Writing Ideas- Activities For Your Book

     Find out how books or movies are balanced.  Think of all the climatic points and weigh their importance.  You can think of good versus bad outcomes.  If you do this enough you'll notice trends relating to certain genres.  Sometimes it begs the question, "Is their an ideal pattern to genres?"

     A story usually satisfies both needs for problems and solutions so that there is a clear and defined ending.  On occasion, horror books or movies have one bad thing happen after another and leave the conclusion with another bad happening.  Some movies and books end on a happier note and seem to lean the total balance that way also.  Others are equal in presenting both life's trials and satisfying outcomes.  Can you feel the balance in your own book?  As you add things on both sides of the scale, eventually you have picked apart your novel and the weight is either equal on both sides or leaning toward one.

What Inspires the Writer In Me- Action Genres Continued

Action genres are so fun.  They provide a way to get the reader on the edge of their seat nonstop.  I think the writer experiences just as much when they are writing this as the reader does, if not more!  I love to be inspired by these genres.  Something that inspires me to write an action book the most would be things that I would find very difficult to do.  Of course, finding a bomb and disabling it would be a very hard and stressful situation to be in.  Trying to stop a train before it heads towards a broken bridge would be another.  These situations would inspire me to be able to write an action book that would keep my readers on the edge of their seat.  Naturally my character would be doing all of the work and risk all of the danger.  Something I could live with.

Novella Books Make the Best Movies

Novellas are special in that they give the reader a good book to read that is a little longer than the normal short story.  I love it because if I want to carry out the story a little more, I have time to finish the extra bit at the end because it is shorter than a novel.  It is exciting to see this carried out into a movie.  Some popular movies that have been based on novellas are A Christmas Carol based on the book by Charles Dickens, The Invisible Man based on the book by H.G. Wells, and The Mist based on the book by Stephen King.  Some of my favorites are I Am Legend based on the book by Richard Matheson, The Time Machine based on the book written by H.G. Wells, and Apocalypse Now based on the book Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.  These books make a great break to sit down and enjoy.    

What Inspires the Writer In Me- Short Stories

How do we know whether we are going to write a short story, novella, or a novel?  As writers I think we get a feeling.  Something inspires us.  I like to write short stories.  What inspires me to write them are situations that I could put myself in for a moment.  Kind of like a short break.  Maybe a moment to drink a cup of coffee, or a walk in the park.  A story that centers on something like this that gives the reader a break is my idea of a short story.  I also get inspired when I think of situations that center on emotion.  I focus on a specific emotion of anger, sadness, happiness, or fear.  These are situations that I can put myself in as well.  Writing about a happy situation would be a kid that lost a tooth, or  winning a sports game.  I would use a sick person and a dying pet for a sad situation.  No matter what genre the story, I like to think of these things to start with.  That is what works for me!

What Inspires the Writer In Me- Short Stories Continued...

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My Favorite Settings In Mystery Books

I love to solve mysteries!  My favorite settings for these types of unsuspecting books are settings that are fast paced, like in a busy city.  Anything can happen in these places.  There are a lot of clues to look for.  Now to be more specific, I find a setting like in a bar, or in an apartment, where there a lot of people around to be most interesting.  There you will definitely find a lot of potential suspects and clues.  Anything that keeps me in the unknown for as long as possible makes a good mystery book to me.  I think it is fun when I read a mystery book to see how the character can solve a mystery in a setting like this, and yet stay sharp and focused.  

Writing Ideas- Activities For Your Book

     Have you ever tried using symbols in your story?  Whether you choose to or not, it can be fun thinking about it.  If you are having a slow day, thinking of one thing to symbolize another idea, emotion, meaning, person, etc. can help you define your piece a little more and point you in the direction that you need to be taking when you begin writing for the day.  Among the many possible examples, here's one:  Say someone remembers a lost loved one by her favorite color, they wake to an early morning sky with that color all around them.  (further meaning)  They feel like that person has spoken to them, painting the sky to say hello.  If you don't use the piece, it's still an uplifting thinking process to put you into the writing mode when needed.

The Power To Write- Get Inspired

     The writer's experience is a novel in itself!  We go through so many adventures and trials both in our books and in real life.  Every author's experience is different!  How fun is that?  Our readers only get to go through half the fun that we do.  It's like some of those movies where people leave on a quest, go through and learn so much, and actually have a great, unforgettable time.  But once they're back home - they never want to do it again - they don't want to leave.  If people who don't write could go through what we do, without the hassle of writing, I'm sure they wouldn't forget it either.  It's fun, self-fulfilling, and it makes you full - as if to say, " the cake was the best cake I've ever had and my stomach's so full there isn't room for any more." -  Ha, ha - it's kind of like kids when they're worn out.  Give them time and they'll go at it again.

