via Digital Art
Short Stories
Where is your character going?
It was a dark and stormy night. Ok, that was a great start, but now where is your character going from there?
The last time I blogged I showed you a few places to name your character now I have a few that will help you find the place they are going.
This website has from soup to nuts in helping you name person, place or things. You can get lost for hours naming things.
http://fantasynamegenerators.com/town_names.php#.V4JVgMJzWUk
I found this next one to be simple and straight forward. If you need a name for a town they have it.
http://www.namegenerator2.com/town-name-generator.php
This one next one is kind of techie, but comes up with some interesting results. Play around with it and see what you can come up with.http://www.mf2fm.com/RaToNaGe/
Finding names for your characters
One morning you wake up and there is this character walking around inside your head. He or she is begging you to tell their story, but what should you call them and who are they really? They must have some sort of back story and history to make the story complete.
Here are few websites that will help you flesh out your character and maybe find a side kick for them too.
Warning searching for names can be addicting.
http://www.fakenamegenerator.com/
http://www.behindthename.com/random/
http://www.rinkworks.com/namegen/
http://character.namegeneratorfun.com/
Keeping Track of Your Story
After Reading A Song of Fire and Ice (known to many as the Game of Thrones), I wondered how does George R.R. Martin keep track of it all?
Here are few tips and places to help you keep track of yours.
- Readwritethink.org This site is designed for children, but I found it handy for just getting your beginning thoughts in line and it is printable.
- Evernote -I haven’t used this one, but I have heard good things about it. Here is what it’s website said: From short lists to lengthy research, no matter what form your writing takes, Evernote keeps you focused on moving those ideas from inspiration to completion.
- Now for the not so techie side. I find a cork board and index cards to be helpful. Its’ great to have it there to glance at to keep you on track.
- Another one and the one I like best is the writing journal. I keep a journal of dates and places that happen in my story. Since my novel is a historical series it is important that I age my characters correctly as time progresses and keep the dates for events accurate.
Advertising Your Writing #3
Here is another website that you can promote your book for free. Be sure to have an author bio ready and a synopsis of your book and a book cover ready too. They will also ask for your website, twitter and Amazon link.
Try them out at http://www.awesomegang.com
Advertising Your Writing #2
Here is another place to advertise your writing. Not only can you advertise there, you may also let people know about special promotions and events. Just click on the tab that says contact me. http://www.newbookjournal.com
Art Rage
I was recently asked to help illustrate a children’s book and used my Art Rage software to do it. If you are working on a project that needs illustrations this is the way to go. The learning curve is short and the results are pretty cool.
A Tribute To Mom
I think one of the biggest tributes to a mother is when you realize that you have become just like her in one way or another. The way she did things are so much apart of you now, that her legacy will continue on for generation after generation. I remember the day I realized that for myself. I would like to share that with you in a short story called Stolen Food.
A Short Story With A Twist
With Mother’s Day just around the corner I thought I would share a short story I wrote called Mother
I hope you enjoy it and remember Mother’s Day is May 12th.
Reference Tools For Writers
It’s good to have a few reference tools at your fingertips when you are writing. When you include accurate details to your story, the story becomes more vivid and feels more authentic.
There is nothing more exciting to a reader than to find something they can relate to because they have experienced, saw, or remembered something similar in their own life. Below are three resources that I find useful from time to time.
Purdue OWL
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/owlprint/738/
This site has links to dictionaries, manuals, handbooks, libraries, journal and online magazines.
This page contains links and short descriptions of writing resources including dictionaries, style manuals, grammar handbooks, and editing resources. It also contains a list of online reference sites, indexes for writers, online libraries, books and e-texts, as well as links to newspapers, news services, journals, and online magazines.
Refdesk
http://www.refdesk.com
This site has links from soup to nuts information. The list goes on and on. Automated news feeds, facts at a glance, dictionaries, calculators and a large list of other categories.
The American Society for Indexing
http://www.asindexing.org
This site has gathered many reference resources and list has them listed in an A to Z format.
Short stories and other artistic endeavors 