Best research & publishing books according to redditors
We found 1,290 Reddit comments discussing the best research & publishing books. We ranked the 536 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 1,290 Reddit comments discussing the best research & publishing books. We ranked the 536 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
> I listen to a lot of AM talk radio (to study how they mange their base), and the rhetoric is just astounding.
And consider, so called "conservative talk radio" has been doing that since the 80's
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservative_talk_radio#Deregulation_of_talk_radio
Combine that with Fox News, Drudge Report, Breitbart, Twitter, Facebook, etc
Then add in the right wing politicians who have parroted the rhetoric and spin and lies
A large % of the country is brainwashed and needs actual deprogramming.. they are in a cult
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/18/movies/the-brainwashing-of-my-dad-review.html
https://www.amazon.com/Fox-Effect-Network-Propaganda-Machine/dp/0307279588/
https://www.amazon.com/Republican-Noise-Machine-Right-Wing-Democracy/dp/B000FVQV16
https://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/5tkxq4/trumps_supporters_believe_a_false_narrative_of/
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/11/opinion/republicans-hold-on-to-a-myth-to-hold-on-to-power.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-paints-a-picture-of-a-dystopian-america-that-doesnt-exist/2017/02/11/a1f3daaa-efc6-11e6-9662-6eedf1627882_story.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-supporters-see-a-successful-president--and-are-frustrated-with-critics-who-dont/2017/02/19/496cb4b4-f6ca-11e6-9845-576c69081518_story.html
This has been done. A French scientist during the age of the guillotine would take the heads of freshly-executed prisoners and attach them to the bodies of dogs. The heads were pretty brain dead by the time he could get it hooked up though, as the state required that prisoners pass the gates of the cemetery before being public property. He did, however, find that the fresher heads could respond to the sound of their name. The head would inevitably be rejected by the dog's immune system though.
I read it in this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Stiff-Curious-Lives-Human-Cadavers/dp/0393050939
I've stated before that I think that TRP goes beyond just seduction.
It's about living in a world that is not what we've been told it should be. This applies to women, relationships, college, careers, accumulation of wealth, travel, Life in general.
Women and relationships - We all know, it's pretty much all we talk about here.
College - The baby boomers told you to go to college if you didn't want to be flipping burgers... Then you went to college, got out, and there are no jobs. Then the baby boomers tell you that you're an entitled brat for refusing to flip burgers. The funny thing is that the people who told you to go to college didn't actually go to college, they started out flipping burgers, but they did it without the burden of debt.
Careers - If you spend the best years of your life sitting at a desk (and you don't make any women co-workers feel at all uncomfortable in any way), maybe one day you may be able to save up enough money to buy a red convertible sports car when you're bald, fat and middle aged, to compensate you for your unfulfilling life. After that you can save up and maybe afford a few years of lower-middle class leisure lifestyle while your body falls apart and you wait for death. Does that sound like a good deal?
Travel - Extended long-term world travel is the domain of the rich and all you can afford is short stints of two week vacations to to all-inclusive resorts before you have to trudge back to your cubical to resume the life you were trying to escape from.
Life in general - Go to work, be miserable, come home, buy something to make yourself feel better, get into debt, have to work harder, become more miserable, repeat. You have to do this because the only thing that can bring you a temporary sensation of satisfaction is some kind of material item. A newer, better item. If you lose an item you lose a part of yourself, because you are the things that you own.
-
I never went to college and I have zero debt. I don't have a 'career' per-se, but I do have marketable skills in web development and design, self taught. I work from time to time to get money which I then use to fund my travels (I'll be in Spain next week). Girls are occasional but enjoyable guests in my life. I own no material possessions other than a bag of clothes and this laptop. I practice meditation and try to incorporate awareness of the present moment into my life rather than dwelling on the past or the future.
If you're interested in learning about how long-term travel is well within your reach I'd highly recommend Vagabonding by Rolf Potts.
In terms of life/spiritual philosophy I recommend authors such as Eckhart Tolle and Alan Watts
This book: Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong says more or less the same thing.
It's a very interesting read, a quite thorough analysis done by a team of Canadians about the cultural differences between French and North Americans and the misunderstandings it creates.
Their main point is that, the cultural differences between these to countries are exacerbated by the fact most assume these culture should be very similar because "Western".
It's easier than you think:
http://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-Travel/dp/0812992180
This interview was aired in the beginning of August, he survived, finished his book. Sadly, no MSM, except for one, picked it up. He also participated in a much more detailed interview more recently (Language Barrier).
Note that he worked for the FAZ, one of the most respected newspapers. And he also points to other huge media outlets that are compromised.
This took place, after in spring a comedy show exposed the influence of American think tanks on German media and even politics. One of the most corrupt individuals even wrote a speech for the President, which he later praised in his own news paper.
I can give you three books that I recommend without reservation. The first is the easiest to read and a solid introduction to fiction editing. The second goes into more depth, with an excellent workflow for the revising process in the latter chapters. The third is the most dense, like a college class in fiction editing with a focus on how the 19th and 20th century masters actually revised their works, but it is also the most thorough.