Writing Ideas- Activities For Your Book

     Sometimes writing a poem for your story can help bring out the details you must focus on.  What I call a "writer's block" poem takes apart what you know of your novel and the keys that your character holds to it all.  Find the most important set back that a character experiences and his/her adoration and link the two together.  Basically, tell the characters story in summary, focusing on key details, and let it be in their psychological world, if you will.  For example, a problem should be symbolized  by something, or by the setting (dark, gloomy, etc.).  The long term goal or happiness that the character experiences everyday can be symbolized by many things; usually it's best to have it go along with the setting and other symbols.

What Inspires the Writer In Me- Religious Genres

Whether you have a religion or not, religious books always will show you a message of right and wrong.  Many other genres can be found within this genre.  The great thing about this is that you can relate it to any part of life if you choose to.  Whether it is action, romance, or drama, you can relate to the message.  All books have a message.  I'm inspired to write a Religious book when I think about things to learn in life.  I also think about things that people need to stand up for.  Some common examples are the right and wrong choices to be made, and good and evil.  Just by thinking of these choices I have an infinite amount of material to use for my book.   There are a lot of right and wrong choices to be made.  There a lot of variations of good and evil.  This changes even more with each individual.   

My Favorite Settings In Horror Books

I love creative settings with horror books.  Something truly unique makes the danger of the setting come to life when you want it too.  This is kind of like when you see a ghost.  You usually are not expecting to see one there.  My favorite settings in horror books are in hometowns, where people live.  I am sure you have read some good books with this setting!  It is my favorite because it makes you feel right at home.  Now I will be more specific.  I find that settings with people taking trips to the store, or to a friends house to be some of the scariest settings I have come across.

What Inspires the Writer In Me- Fantasy Genres Continued

Fantasy books bring out something extra to any story or plot.  I love it when you have this out of this world idea fitting in with a story.  I mentioned before that I like to think of ordinary things to inspire me to write a fantasy book.  This time, to inspire the writer in me to write a fantasy book, I think of things that would normally be a bad situation, and make it a rather pleasant one, or vice versa.  For one, I would think of something I would be horrified with if I had to be there.  An example of a situation like this would be falling in the sky, or drowning in the ocean.  I would turn this into a pleasant situation by being able to fly, not fall, and to breathe underwater.  On the opposite side, I would like to read books.  Although, I would be horrified if I could not get out of one!  It might be pleasant at first, but sooner or later I would want to get back to my life.  I can only imagine if it was a horror book!  

Books Make Their Own Music

Recently, I did a post on how poems seem to work like music to a writer.  I looked into this some more, and writers really do make their own music!  Not just the flow of their words into a book, but literally.  There are books out there that have been made into songs.  One is the book Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell.  This was made into a song by David Bowie.  Some other popular songs are One played by metalica based on the book Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo and White Rabbit based on the book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland written by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the name Lewis Carroll.  Writing is an art, and so is music.  It is no wonder that these two come hand in hand.

The Power To Write- Get Inspired

There hasn't been a movie without a soundtrack.  Every movie has one.  Music brings out the feelings/emotions, problems/tensions, direction, and mood/setting of a subject matter.  Although the reader may not be able to read with music playing, the words on the pages play themselves out as such, and the writer of a book can certainly apply this technique to "feel" the material that he writes.  You might even find that your book is inspired by a song.  If nothing else, the song could inspire you.

The Power To Write- Get Inspired

     It's never too late to write your book!  If you enjoy writing, keep it that way.  Writing is a gift you've been given.  The awesome part to this gift is that it is one meant to be shared with others.  It starts as your own inspiration and then grows to inspire many more hearts.  But the only way it can come out of your pocket is if you write for yourself and no one else.

     Relax when you write.  A lot of the time, if you think about writing as an art, you become patient and keen for detail like an artist, painting a portrait.  If writing in your pajamas makes you relax, then do just that.  If drinking a cup of coffee, etc. will help, then have a cup.  Maybe you're thinking about writing a scene where a character from your novel is in his/her pajamas, or a small impression of a cup of coffee; if so, this might bring you into character as well.

My Book- A Movie?

     We've put our book on the big screen; thought of it as a movie, looked at visual techniques, and much more.  But have we put ourselves in the character's shoes?  Like an actor knows his script and becomes the character in mind, body, and soul, authors must play the part of every character in their book.

     So, can we become as close to the character as the cast of a movie becomes to each of their roles?  I say yes.  It's hard, but I think we manage to get to this point in different ways.

