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.