Self-editing for Fiction Writers (written by two editors)
Stein on Writing (written by an accomplished editor)
Revising Fiction (written by an college professor, writer and editor)
Check out this book by Rolf Potts.
Its called Vagabonding and is all about cheap long-term travel around the world.
It was an inspiration for me, and I truly recommend you check it out if you're interested in traveling outside your comfort zone.
It's a quick read but is also filled with many helpful links and real-world examples of what to expect and how to make the most of travelling.
Vagabonding by Rolf Potts is a pretty good guide on how to make long-term travel possible on a small budget.
Edit: First chapter is available here: http://www.vagabonding.net/excerpt/
One of the best books I have ever read is “Writing Science: How to Write Papers That Get Cited and Proposals That Get Funded” https://www.amazon.com/dp/0199760241/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_6MpxCb2Y2PH49
The book is easy to read and has DRASTICALLY improved my science writing. I read this book with my undergraduate lab (like 4 years ago) and still reference now in my PhD program.
> Like...it would be passable if she was struggling.
I've read Writing Fiction For Dummies for fun, and I know how to structure a story better than this.
Some tips for those considering a trip there:
Always take taxis rather than tuktuks whenever possible, and make sure they use the meter. If they give you a hard time, walk on to another. It won't take long to find one who will comply.
When in the more populous, touristy places, avoid eye contact with anyone you don't intend to spend money with. The tuktuk drivers, touts, etc will flock to you if you look at them or respond in any way. It feels rude, but ignore them completely.
Read these 2 books: Vagabonding by Rolf Potts and The World Awaits by Paul Otteson.
Spend a lot of time on travelfish.org and the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree Forum before you go. Lots of great advice and information there.
Learn a little of the language. Even "thank you" will do wonders.
No, really, read a book.
edit: Also, start comparing your blog to other blogs in the same field. It just seems like you have little interest in producing quality material. You write as if you're talking to your friend on Steam.
http://www.amazon.com/Stiff-Curious-Lives-Human-Cadavers/dp/0393050939
This book detail the dog experiments and the resulting scientific discoveries.
Here's your pacing: each action a main character takes should be in pursuit of something, and they should be faced with progressively more serious challenges. Keep ratcheting up the stakes and tension.
That's not absolute, of course. Let's say you've got three big hurdles for the protagonist to face, with the third being the climax of the story. The second should be more serious than the first, and less serious than the third. Within the lead up to each of those challenges, the things that get in the way for the character obviously won't be as big as the challenges themselves – but there should still be rising difficulty within each phase.
As long as your character is pushing forward and isn't faced with the same kind or level of challenge as they've already faced, your pacing will be fine. Though of course between each individual conflict you can give the reader a rest.
I would really recommend Techniques of the Selling Writer. The vast majority of it isn't about selling at all – it's about exactly the sort of concerns you're bringing up.
What's concerning to me in what you've told us so far is this:
> My first act is roughly fifteen scenes. I can do all of that in the first scene.
What are the other fourteen scenes for? Showing off the pretty world you designed? Backstory? Not that everything has to be packed into the first scene, but if you really could introduce the protagonist and the issue in a single scene, then there you go – your act 1 is finished and you can get on with throwing more trouble at the character.
r/digitalnomad
You've earned the gift every lurker on that sub, myself included, dreams of. Sure, you may still need to work, but you can work from anywhere with a half decent internet connection. Travel, experience the world in a way most people aren't fortunate enough to be able to. Hop on Airbnb, type in a destination you've always wanted to go to, and set your dates for the entire month of May. You've hit the jackpot, congratulations. Vagabonding is a great book on the topic. Rolf Potts' other book, Marco Polo Didn't Go There is also a phenomenal read.
r/onebag if you want to get extra obnoxious (in a good way!) about how little you own.
r/vandwellers if you want to travel the US in a van.
If you are hoping for a piece of paper at the end of all that learning (which you may not feel you need, but can be handy to have, especially if you're putting in the work for classes), moving every semester is going to hell when it comes to transferring credits. I would also question if you could just show up at a place, take 1 semester of classes, and get a diploma with everything else as transfer credits.
You can live pretty cheap in college, even with a place. I knew a guy who would work at a pizza place for a month, then live off that cash for the next 6 months. Then he'd go back for another month and make more pizzas. All he did was with his days was train to fight.
As for the saving $500 on rent... get some roommates. The most expensive place I lived in college was $380 and that place was considered high end. I had 4 roommates though. The cheapest place I lived I paid $145/month and it wasn't a bad place either. Obviously, it depends on where you live, but roommates make all the difference.
You can only crash at your friends place for so long before they start getting pissed that you're just free loading. They will kick you out or ask you to start paying to rent out the couch. I stayed on someone's couch for a couple weeks after I graduated... it wasn't planned, it just kind of happened. After a while I felt like if I stayed any longer I should really start contributing. I'm sure the car thing would get old quick... especially if/when a cop knocks on your window. He will assume you were drunk and passed out in your car. I don't think telling him you're homeless will play that much better.
College is one of those rare times you might be able to pull this off, but my cautious self would do a trial run for a month before actually giving up the apartment. You can also rent places month to month (if you live in a bad area you can probably even go week to week) and not be tied down while still having a place to shower, shit, and sleep.