     Screen writing has it's advantages in this area.  The writer can put forth a setting, actions, and appearances as plainly and matter-of-factly as I would tell you in conversation.  But still, when taking an acting class in college, I really did question  whether the author was able to to put as much time in getting to know his characters as I was.  I remember pairing up with partners and helping each other in many exercises that we did.  Mossing around the campus, we "walked like our character".  Other times we were in conversation as our character.  It definitely helped me play my part.  Sometimes I wish there was a writing class like this; helping each other get to know and develop our characters.  When it's a class, it's not as embarrassing to do these activities.

YA Books Make the Best Movies

Young adult genres are in high demand just because there is a whole new audience craving some good literature from their favorite genres!  Naturally, there is much excitement when this YA book is brought to life in the movies.  Some classics are Lord of the Rings based on the book by J.R.R. Tolkien, Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson, and The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.  Some more are The Call of the Wild written by Jack London, I Am Number Four by James Frey and Jobie Hughes as Pitticus Lore, and The Lightning Thief written by Rick Riordan.  One of my favorites is The Vampire's Assistant based on the book The Saga of Darren Shan by Darren Shan.

What Inspires the Writer In Me- Poems

Poems provide a special part of inspiration to our minds.  They feed the imagination of all things into a form, like music.  I am inspired to write poems when I think of all things that come naturally to me.  I think of how my flowers and trees blossom from a seedling to a beautiful peace of work, like artwork, the excitement I feel when I have won a match in tennis, and the world around me as I take part in these things.  These things come naturally to me, like music comes naturally to a musician once they have learned their piece.  With poems, writers make their own music!  That is what works for me.

Action Books Make the Best Movies- Revisited

Action books have continued to inspire, like always!  They have kept up their pace in the movies.  I thought it was about time to make an update on this post.  Do you wonder why I love action books?  They always seem to snap you out of your every day routine that we are all so used to.  Particularly the characters.  You think "Man, I would not have been ready for that."  Here are some more of my favorite action books that have been made into movies: Die Hard was based on the book Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp, Die Hard 2 based on the book 58 minutes written by Walter Wager, and Shutter Island based on the book by Dennis Lehane.  There are some great movies coming out, so there will be another update soon.  

My Favorite Settings In Books- Action Genres

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I do love the appearance of a familiar setting for books that I read.  When I am reading an action book, I like there to be an appearance of something calm, and pleasant.  I also like it when the book starts off with action, or in a dangerous place.  I like to be surprised when I open the book, and not know what to expect for a setting until I read.  I like it when there is a description of the characters along with the setting.  One of my favorites is a dark spooky place where people manage to make a living and live there.  Of course, there are so many options, I just leave it to the writer to introduce a fit setting.  I trust the setting will be a perfect place for some battle ground!

Writing Ideas- Activities For Your Book

     Expanding your vocabulary to include terms that describe your character, a chapter, book, scene, or genre opens up the door for new ideas to come flowing in.  You may never use any of them, but they inspire you to write with that defined tone.  I decided to search "horror vocabulary" to see what comes up and defined horror with a few words of my own also.  Here is a link to some horror vocabulary words:

Vocabulary list #1

Vocabulary list #2

     Notice how there are always contrasting tones to the one that you choose.  In a horror book there will be "scary words", and there will be words that make you calm; and unprepared for what is to come.  In a romance there will be words of love and words of conflict.  We already know this as writers, but it put me in a writing mood!

Writing Ideas- Activities For Your Book

     Has writer's block struck again?  Relax, your story is not going anywhere- hand it over to the pros!  Try letting a character from your book write the story.


     The character is in a climax, he's at the edge of that cliff, and actually feels much like you right now- frustrated, exhausted, and challenged.  They'd laugh if you told them that they could write the rest of the story.  But then they would realize, it's no joke.  Imagine their emotions, and the outcomes they make for themselves.


     Did the character create an even better story?  Has this new author written you over?  Ha!  By the time this is finished, you might feel like the character yourself!

Writing Ideas- Activities For Your Book

     We have all experienced Writer's Block at one time or another, but what about when it's the other way around- too many ideas leave us cycling off a cliff to a dead end (to our death...)?  Just today I had too many expectations, wound up with a migraine, and what did I do?  After getting rid of the migraine, I wrote this post.  Going back to #1 on my list of ways to cope with writer's block I realized I could apply the same techniques to this situation.  I'm looking back on these activities to smooth out my writing- and my mind.


I revisited this post about 6 fun ways to cope as well as the newer activities that I have listed in the past. Don't forget: making a list of small adorations, bringing a poetic sense into the picture, the trash book, character group meetings, physical stimulation, and gift cards.

