Follow @junemason74 books galore: July 2011

Books Galore blog Headline Animator

Books Galore blog

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Writing Ideas- Activities For Your Book

     To get an idea of when your events occur in your story, jot down a word or a couple of words to summarize each main event and place them in order from beginning to end on a timeline.  Leave enough space so that you can include extra events and ideas.  Don't worry if your paper is crowded.  I tend to think that my paper is probably more crowded than yours! 

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Writing Ideas- Activities For Your Book

     Another idea is to enhance characters.  There is no limit to how this can be done.  You could use the second method I listed (expand vocab.) to find out more about your character and you can even put yourself in their shoes.  If you wanted to enhance your character through a writing exercise, I have a perfect way to do it.  Use metaphors to substitute for the character's goal, obstacle, talent etc.  Take any of these and put your character into his/her psychological world that they don't see.


     For example, use an open window to represent a way out of a relationship that is troubling.  The setting can mean many things, so think about this in detail.  Is this relationship dark and gloomy, or is there just something better on the other side?  Is there something he/she treasures that keeps them there, like gold?  Will gold symbolize this treasure or could you use something else-maybe it's more intangible than that. 

Friday, July 29, 2011

Writing Ideas- Activities For Your Book

     When you feel like writing but nothing is coming out, try expanding your vocabulary.  On separate sheets of paper write a word that covers a broad spectrum of ideas.  It can be a place, a character, an idea, or an action or feeling.  Go through a dictionary and begin to list words under the idea and so on, that could also mean the same thing.  A short example that I have done is with the word cursed.


Cursed
-abandoned
-abash
-abate


Now these do not directly mean cursed but can make you feel that way sometimes. 

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

What Inspires the Writer in Me - Horror Genres

I know what you are thinking!  No, not the blood and guts!  I do activities that inspire me to think of scary plots.  I don't have to put myself in some dangerous or scary situation to inspire me to write a horror plot for my books.  I like to pay attention to the small details around me.  Things that other people don't notice are the things that I pay attention to.  When the unexpected happens, it takes me by surprise.  That's what makes a scary plot to me.  Sometimes I will just go to a quiet place, but the main thing I do is just go about my normal routine because after all, that is what everyone is doing when a scary plot comes up.  Sounds wierd, right!  I am going to a quiet place and doing my normal every day stuff to get inpired for writing a horror book.  That is what works for me.




What Inspires the Writer In Me- Horror Genres Continued...

Most Recent:

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Comedy Books Make the Best Movies

There are a lot of good comedy movies out there, but some of the ones that really made me laugh were written by an author with a good sense of humor.  Confessions of a Shopaholic and Marley and Me are some of my favorites.  Confessions of a Shopaholic was based off of a book written by Sophie Kinsella.  This is a really funny movie for just about any girl.  The movie Marley and Me was based off of the book written by John Grogan.  The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger is another comedy movie based off of a book.  In Her Shoes was based off of the book by Jennifer Weiner.  Another good comedy film is Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang.  This is based off of the book Bodies Are Where You Find Them by Brett Halliday.  Must Love Dogs was a movie based on the book written by Claire Cook.  Those were some good reads and great entertainment!  I would like to see some more to come for this year.   

Monday, July 25, 2011

What Inspires the Writer in Me – Action Genres

Hi, and welcome to books galore!  I enjoy action books very much, do you?  When I am thinking of an action plot I reflect on some of my past hobbies.  The hobbies I take part in to get a great action plot inspired in me are the things I find most exciting.  I find watching action movies to be very exciting!  This is one of my favorite things to do.  Just when you think the movie has no more harm to deal with…BAM!  Another disaster happens that requires some fast action.  I get so used to this that I look for it when my plot just seems to be getting resolved.  I love it in movies when something unexpected happens at the very end that leaves you jumping out of your seat puzzled.  This is always something I think about doing in my books.  I have to have a very good reason to give my characters a break at the end of my action books.  This is just one of my many hobbies to get the action writer inspired in me.  There are much, much, more.




