Prompts: Six Words

When I first saw the six word challenge, I thought, "This is next to impossible, but I'll give it a try." The first few I did were segments of a story, like "A bird fell like a stone". After some practice, my six words turned more powerful and powerful after each new line.

Here's some tips before you get started.

1. Think abstract, think short- Have your six words either briefly tell about something, or symbolize something.

2. Think poem- It's six words, so you can skip the articles(as in a, an, the) when you need to.

3. Take advantage of punctuation- Punctuation can give a specific sound or choppiness where it's needed.

There are endless possibilities in those six words. Here are a few examples to get you started.


Want to be happy? Eat chocolate.

Sleepy night, time to write. Imagine.

Pencils scratching. Teacher pacing. Test time.

Shadow behind streetlamp. Footsteps. Waiting. Watching.

Shoveling dirt for the resting soul.

Sunny, lovely day. To stay inside.


Have fun with this! More prompts are coming soon.

-The Nocturnal Writer

Life Update- Blue Pen

It's hard to tell in the picture, but it's a blue pen with blue ink.

I've never used blue pen because black looked more professional. I never knew I owned a blue pen until I found it at the bottom of the pencil box.

The reason why it's significant enough to make a blog post about this is because it actually helped me write more! It doesn't have any magical properties. It was only very, very different from what I usually use to write.

The weirdest things make me write more. Sometimes, writing neatly with a mechanical pencil prompts me to write for hours and hours. Other times, it's a simple thing, like this pen. It's led me to think again, how odd the human mind is.

I'm debating whether or not to get another blue pen, in case this runs out. Should I, or should I not? I need some opinions...

Happy writing! I hope you find something inspiring today!

-The Nocturnal Writer

News- Polls

Hello, reader! Here's some quick news.

Once I start getting enough people looking at this blog, I'll start putting up polls on the home page. The polls will help me see what kind of writing posts you want to see! Also, post suggestions are always welcome.

Happy writing!

-The Nocturnal Writer

Inspiration- Dreams

Dreams. Some might remember theirs more vividly, but we've all had some.

Some famous authors got their ideas from their dreams. The important step in remembering your dreams for a long time is to write them down as soon as you wake up. Sleeping more may also help. Record all dreams, even if they seem weird.

What you'll end up with is a bunch of ideas. They can be changed to fit a plot. It's useful, since you didn't have to use energy during the day to think of those ideas!

I'll share a quick one. It was a dream about being in an city. Everyone was gone, and it was silent. Randomly, a motorcycle was travelling down the street on its own. I immediately sensed it was going to attack me. The motorcycle suddenly started to chase me down the block. Does that spark any ideas? I hope it did.

Have a great time writing and dreaming!

-The Nocturnal Writer

Publishing for Yourself

"Publishing" for yourself, a.k.a. not asking an agent to represent you and trying to get your writing on a real book.

It's a symbol of reaching your goal. If your piece is short, then you can format it into a booklet and print it out. If it's a long piece, what I like to do is to calculate about how many pages would be filled up. Also, I like to create a cover with a photo editing program.

So good luck and have fun writing!

Since this is a short post, there will be another tomorrow.

-The Nocturnal Writer

Life Update- Midnight Writing

I've been trying to find my perfect time for writing. In the morning, I'm tired, and all I can think about is writing a post or doing absolutely nothing. In the afternoon, I can't bear to sit down on a chair. At night, I'm tired.

So I started typing away at midnight. My mind felt sluggish, but my imagination was vivid. I could almost see everything going on in the writing, in my head. Was I half asleep? Maybe. But it worked for me, and I was able to make much progress. I finally had to stop after one in the morning because my eyes were closing.

I can't do midnight writing every single day. But now, I know it works! Maybe that's why I subconsciously chose this name for my blog...

Oddly, writing didn't find a way into my dreams that night. It's inspiring when it does.

So anyways, find your own perfect time for writing!

-The Nocturnal Writer

Editing for Grammar and Spelling

This part is not as gruesome as revision, but it can get tricky. For basic spelling, spell check on your computer should fix it for you. 

Pay attention to homophones- too and to, here and here, and your and you're. Be careful with there, their, and they're. Carefully read over each sentence out loud. A reader will catch grammatical mistakes and skipped words better than the writer can.

Good luck to all the writers out there!

-The Nocturnal Writer

Writing Inspiration- Writer's Blogs

If you search for a writer's blog, you will find many. Reading through them helps you see how many other people also share the same interests. It is particularly helpful when you have a writer's block.

