my productivity methods so everyone can learn from them. Here’s my step-by-step process for being incredibly productive.
* * *
First, I realize it’s 4pm and I haven’t gotten anything done yet. This makes me panic a bit. However, instead of accepting the panic, or pushing through it, I pile it on by realizing it’s already April and I’ve gotten nothing done this year. Then I torture myself with thinking about how I’m almost 40, and I have maybe only 30 good years of my life left. Then I think about how something horrible could happen to me at any moment — a disease, a frozen yogurt accident, anything — and how mad I’d be at myself for wasting so much time doing absolutely nothing.
READ MORE: “How to Avoid Distractions and Finish What You” @sarahcpr https://blog.sarahcpr.com/how-to-avoid-distractions-and-finish-what-you-start-in-the-age-of-the-f6024684c2b
~ Words by Nicole Bianchi ~
Leonardo da Vinci. Marie Curie. Thomas Edison. Beatrix Potter.
What did all four of these people have in common?
Not only were they all highly motivated and creative individuals, but they also all kept some form of an idea journal.
An idea journal is not a diary where you have to record all of the details of your day. Rather, it’s a place where you jot down daily goals, achievements, observations, ideas for projects, quotes, or other bits of inspiration.
If you’re working on a project, you can fill your idea journal with updates on your progress, thoughts on how to improve the project, and anything else that motivates you.
A writer’s idea journal might be filled with ideas for stories or articles or blog posts. An artist’s might contain sketches or inspirations for drawings. Ultimately, the idea journal exists as a private place to plant your ideas and watch them grow.
Here are four reasons why I keep an idea journal — READ MORE: “Why I Keep an Idea Journal” @NicoleJBianchi https://writingcooperative.com/why-i-keep-an-idea-journal-5c5bdd59b44
I gotta say that Shaunta Grimes really hits it home in this one (with humor too). I can certainly identify with part of what she’s discussing here.
A few words by Shaunta Grimes: “I didn’t make a conscious decision not to publish. It just happened. And then it kept happening for more than two years. As evidenced by the zero fiction that I published.
I was still writing. I’ve written three novels and a dozen short stories in that time. They’re nice and cozy on my hard drive, wrapped in a thick layer of my fear of publishing them.
A fiction writer’s brain is a crafty trickster. It’ll convince itself that writing a whole shit ton of blog posts and MFA packets is the same thing as writing. It’ll rationalize that finishing novels is the end game and totally blow off publishing like it’s no big thing.”
And . . .
“Your writer brain will do everything it can to protect you from the hard, hard work of creating a story and then putting your baby on a street corner and hoping everyone thinks she’s pretty.
Of course your brain is trying to protect you (and itself) from that. That, friends, is crazy town.
And then one day you look up and realize that you have three novels on your hard drive, and you haven’t even sent them to your critique partner. Because one day in 2014 you walked into Barnes and Nobel and realized that they didn’t pick up your second book.”
READ: “This is how to override your writer brain. Publish anyway.” @shauntagrimes https://medium.com/@shauntagrimes/this-is-how-to-override-your-writer-brain-publish-anyway-1e3548cbb4ba
by Samia Rahman
So, how can you write about issues or experiences that you find to be culturally alien, yet do it well? Perhaps the first step is to acknowledge that embarking upon such a task comes with responsibility, and you might want to think carefully about your motivation. Is this a subject that you can do justice to, providing voices for stories that may not otherwise be heard? Objectivity and authenticity are notoriously difficult to achieve. Be honest with yourself and constructively consider your strengths and limitations. Ultimately, if you have the self-belief then go for it!
READ: “How to Write the ‘Other’ (Without Being a Jerk)” @ProWritingAid https://writingcooperative.com/how-to-write-the-other-without-being-a-jerk-18a04902bf4
A blogger friend not long ago published a post about writing notes for historical novels. It’s a good idea, and got me thinking about making some for my books, the time travel saga set in ancient Greece and Persia. On the other hand, I don’t want to pretend that my books are scholarly or academic – they are fiction, and even if I did research for years before and during writing, I can’t say they are strictly historical. I took too many liberties. So, if I did include historical notes, they would be more to explain where and why I changed things around and not to tell what really happened.
I always thought that a historical fiction writer has to walk a fine line between facts and fiction. I used several sources for my tales, including Arrian’s Anabasis of Alexander, which one can now find online in its entirety. Arrian lived approximately 500 years after Alexander’s death and he mostly used writings from Aristobulus, a historian who accompanied Alexander on his journey; Nearchus, Alexander’s admiral, and Ptolemy Lagos. Unfortunately, those writings have largely disappeared and there is hardly anything left that is contemporary of Alexander. While I was writing, I contacted a professor in Italy, who very kindly advised me on some questions I had, including names and where to look for recipes for toothpaste. A surgeon was very helpful in explaining some of the operations and medical skills of the times, and told me that there weren’t any sutures in ancient times – these appeared late in the 18th century. And finally, Michael Wood’s book, In the Footsteps of Alexander was my constant companion to trace Alexander’s voyage. [more]
From History in fiction – http://wp.me/p6bgv3-1XZ
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