I ended up at some ladies apartment last year and it was like a large closet. An air mattress took up 80% of the room and there was a shared kitchen and bathroom for the floor. I'm sure it was cheap as hell and there is no way they were requiring a long lease term on that. It wasn't a place you'd nest, but it's enough of a place to keep your everyday life from becoming a struggle.
Personally, I would find much more stress it not knowing where I was going to sleep night to night and everything else than I would having to worry about a month to month lease.
I think it would be an interesting experience, but I don't think you'll truly know what it's like to be homeless if you still have a job and are banking money. You always have an easy out if need be. Also be careful with your friends. You run the risk of ostracizing yourself.
If you want to live out of 2 bags without a home, don't tie yourself down to university... travel. Maybe live normally, but cheaply and minimally during university. Once you finish, take that money you saved by living that way and travel with your 2 bags (or one). You'll get much more out of the experience. Read the book Vagabonding; it may inspire you.
Just my 2 cents.
To provide you a serious answer, I recommend this book: https://www.amazon.com/Sixty-Million-Frenchmen-Cant-Wrong/dp/1402200455
I read it before coming to France and it gave me a surprising amount of insight into the French mindset. It helped me understand how to interpret certain actions and behaviors that I wasn't accustomed to.
You can be middle class or poor and do that.
http://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-Travel/dp/0812992180/
Two problems with the article that you cited. One, the author has admitted that he himself is very conservative. While that in and of itself shouldn't disqualify him, it's definitely something to keep in mind. Especially since it undoubtedly helps his books sales, Left Turn: How Liberal Media Bias Distorts the American Mind
Two, this score system that they use considers people like Nancy Pelosi to be 100 on the scale. If Nancy Pelosi is a 100 on the liberal scale, then no wonder the media has a "liberal bias". In other words, this scale is heavily skewed so that a 100 is fairly moderate. As a result, the media appears to be liberal as well.
I don't want to sound like a jerk but maybe take a creative writing class or something?? Writing good isn't easy, and I feel like there's too much to go over to put in a reddit post.
edit:
or read this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Writing-Memoir-Craft-Stephen-King/dp/1444723251
or this https://www.amazon.com/Stein-Writing-Successful-Techniques-Strategies/dp/0312254210
very helpful books.
For any who are interested, Mary Roach's book Stiff is a great, in-depth look at this subject, partially through the eyes of medical/lab students but from many other perspectives as well.
The Road by Jack London
Vagabonding by Rolf Potts
I HIGHLY recommend this book.
Read this book: Vagabonding by Rolf Potts
Check out Gwen Hayes's book on romance beats. Worth every penny. Not much out there on romance writing beats.
https://www.amazon.com/Romancing-Beat-Structure-Romance-Kissing-ebook/dp/B01DSJSURY?ie=UTF8&keywords=gwen%20hayes&qid=1464139967&ref_=sr_1_1&s=digital-text&sr=1-1
Also, for good feedback, check out Michael Anderle's Facebook Group at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/781495321956934/834263983346734/?notif_t=group_activity&notif_id=1464062128021251
and his forum at http://20booksto50k.com/forum/
I (typically) write in sessions ranging from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours. In that window, I put down between 800 and 2400 words. The initial 500 or so are always slower than the rest.
At that pace, and using your six sessions per week, it would take between 7 and 21 weeks to write a 100,000 word novel. That seems like a perfectly reasonable pace to me.
Perhaps the issue is one of organization, rather than time?
This is the book that I was given to learn about how to structure and work out what I was going to write:
https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Science-Papers-Proposals-Funded/dp/0199760241
I'd recommend that you find some of the better papers in your discipline (and later from the journal you want to submit to) and print them out. Read through them twice. As you read a paper a second time you should jot down what each paragraph contributes to the main argument of the paper. Try to ask yourself why each paragraph was included. What purpose did they serve? In sections like the abstract it is sometimes helpful to even break it down by sentence like so:
> Motivational sentence that establishes problem. Second sentence about impact of problem. Sentence describing previous work that has been done. Sentence stating what these studies didn't do. What we did. Our results. Possible last sentence about broader impacts.
This way you can get an idea of how good papers are structured. Once you've studied a few (ask your PI for suggestions if you can't decide) then you may be interested in joining a writing group with other students as well.
Don't forget that every first draft is garbage. Just dump it out and then worry about correcting it to make it good later. With practice you'll get better at doing it right the first time, but I don't know any researchers who don't have to edit when writing. Most of my colleagues that have trouble writing just never take the risk of writing that first draft. Be brave about it, and be ready to be humbled by those who edit your work. Criticism and edits only make you and your paper stronger.
Immediate Fiction, Jerry Cleaver.
http://www.amazon.com/Immediate-Fiction-Complete-Writing-Course/dp/0312302762
Ralph Potts' "Vagabonding" is pretty good:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0812992180
You're reading Stiff, aren't you? Hot damn, I loved that book!
I'm reading Spook right now. There are people that research kids' reincarnation stories. I wish more non-Hindus would contact them, since most of it comes from India where reincarnation is pretty much fact.