Some great blogs that you can check out are Veronica Roth, Chuck Wendig, and K.M. Weiland. So read on!

(Reading books is also a great remedy to writer's block)

Tips for Surviving Revision

Revision can be very tedious! But it is a very important part of the writing process.

First of all, read through your writing and fix any obvious inconsistencies. Make sure that the dialogues are believable. Saying the dialogues out loud may be helpful. Add in details to make the story more vivid.

A helpful tip is to have someone read your writing. Yes, it is hard sometimes... but it's a must. Ask them for constructive criticism. Take note on what they say. If all or most who read your story tend to criticize on an aspect of the story, change it. Ask as many people as you like- the more, the better!

Also, if you are targeting your story to elementary school kids, it's a good idea to have a kid in that age group to read it. It's also good for an adult to read it because they may notice errors that an elementary school kid usually do not.

This process may take many months. So good luck!

-The Nocturnal Writer

Drafting Tips

Drafting. For me, it's the best part of the writing process. You get to write down everything for the first time. But if you're planning a very long story, it can get tiring.

If you're writing out your draft with a pencil, this is especially true. I drafted for about a week. I wrote when I had time. The result? My hand was hurting, but I still continued to write.

This is something that you don't want to do often. When I was drafting, I used a regular pencil. What I recommend is a mechanical pencil, especially the ones with a thick grip. It prevents sliding, so your grip does not have to be too hard. It's much easier to write with it.

Also, take breaks every once in a while and stretch out your hands. If your hand hurts a lot, wait until the next day to write more and busy yourself with something else.

If you're using the computer to draft, then every ten or fifteen minutes, take your eyes off the screen and stare off to somewhere far, like out of a window. Every hour, take a ten minute stretch break. Don't forget to eat and drink!

The picture below is some stretch breaks. It's for kids- but trust me, it works! My favorites are the flex wrist backwards and hands to the floor. It helps my wrists and mind feel refreshed.

Find a spot where you can write the most. For me, it's at a desk. For others, it may be on a couch, in a park, or in their bedroom. Find your place!

Another thing that might help with drafting is music. It might help you get in the mood or clear your mind.

When you're drafting, don't be discouraged by how short or how bad the story seems. Just keep on writing. During the revising stage, you can make the necessary changes.

Good luck with drafting! Check out my other posts too.

~The Nocturnal Writer

Writing Tips to Develop Your Story and Characters

Once you have your story idea jotted down, create a rough story line. Draw a shape like this:

It depends on who you are and what your story is. Write somewhere from a few bullet points to a paragraph, summarizing briefly what will happen in each segment. Also, at the bottom, write a few sentences about what your goal is with the story. Is it to entertain? To teach a lesson? Specify what the lesson is. Be sure not to include too many details, or you'll be focusing on the little things... not the big picture.

Next, develop your main characters! Make sure you can see the characters clearly and know them very well. If you're not feeling too creative, you can use yourself. A great tool for getting to know your character is a character sheet, like the one below.

Name:

Gender:
Age:

Height:

Weight:
Face shape:

Hair color:

Hair style:

Skin tone:

Eye color:Usual expression:
Body type:
Any prominent physical feature?:
Clothing style:

Positive personality traits:
Negative personality traits:
Likes:
Dislikes:
Goal in life:

It's very simple. You can add more details if you need to. If you are confused about this, I filled out an example.

Name: John

Gender: Doe
Age: 30

Height: 180 cm

Weight: 68 kg
Face shape: Rectangular

Hair color: Black

Hair style: Straight, cropped close to scalp

Skin tone: Olive, tanned

Eye color: Dark brown
Usual expression: Worried

Body type: Athletic
Any prominent physical feature?: Hooked nose
Clothing style: Plain T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers

Positive personality traits: Trustworthy, kind, loyal
Negative personality traits: Indecisive, quiet
Likes: Dogs, hiking
Dislikes: Loud neighbors, motorcycles
Goal in life: To help others become a better person

I filled the character sheet out with the first things that came to mind, but it creates an actual character. It's very cool, right?

You can develop your characters first, then the story line. The order does not matter. You are the writer, and the story is yours.

Good luck and happy creative writing! I will post more tips throughout the week. If you want more advice, look through my other posts too! Happy Friday!

~The Nocturnal Writer

Life Update- Productivity

Happy Wednesday! We're halfway through the week.