What Inspires the Writer In Me- YA Genres

Young adults are looking for something to inspire them.  At this time they can relate to your books more than anything.  Just thinking of this makes me inspired to write a YA book because I love to make a difference and impact people.  This is a whole new audience, and you can reach out to them in any genre or genres in itself.  I look to my experiences in life and think of the different things this audience is looking for.  They love just about all the possibilities we do, but they are learning as they go, and have much to learn.  They love the creation of imagination and conflicts to overcome, such as good and evil.  I use my imagination to feed into these things.  I look for situations that they would like to find themselves in, or find themselves get out of.  Maybe the usual in some cases, like a break from school life. 

My Favorite Settings in Books

I love it when books are set out in someplace familiar to me.  Just the appearance of a familiar environment makes me feel right at home with the story.  One of my favorite settings are family environments.  I can see the characters interacting and get a feel of how they fit in.  Whether it is action, romance, drama, or horror I love to meet the characters this way.  I like to meet the characters at work in their lives.  It is almost like meeting the character's base.  Someplace I think I might know helps me relate to the story, and it remains that much more vivid in my mind.

Science Fiction Books Make the Best Movies

Science fiction books explore some of the classic topics all of us have wondered about being possible.  These books spark my curiosity countless times.  I love science fiction genres.  They bring to life and explore the options of the many things that all of us are wondering about.  I love it when I can see these books in action on the big screen.  They make the best movies!  One of my favorites, War of the Worlds, was based on the book by Herbert George Wells.  The Puppet Masters was based on the book by Robert A. Heinlein, and i, Robot is based on the book by Isaac Asimov.  Some resent ones are Mars Needs Moms based on the book written by Berkeley Breathed, and Cowboys and Aliens based on the book by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg.

Science Fiction Books Make the Best Movies- Revisited...

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What Inspires the Writer in Me- Fantasy Genres

Fantasy books tend to inspire many people, including those who make it a movie!  To be inspired to write a fantasy book, I am first thinking of inspiring many others from an unforgettable story.  That is the first start for me.  One of the main things that inspires me to write a fantasy book is to take a look at some of the normal things around me: nature, people, technology, science, etc.  Next I think of something way out there with my imagination, like a tree floating in the air.  That is a wild imagination, but it is something nice to have in a fantasy novel.

A Good Read

Hi.  Check out this book.  Be ready to cry.  It really moved me. http://www.mnpleasures.weebly.com/

Writing Ideas- Activities For Your Book

     Thinking about writing?- Just do it!  Write greetings for gift cards in your spare time.  Hey,- give them out to friends; at their birthday party, for christmas greetings, mother's day, etc.  What better a gift for them to receive?  You may start a trend and have people asking you for your cards.  Have copies saved to your computer in case that happens.  With today's advancements, having the proper materials to make and print cards is easily attainable and inexpensive.

The Power To Write- Get Inspired

     How's writing coming along?- Just make sure you're having fun!  As a writer, I can say, we know why we write; income yes, but above all it's because we love to.  "Hobby writing," you could call it.  It doesn't matter which way you spin it, authors enjoy their job.  And though we are not always happy with our work, like a spat with a friend every now and then, we will, forever, come back to it.


     Writing is in our blood; it's the adventure we've been given and the adventure that we give.  Writing is ......immortal-

Writing Ideas- Activities for Your Book

     Food inspires me to write.  As odd as it is, around super time I suddenly feel like writing.  It doesn't usually work, though, because I'm too hungry.  The point is food stimulates your brain.  Make sure you eat appropriately.  I also find that ideas come to me when I'm in the shower and when I'm going to sleep at night.  I'm glad that they come to me, but it's a hassle to write them down or remember them at that time.

     Then I realized; what correlates these circumstances is the physical stimulation to the brain.  You're either thinking nothing, or doing something, i.e. getting the brain going.  If you make a list of what usually gets you into your writing mood, you could maybe find a way to boost your writing time by doing similar activities.  Easy, right?  It makes you think back to when you had writer's block; it must have been like putting your brain into one of those cry rooms- wow- how did we believe there would be any results?  Poor brain....

Poems Make the Best Movies

I love reading poems.  They bring a different light to the life and details on earth.  This provides a high quality movie, engaging the audience.  When I checked, I found that some of my favorite movies are based on poems.  I did not know this was possible before now!  Once again my favorite genres and hobbies are brought together.  One of my favorites, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, originated from the poem of the same name by Paul Dukas.  Some others are Braveheart based on the poem The Actes and Deidis of the Illustre and Vallyeant Campioun Schir William Wallace by Blind Harry, and Beowulf by an unknown author.

Poems Make the Best Movies- Revisited...

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