My mom tells me when I was little I always asked questions like, "when I was a chicken, did I . . . ?" or "when I was a brick, was I . . . ?" I don't think you can get reincarnated as a brick though.
Absolutely.
The main book I would say has helped me instrumentally is this one. It was suggested to me when I had the privilege of speaking to a New York Times bestselling author. He recommended it highly, along with this book that I have not had a chance to get into yet.
The first one is a major chore to read. It is not bad or hard to comprehend in any way, just very conceptually thick. I have read books twice as thick that communicate half as much.
The second one is great too, but I realized I needed the first one more earlier on.
Anyway, I hope those help!
This isn't new though, it's a common tip in many travel books, Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel by Rolf Potts is one And that's from 2002, theres a website that it talks about on it that does the same thing. I forget what it's called, I got it for my sister last year.
Edit: ridiculous late night mistakes, book title and link
Here is a book on vagabonding. Pretty much how to long term travel in very much a way this guy did. Its an inspiring read.
The Planet Construction Kit is a great resource for worldbuilding, covering almost all aspects of society and general setting from cosmology to biology, history, culture, religion, technology, map making...
http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Construction-Kit-Mark-Rosenfelder/dp/0984470034/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1286906911&sr=1-2
Its companion book, the Language Construction Kit, is an invaluable resource for creating conlangs if that was of any interest to you as well.
http://www.amazon.com/Language-Construction-Kit-Mark-Rosenfelder/dp/098447000X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268637297&sr=1-1
https://www.amazon.com/Gekaufte-Journalisten/dp/3864451434
Have not read Chris Fox but I did read Rachel Aaron's e-book and I thought it was good.
https://www.amazon.com/2k-10k-Writing-Faster-Better-ebook/dp/B009NKXAWS
For 99 cents it's certainly not going to bankrupt you. However if you're really cheap you should know it's basically an expanded version of the article she wrote here:
http://thisblogisaploy.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-i-went-from-writing-2000-words-day.html
Whatever saves to Word format is fine. Doesn't matter what you use, really. Remember that both mobi and epub are very stripped down - you can't have a lot of formatting in there.
So don't worry about what you're writing in (honestly, just use whatever's most comfortable - I've used Evernote, Google Docs, Word, and others, depending on where I am working).
Things like text justification and hyphenation don't matter much. In ebooks, the reader decides things like font size and font formatting. What you DO have to worry about are:
If you want to get serious about getting your formatting right, let me recommend the book I refer to most often for these questions: Zen of Ebook Formatting by Guido Henkel. His blog is worth checking out too.
Or wait till I give another webinar on the subject. :)
2k to 10k: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love is a great ebook, for a dollar, that walks you through how to prepare for writing, and talks about why each step helps. It has some great advice that will help you be confident by the time you sit down to write.
If $0.99 is too rich for you (or you're skeptical), you can read the author's blog post, which was later adapted into the above ebook. It's shorter and doesn't go into as much detail but still gives the core advice from the book.
I remember writing a grant proposal for fieldwork in the first year of my PhD. Me and my supervisor edited it together (he thought ti would be a good exercise. No content was changed, but the entire text was red from the 'track changes' after working on it for two hours!
It's pretty normal and a others said: the learning curve is steep.
(PS: there are some great books out on academic writing. This is one of my favorites: https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Science-Papers-Proposals-Funded/dp/0199760241)
Some of the best I've used:
Story by Robert McKee -- As its title indicates, this book takes a look at story construction from a more theoretical perspective. McKee works mostly in the realm of screenplays but the ideas he puts forth are universally applicable and have already helped my writing immensely -- story itself was one of the big areas where I was struggling, and after reading through this book I'm able to much better conceptualize and plan out thoughtful stories.
Stein on Writing by Sol Stein -- if McKee's book is written from a theoretical perspective, Stein's takes a practical look at how to improve writing and editing skills. The mechanics of my writing have improved after reading this book; his examples are numerous and accessible. His tone may come off as a bit elitist but that doesn't mean he doesn't have things to teach us!
On Writing by Stephen King -- A perennial favorite and one I'm sure you've already received numerous suggestions for. Kind of a mix of McKee and Stein in terms of approach, and a great place to start when studying the craft itself.
Elements of Style by Strunk & White -- King swears by this book, and although I've bought it, the spine still looks brand new. I would recommend getting this in paperback format, though, as it's truly meant to be used as a reference.
Writing Excuses Podcast -- HIGHLY recommended place to start. Led by Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Dan Wells and Mary Robinette Kowal, this is one of the places I really started to dig into craft. They're at Season 13.5 now but new listeners can jump in on Season 10, where they focus on a specific writing process in each episode (everything from coming up with ideas to characterization and world building and more). Each episode is only 15(ish) minutes long. Listening to the whole series (or even the condensed version) is like going through a master class in genre fiction.
Brandon Sanderson 318R Playlist -- Professional recordings of Brandon Sanderson's BU writing class. Great stuff in here -- some crossover topics with Writing Excuses, but he is a wealth of information on genre fiction and great writing in general. Covers some of the business of writing too, but mostly focuses on craft.
Love this idea - hopefully I've sent a couple you haven't received yet!