Recently, I have been brainstorming about what to write, which probably means I should start reading again. I've taken a break from it to do other things. The last novel I read was... many, many, months a go. I can't even remember.

I have one good story going strong, but it's not even finished. So far, it's 16k words, which translates to roughly 64 pages. I estimate the draft will finish at about 20~25k. I hope once I finish with the writing process, I can publish it in some way, shape, or form.

Lethargy. The only thing keeping me from doing absolutely nothing is relaxing music. Mozart. Whether the "Mozart Effect" actually helps or not, I don't know. But listening to classical music does make me feel like I'm a rich sir in Europe.

Also, in the past, I've noticed that music helps me get in the mood for the scene I am writing about. For example, one day, it's sunny, bright, and happy. But the scene I need to write has a sad mood. Solution? Put on sad music.

I have not used the strategy above for quite some time now. So maybe it's time to search up music with different moods and open my document once again.

And here's a picture that is loosely related to this post. 

~The Nocturnal Writer

Idea Gathering

The seed.

Almost all of us can't remember every thought we have throughout the day. Work, unexpected happenings, and daily tasks push them out. So before you lose all of your wonderful ideas, jot them down!

For example, keep a small journal. When you have an idea, as soon as you can, jot down as many words as you need to remember your idea later on. I use the same technique to write down experiences I want to include and edits I want to make. Even if it seems like a silly thing to write, you never know when it could come to use!

Looking for a journal? You can find notebooks and composition notebooks at your local office supply store. Be careful of what you choose. Spiral notebooks tend to wear out quickly compared to composition notebooks.

Check out my previous post about the writing process. Good luck and have fun!

~The Nocturnal Writer

6 Steps to a Great Story

I will give more tips on each part of the writing process later on!

There are several metaphors to express the writing process. But so far, the best one I've heard starts with one little seed.

The Seed

You need to find a seed. Find an idea.

There is no specific way to do this. Let it come naturally. Walk outside. Look around. Read other books. Or, if your imagination is tired, use a life changing memory or a moment of strong emotion. It doesn't have to be complex.


Germination

Give it water. Give it thought.

Sketch out a rough story line. Then, develop your main characters. Make sure you know what they look like and how they behave before starting on the next step. That way, you'll be able to describe your characters without much trouble!


Cotyledons

These are the first leaves of the seedling. It's time to start growing your idea.

Drafting time! It's alright if you read over the last few paragraphs and they seem terrible. Just keep on writing! If you have a sudden change of plot and the characters seem to be taking the story on a whole new direction, skew the previous story line and write a new one that is more detailed and planned.


Growth

This is the longest part of the process. Revision.

Cut out and paste in parts to make the whole piece flow together. Add in details and transitions. Read your whole piece over and over again. Create different versions of the story if you need to. This is especially easier on a word processing program. Have someone read over your piece and give you constructive feedback! 


Flowering

The writing process is almost finished. But not yet.

It's time for the final finishing touches, as well as fixing grammatical errors.


Fruit

It's "finished"! A story is never truly finished- you can always add more and continue on. If you're a well known author, you may publish it. If not... celebrate!
I like to celebrate by making a cover for the story. Also, food is a good idea.

I will post tips for each part of the writing process over the week!

-The Nocturnal Writer

*If you were wondering, the pictures are stages of different plants. A strawberry plant's flower is not yellow.

Writing Inspiration- Oceans

Writing often starts with inspiration.

If you live on any kind of coast, you may be seeing a lot of the ocean this summer. It's a great place for inspiration- even when the weather is gloomy. Looking at a picture of an ocean and being there are two very different things. First of all, you hear the seagulls and crashing waves. The saltiness in the ocean wind. And most importantly- the vastness of the sea.

But I'll include a picture because a lot of people like pictures.

Maybe you can use it for a scene in a story. An ocean can be portrayed as peaceful- when it's sunny and warm, or eerie- when it's a thunderstorm. Imagine, the wind whipping past you and churning up the waves! If you don't feel like picking up your writing materials, maybe you can use it as painting inspiration.

Have a creative day!

~The Nocturnal Writer

The Nocturnal Writer

Nighttime is the time when creativity sparks. It is when I weave bits of experience and imagination into a story. It's extraordinary when you stop and think about how endless the human imagination seems to be.

My goal is to create tales that people can read and travel to another world. I am not a professional writer. But if a few people enjoy it, I consider my goal accomplished.

So to the internet user reading this blog, hello and welcome! Please check every few days for updates and writing inspiration and writing related posts.

~The Nocturnal Writer