What Inspires the Writer in Me- Action Genres Continued...

Most Recent

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Writing Ideas - Activities

     When you sit down to write and nothing seems to come out right, even though it's flowing through your mind, don't get discouraged!  Try putting all these ideas into a Writer's Block poem or story.  You can make it as confusing or crafty as you want.  Who knows, you might come back to it later when you are able to write that story and steel some of your old ideas that were flowing around that day.  You could even create something totally new!  Whatever the case, don't let Writer's Block put you down.  Make it worth your time.  And have fun!

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Enrich Your Mind For Writing - Books Are Written By Creative Minds

Believe it or not, food has just about everything to do with writing books!  When I know I am going to have a full day ahead with writing, I start my day off giving my brain plenty of energy to work.  When writing a book, unexpected ideas and plots always come to when the mind is wide awake.  Every Morning for me is time to enrich my mind.  My favorite meal of the day is breakfast!  I wake up with my stomach growling, and my mind starving for some brain food.  Then it is time to get started.  When I am about to write an intense part of my plot, and want to make it really stand out, I drink a cup of tea.  This is what works for me. 

Check out this website about brain food: http://www.scholastic.com/resources/article/its-brain-food

Friday, July 22, 2011

Horror Books Make the Best Movies

Horror books make the best movies.  It dates all the way back to the movie Frankenstein.  Just this last week I watched the movie Red Riding Hood.  This is a really good movie.  I was kept unaware of who the killer was until the end.  It is based off of a book by David Johnson.  The movie I Am Legend, staring Will Smith, is a movie that I really enjoyed watching.  Not only was this a great movie, but it was based off of a book written by Richard Matheson.  These author’s unique perspectives give such a great plot that it is simply irresistible for people not to notice the movie.  I enjoy a spooky plot and not knowing what to expect.  Horror books have all the tools to make that happen!

 

Horror Books Make the Best Movies- Revisited...

Most Recent:

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

What Inspires The Writer In Me

What inspires me to write the most are my hobbies.  I think it is important to have hobbies because they give something to your writing that is unique to you.  Each person chooses their own hobby for their own reasons.  That is what makes their experience so unique.  They take away something different than everyone else with that same exact hobby.  Those experiences and values in a story make a unique character.  Right now, I find my time gardening.  Not just gardening, but studying the environment around me.  The bees that sometimes almost fly into you, and the occasional sticky mud that you deal with.  Right now with all the heat, my plants need to be watered.  When I am in the sun, I take a break to stand under one of my oak trees.  When I want to describe my character’s feelings, I look at what inspires the writer in me.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Action Books Make the Best Movies

I have been watching some great movies lately.  One thing I started to notice is that the movies I was watching were based on books.  I started to do some research.  I found a lot of movies based on books.  Some of my favorite movies are written off of books.  It really makes me inspired to see all these stories brought to life with movies.  One of my favorite action movies of all time, Die Hard, was based off of a book!  A year or so back it seemed that a lot of movies were created by the producers themselves.  It is becoming a more popular thing to see books made into movies this year.  The movie I Am Number Four is an action movie based on the book written by Pittacus Lore.  One of my favorites, The Eagle is derived from the book Eagle of the Ninth, written by Rosemary Sutcliff.  This was one of the best movies I have seen!  You can check out some of my movie reviews on twitter if you like.  I watch many of them, so there will be more reviews to come! 

Follow me on twitter: www.twitter.com/junemason74




Action Books Make the Best Movies- Revisited...

Most Recent:

Welcome to My Blog on My Favorite Books and Genres

Hi everyone!  I love to write and read.  I love science fiction, horror, and action genres; you name it!  I have written a couple of science fiction novels, but am in the process of getting them published.  Before now I had stopped my attempts to get these novels published because of a run in with a "bad" agent.  But now I am back on track thanks to writers beware.  Now I know that the road I will ride in order to get my books published will be a smooth one.

Besides writing, I am a full time college student majoring in pre-med.  I enjoy the outdoors, art and tennis.