My two favorite books are:
Tout ce qu'il te faut, dans les proportions qu'il te faut, est là-dedans : https://www.amazon.fr/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-Travel/dp/0812992180/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509966599&sr=8-1&keywords=vagabonding
I'm glad you enjoyed my comment. I definitely agree with you about this sub. There seems to be something inherently inspirational about traveling and I think that it has to do with the fact that, often, the decision to drop everything and travel is such a personal one and often comes from some type of larger perspective about what life means.
Have fun on your travels!
If you're looking for a great traveling book - Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel was the best that I found.
https://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-Travel/dp/0812992180
Really shows you that it's all about a person's the perspective and life priorities. If you want to make a life of traveling, it really isn't that difficult - no matter how much money you make.
I have the Planet Construction Kit by Mark Rosenfelder and I thought it was pretty good. It deals with a ton of aspects; planet making, geology, religions, cultures, biology. There's even a section on how to draw your sentient beings.
EDIT: New anecdotal evidence: "CBS News investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson has reached an agreement to resign from CBS News ahead of contract... Attkisson, who has been with CBS News for two decades, had grown frustrated with what she saw as the network’s liberal bias, an outsize influence by the network’s corporate partners and a lack of dedication to investigative reporting, several sources said. She increasingly felt that her work was no longer supported and that it was a struggle to get her reporting on air." Attkisson was responsible for the investigative report on the ATF Gunwalking Scandal where ATF agents knowingly allowed guns illegally purchased in the U.S. to be taken into Mexico by buyers associated with drug cartels; one of these rifles was used to kill a U.S. Border Patrol officer. Attorney General Eric Holder was held in contempt of Congress for his refusal to turn over documents relating to the scandal, and President Obama invoked executive privilege to withhold them.
A few points from Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong, a book about cultural differences between Americans (and English-speaking nations in general) and the French:
(I don't have the book at hand right now, this is just what I could remember from reading it a few years ago.)
You might be interested in reading this (excellent) book:
World-Building (Science Fiction Writing)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/158297134X/
Anyone found an english translation of the book that got him killed?
Apparently,it was due to be published in English over 2 years ago but keeps getting delayed.
book is called: Gekaufte Journalisten or Bought Journalists
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gekaufte-Journalisten-Geheimdienste-Deutschlands-Massenmedien/dp/3864451434/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484601847&sr=8-1&keywords=Gekaufte+Journalisten
Dear guy in the first half of this note,
Here's your fucking problem, asshole: you're a self-centered shitheel who only writes for himself. Want to know how I know this? Because you're bitching about the one aspect of editing that requires the least amount of patience and provides the greatest benefit to readability: spelling and punctu-fuck-you-ation.
Grammar Nazis, jerks or not, are providing a public fucking service. I'm glad you're pissed off. You should be. However, if you're getting a complex, it's not because they're Nazis, it's because you're a shitty student.
Dear guy asking for help,
Great to hear you're interested in improving your ability to communicate. On one hand, it is as easy as having a conversation. On the other, it's really not. Without non-verbal cues and cliches to communicate your meaning and subtext, it becomes easy to write in a way that feels stilted or transmits ideas you don't intend. I recommend continuing to read the authors you like, but start keeping an eye on syntax and structure. That's really the best way to keep sharp. You'll be able to learn which rules persist because they work well (using dashes rather than parentheses, for instance) and which can be broken for the sake of an aesthetic or readership (i.e., Cormac McCarthy's phobia about double-quoting dialog). The rules aren't as strict as you might have been led to believe, but you'll find in time that you respect those stronger rules more for a simple reason: they just work, no matter what you're communicating.
For composition, I recommend William K. Zinsser's On Writing Well. It's a pleasurable read and useful for all but the very best and most experienced writers (and maybe them as well).
For story craft, I recommend Bob McKee's Story and Stephen King's On Writing. The former is nigh fucking indispensable; the second, just gratifying to read.
For spelling, Merriam-Websters and practice.
For punctuation, just be sufficiently considerate of your readers to google the rule you're not sure about.
Thanks for posting this. I hope my 2 cents help.
Ok, so I promised you that I would comment on this piece, if you posted it, so lets just jump right in!
THE BASICS OF STORY TELLING
Just because you are writing non-fiction, doesn't mean that you get to ignore the process of telling a story. In fact, it may be that the elements of a story are more important in non-fiction than fiction.
When was the last time you picked up a chemistry text book 'for fun'? But how about The Elegant Universe? Or A Short History of Nearly Everything? If you haven't read the latter, you should, as it is probably one of the greatest non-fiction science books of all time.
What makes these books more engaging than a standard textbook? They are telling a story. They are leading the reader on a journey of discovery, but are introducing that discovery in a way that makes the reader feel they have some skin in the game. They introduce problems (and questions) that demand answers. They introduce characters that are trying to solve them. There is antagonists (even if it is just nature) and heroes (even if it is just nature). And all this is introduced from the start.
In other words, they have a hook.
THE HOOK
So, lets think about your hook:
>I recently put aside my doubts that all of "reality" was anything but a simulation, created by an advanced civilization, and went for a long walk (for the sake of exploring the "fun" consequences, of course).
Not. Good.
