New Year’s Writing Resolutions!

It’s a new year which means it is the perfect time to both take a look back and reflect on the last year and plan out the year ahead. Ask yourself if you accomplished everything you hoped to this past year. Hopefully the answer is “no.” Not because I want you to do badly, I’m not usually that mean. Rather I believe that writers should have so many plans and dreams that it would be impossible to have everything.

Either way, get out your pen and paper (or computer for you younglings) and prepare to start this year off right by writing down what you hope to get out of your writing career in the months to come. Here are some of the resolutions off my list, feel free to post your own in the comments. Good Luck and Happy New Year!

• Finish at least three books, including one novel.
• Stick to my schedule of writing at least five days a week, regularly.
• Practice making ebook covers.
• Work on editing my manuscripts in a timely manner (I usually despise editing).
• Go to six new places or events (writing fodder).
• Win a writing competition.
• Get published in a print or online magazine.
• Learn at least five new skills (more writing fodder).
• Win Nanowrimo.
• Finish my first screenplay.
• Work on branding and marketing myself.
• Make at least one good book trailer.

Writers 2 The Rescue!

I recently started a fundraiser event for the ASPCA. The actual event will be in January, but I am currently gathering animal related stories for a book to give away to donators. If you are interested in helping out by donating a story please send your story as a word document to writers2therescue@yahoo.com. If you would like to include a picture of your pet, please include as .jpg attachment (separate from the word document)

1. Stories must be original work.
2. You understand you will not receive any compensation for the stories.
3. Stories can be whatever genre you want.
4. Inclusion into the collection(s) will be at my sole discretion.
5. Stories will be published under your name or pen name(make sure you include it in the email) and may be reused as on other fundraisers, but will not be published or used in any other capacity.

Visit the page: https://www.aspca.org/team/writers_rescue

Ways To End The World

There are few things as morbidly fun to ponder as how the world might end or, for us writers, how we might end the worlds we create. To end October, here is a list of ways the world could end. Enjoy!

• Asteroid/meteor impact
• Robot Apocalypse
• Pandemic (natural or man made)
• Reversal of Earth’s magnetic field
• Nuclear war
• Alien invasion
• Genetically engineered species/mutant
• Earth is knocked out of orbit
• Earth comes in contact with a black hole
• Super Volcano
• Earth is knocked significantly off its axis
• Gamma ray burst
• Ozone or atmosphere disappears
• Giant solar flare
• Global warming
• Nanotechnology runs wild
• Divine intervention
• All atoms suddenly cease to exist at the same time (theoretically possible, although highly improbable)
• Strangelets, antimatter, and other deadly particles
• Deconstructed by a self-replicating machine (think Star Gate)

Writing Samples

If you want to be  conventional author who writes novels or poetry, there is no end to the writing samples you can find. Even if you don’t want to go to the local bookstore, there are dozens of websites right at your fingertips. However if you wish to write in other formats it can be a bit harder to find samples to study and compare your writing with. Here is a list of some places to find those writing samples.

COMIC BOOK SCRIPT (Note: These are not for comic strips, only for books and graphic novels)

• Dark Horse Comics
• Comic Book Script Archive
• Scripts and Scribes

VIDEO GAME SCRIPT

• Storm The Castle
• Fine Game Design
• Gamasutra

MOVIE SCRIPT

• Film Script Writing
• Simply Scripts
• Internet Movie Script Database

MUSIC VIDEO SCRIPT

• Author’s Den
• Script Template

Handwriting Analysis

Graphology is the rather fascinating study of writing. In a world that is increasingly relying on printed and electronic communication, many people might be surprised to find that their handwriting can still say much about their personality and outlook. It can be a fun and inexpensive hobby.

To obtain a good handwriting sample you need unlined paper and a sample of at least 100 words. A fountain or ball point pen should also be used, whichever the writer typically uses. The sample should also be original and not copied material, and no poetry. Whether you are right or left handed can also affect the results. These results are for righties.

If you are curious, here is a handwriting test you can take online using your computer. Not very accurate, and you are the one who tells the computer what characteristics your writing has, but it is an interesting introduction. Handwriting Personality Quiz

Characteristics:

• Slant to the right – an extrovert. someone who like to interact with the world around them and is very expressive. Sociable and impulsive with a tendency to think about the future.
• Straight up and down – Works well alone. Logical and in control of their emotions.
• Slant to the left – an independent who tends to work better alone. Can lack spontaneity, but may also be expressing a rebellious side.

 

• Large – Likes to stand out with a big personality.
• Small – Introspective and meticulous. The writer can also be resourceful and thrifty with an ability to concentrate easily.
• Average – Well adjusted and adaptable.

 

• Small spaced words – The writer is talkative and spontaneous.
• Large spaced words – Inhibited, isolated, but cultured.

 

• Narrow line spacing – Thrifty and frugal, but a hasty decision maker.
• Wide line spacing – Lonely, but well-mannered with good organization skills.