First, you don't really introduce the problem. Sure, you said you put aside some doubts, but doubts of what? What do you mean by simulation? What do you mean by 'advanced civilization)? Why do I care what you are thinking? Why Do I care if you went for a walk -- and why do I care if it were long?
Do you see the problem? You introduce a string of loosely defined terms, which gives us a loosely defined problem. It is hard to care about a loosely defined problem. Worse you give us a character (YOU) that the reader know nothing about, and then probably won't care.
Do you know who the reader does care about? Themselves.
So, I would give a hook that is something related to the reader. You already mention The Matrix, and so you might just start a hook with something like:
"What if the matrix was right all along."
Something like this introduces a well-defined problem (borrowing from popular culture to do so), and then also a character that the reader cares about: themselves.
>I then, more quickly than expected, traversed the five stages of grief and arrived at an interesting realization.
>I'd like to retrace my steps with the hope that you too will attain the same simulated peace that I now possess. Where to begin...
The hook is now over. I do not know what the problem is, I do not know why I should care that you are having this problem, I don't know what your position is or why I should trust that it is 'interesting' and you claim.
If I were not reading for critique, I would not read past this. You need a better, stronger, hook, to draw the reader's attention to the problem that you wish to discuss, and show them how this problem relates to their own life (i.e., why they should care about it).
CLAIMS OF KNOWLEDGE WITHOUT SUPPORT
The other issue this piece has is the that give above in bold -- you routinely issue judgement statements without sufficient support. Let us look at some:
>the largest of the looming obstacles becomes the realization that all of reality as we know it could cease to exist for reasons beyond our control or even understanding.
How is this an obstacle? And obstacle to what? This just seems to be a fact of one particular type of simulation.
What if the simulation was being run in a manner such that it could not be interrupted? The technology to run this simulation is beyond our grasp, so why couldn't such a mechanism exist? You are making a claim that appears to have no foundation other than you think it to be true.
>It is a reasonable assumption that a civilization advanced enough to simulate literally everything must first have achieved a certain level of peace and stability.
There appears to be a logical flaw here. They did not simulate EVERYTHING -- just the things in the simulation. In fact, THEY must exist outside of the simulation, so that is not everything. In fact, if the laws of physics hold in their own universe, then the simulation we would be in would, by definition, be required to be MUCH simpler than their own world. The laws of thermodynamics dictate this. Therefore, this simulation would just a simple model of something.
Furthermore:
>After all, it's a bit difficult to investigate the nature of reality and advance science while you're busy trying to avoid being brutally murdered by bloodthirsty marauders hell-bent on wearing your skull as a hat
What if, and I am just widely speculating here, the desire to avoid the fate you propose led someone to invent some new technology to avoid this -- like maybe a helmet? Or a better sword? Or something?
Complete peace seems more likely to motivate technological advances. If all was perfect, then why change anything? Our invention of technology is a result of struggles against nature and others. Thus, violence and strife are primary motivators for technology, and it seems more logically sound to argue the opposite of what you are claiming.
> This would mean that our creators posses at least the ability to perceive us as valid life forms, and as such, subject to the same rights as themselves!
WHAT?
We accept that bacteria are life forms, and do not extend to them the rights that we grant other people. Where is there any support that one would expect creators to grant rights to their creations that are on par with their own? I see absolutely zero support for this position. Maybe is exists, but if it does, you need to supply it.
>The opposing perspectives could be summed up as follows:
>1. Simulations capable of producing conscious simulants should not be created, since the act of turning off such simulations would be an act of genocide.
>2. The knowledge obtained from simulations outweigh the ethical implications; the end justifies the means.
This is a false dichotomy. They could also assume that we are not worthy of rights. You have not established that. So, they could view us with EXACTLY the same view we extend to simulation of people in video games. Do we consider their rights? If not, then why would they consider ours? This has not been sufficiently established.
OVERALL FLOW
Just as a story needs to have a cohesive plot, your non-fiction needs to have a common thread that connects ideas back to the major problem.
In Star Wars: A New Hope, the story continually comes back to the problem of Luke establishing himself in a wider world. We care deeply about him, and his feeling of insignificance.
In your story, you MUST return to the same idea over and over again. The problem just structure your discussion of everything else.
The problem you REALLY have is this: if we are a simulation, do we have moral rights?
So, this needs to guide EVERY single fact you introduce.
Did the dinosaurs have rights? Then what do we make of the morality of the meteor coming in? What do we think about mammals taking over their environment?
If we do not have rights in the simulation, then should we care about murder?
These are interesting questions, that can be tied back the strange idea of us existing in a simulation. They provide stronger jumping off points for the tangents you are taking. They will provide a structure and focus that you are currently lacking. You need to identify a theme, and stick with it, very closely. In the same way that all actions in Star Wars were related to Luke gaining an understanding of his place in the galaxy, your story MUST always come back to the idea of Morality within and without a simulation.
*
SUMMARY*
The idea that you are discussing is interesting, but the manner you are doing it in is not yet engaging. The reason is that you have not introduced the problem with a proper hook, and you do not identify and tread near an established theme within the piece. These are elements of story telling that will serve you well in non-fiction, as in fiction.
If you want more information on this, try reading [Writing Science*](http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Science-Papers-Proposals-Funded/dp/0199760241). THough this is aimed more at the academic writer, it is a great place to start for understanding how to frame the introduction to serious non-fiction. That is, how to identify the story you are trying to tell, how to make a compelling hook, and then how to follow through on the themes that make your hook compelling.
Let me know if you have questions!
I'm in a proposal-writing class, and we're reading Writing Science by Joshua Schimel as part of the course. It's quite good, and emphasizes what science writing has in common with other kinds of writing/storytelling.
>A lot of Trump supporters unfortunately do not get correct information and are deliberately misled by the news sources they do follow
The Fox Effect
Kisses. 😘
Also, sorry you suck so very badly at Googling shit. While I erroneously added the word "News" to the book title (mea culpa), the Google search of the book with "news" in the title yielded this as like the third result.
https://www.amazon.com/Fox-Effect-Network-Propaganda-Machine/dp/0307279588
If you want to get pumped, look at James Scott Bell's Write Your Novel from the Middle. The ebook is $4 and it's 100 pages; put it on your phone and you can read it in a couple afternoons. Basically Bell's premise is that in great stories there's a point in the middle where the main character has failed and has a moment of introspection, after which they pick themselves up and try something new. If you can nail this scene, the rest of your story falls into
place.
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I have found Mary Buckham's Writing Active Hooks to be invaluable. I didn't understand how to write until I learned about hooks. You need to periodically hook the reader's attention and engage them emotionally if you want to keep them reading. This works out a lot better if you actually understand what you're doing.
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I'm also a big fan of How to Write a Damn Good Novel by James Frey. It's bare-knuckled, it's got clear, straightforward information and it will get you hyped.
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If you want to be a better writer, sit down and write 300,000 words of shit over the next 6-12 months. Just open a new file called "Pile" and start pounding away. Write down your dreams, what you think about people, do stream of consciousness writing, silly dialogues, character sketches, anything. The problem with most beginners' writing is that it contains hundreds of tiny awkward points that catch at the reader's eye, distracting them from the story. You need to learn to recognize all the awkward phrases in the English language, so that you can avoid using them, and the only way to learn them is to write them all down, it appears. And from the point you realize this fact until the point where you can try to sell a book is about 300,000 words, more or less. You want to train your mind to think in pleasant sounding phrases. Once you can do this, you can just write down what you're thinking, and it will look beautiful on the page. That's the theory anyway; no refunds.
I'm surprised people haven't said much about the actual writing itself. Tone is an issue, but the actual structure of your writing needs work. I'll pull a few examples that way you can see what I mean.
"Unless you’re a member of an isolated ancient tribe living under one of the six remaining trees in what used to be the Amazon rainforest, you have almost certainly heard the term “Machine Learning” floating past within the last few years."
Your first sentence is almost a paragraph. This is a problem. Writing should be succinct and to the point. Clarity and strength of word usage will make what you say much more meaningful.
"In fact, personally, I’m convinced that if humanity doesn’t eradicate itself prematurely, there won’t be anything left humans can do that can’t be done much better, faster and cheaper by a suitably designed and programmed computer (or a network of them)."
This is a sentence in your third paragraph, which is again almost an entire paragraph by itself. You also severely diminish the strength of your sentence when you use things like 'In fact', 'personally', 'I'm convinced'. Your readers know that you are convinced because you are the one writing it. You need to convince them.
"Even though a computer can do just about anything, making it do what you want it to do can be very hard indeed."
Adverbs are not your friend. - Stephen King
Strength of sentence structure is impacted when you use adverbs like 'very'. And throwing on an 'indeed' doesn't do you any favors either. Make a point to think about what you are adding to your sentences with these words. Is the answer "I am adding nothing with these words."? Then those words should not be there.
I'm going to leave you a list of books where you can learn from writers that will help you with these things. Try not to get discouraged. We all have a lot to learn, so just think of it as part of the process. I would HIGHLY suggest you at least look into Elements of Style.
Sol Stein's On Writing
Stephen King's On Writing
Elements of Style
I have read many, many books about writing, but there has only been one (so far) that came to me with exactly the right message at exactly the time I needed it. Immediate Fiction by Jerry Cleaver. Six month after reading it I actually completed a novel for the first time. And a year after that, it was published. I don't know if anyone else is in need of Cleaver's message, but it certainly spoke to me.
Hmmm... depends on exactly what you are looking for... (you may also want to pose this question in /r/writing).
Start with these if you're looking for fiction writing help: The 10% Solution by Ken Rand
The Elements of Fiction series (I personally liked Nancy Kress's: Beginnings, middles & ends.
Immediate Fiction I haven't read it yet, but it looks pretty good.
There are a hundreds of other books out there, and a couple that focus more specifically on style, but Elements covers the majority of the subject fairly well. This one might be a little closer to what you're wanting.
Hope this helped.
Some 4 year olds in India dream of reincarnation, so I guess that's real too.
Or maybe it's bullshit.
A long time ago, there was a scientist, Dr. MacDougall.
interesting book about death,
also this, also that. The reasoning is legit, but it was not scientific and was unable to be reproduced. So the commentor's statement of "poop" is more accurate :)
Continued because it was too long lmao
11.) Something that would have a profound impact on your life and help you to achieve your current goals.
I honestly really want to get into acting. I love movies and TV shows, and I really would love to start acting. For that reason, this book would be a great addition to my library and would probably teach me a lot.
This book also looks like it would be a good learning experience. :)
I found another great read! I'll pretty much take any acting books I can get.
12.) One of those pesky Add-On items.
Pop Funkos are honestly my go-to add-on item. Like this little fella, for instance. Adorable and affordable (did I just make up a saying? I do believe I did).
What's that? Ah, yes. Pops. The source of my broke-ness. Have another..
Oh, you think I'm done. HA. I'm too far deep to dig myself out of the hole that is my ever-growing collection of Pops. Infinity War just came out (no spoilers, I really want to see it but haven't gotten the chance yet), so how about this adorable Thor Pop? Who doesn't love Thor?
13.) Something fandom related. (Sports fandoms are acceptable- bonus if someone figures out my favorite team)
My favorite band happens to be Twenty One Pilots... and this is a pretty sick shirt.
I'm sorry, I'm still thinking about Infinity War from up above. I found a Thanos shirt that is honestly super cool. Like I've never seen it before and now I want it lmao.
I recently got gifted this absolutely gorgeous and cool Hawkeye T-shirt. It has BOTH Hawkeyes from the comics on it! Super cool.
14.) Something ridiculously priced, more than $10,000. They exist, y’all.
Who the absolute heck buys a $180,000 watch?! Not me, that's for sure.
I'm honestly not even sure what this is, but it's expensive as heck and you could put that money toward an ACTUAL CAR.
Y'all need a parking lift? I gotchu.
15.) Something with sharks or unicorns.
Who doesn't love socks?. Especially socks with unicorns.
You ask for sharks, I get you sharks.
Also no joke this is the cutest thing I've ever seen oh my gosh.
16.) Something that smells wonderful.
I have a cinnamon candle (not that exact one) and I absolutely love it to death.
Who doesn't love coconut lime? I know I love it.
Have you ever thought to yourself, "damn, I really like me the smell of cilantro"? Well, look no further.
17.) A toy that you wanted or had when you were a child that was the best ever, or (if it’s not on amazon) a toy that you think is pretty cool now (Funko Pops, etc., will count.)
If you never played Clue, did you ever really have a childhood?
Another cool toy I had was something like this cool tent-like bus. The one I had had separate sections that were detachable. It was super cool.
I know it's not technically a toy, but I used to watch The Land Before Time ALL the time. I still love that show. It's so, so good.
18.) Something that would be helpful for writers.
Just getting started on writing? Writing for Dummies is always a good place to start.
If you're writing (especially on a computer), you're gonna eventually need some Advil, whether it's from writer's block or a headache from staring at the computer screen too long.
I know it might not be considered useful, but I always thought an ink pen was super cool to have, especially for writers.
19.) Something related to your current obsession, whatever that may be.
I don't know why, but I suddenly really like Harley Quinn's character. I've been getting, like all the Funko Pops of her. I have a problem.
Oh gosh, you shouldn't have asked. I finally finished catching up to The Walking Dead, and now I want everything Negan related. Like, seriously, I just bought a bloody Lucille of my own. Someone stop me. Anyway, here's a cute little Lucille keychain that I've never seen before.
Another thing I really like is Kylo Ren, but I think you already know that. This BrickHeadz is adorable.
20.) Something that is just so random and weird that it makes you laugh.
This oh my gosh i am dying.
Also idk why but just the lady's posture and the huge heckin' bear is k i l l i n g me.
I don't know how I stumbled upon this weirdass thing but the more I look at it the funnier it is.
Also, this whole thing took me like an hour but it was so much fun. Thanks for the contest!
This is going to sound like really flippant advice, but I swear it's not: buy this book. There is a lot of basic stuff you need to know - how to build character and setting and plot, how to outline, and yes, how to market and publish - and this will spell it all out a lot better than any of us could do in a short post on Reddit. It is definitely an intro book, so it's not like this is all you'll ever need, but it's a good place to start, get your bearings, and figure out what you need to focus on next.
When you do figure that out, there are tons of books dedicated to everything from plot structure and scene structure to dialogue and character arcs; buy those too. Use them to improve your craft and fill in your gaps.
Also, read! Read a lot. Pay attention to how the authors you love set a scene, how they describe things (and to what extent), how they structure their chapters and scenes, how they write dialogue. All books contain real, solid examples for you to study and learn from. Figure out what you admire, and mimic it. Figure out what you hate, and avoid it.
And last, keep in mind that your writing probably won't be amazing right away, and you might have to rethink and rewrite your book a few times as you're learning (or maybe even start a new one) before you really feel like you've gotten the hang of it. Don't give up, just keep learning and keep working.
This one is considered one of the standards. https://www.amazon.com/Techniques-Selling-Writer-Dwight-Swain/dp/0806111917
Here's a list of some of my favorite books on writing:
Go vagabonding. You, a backpack, a bit of cash, no plans.
You'll have enough stories for a lifetime, and you'll live the fantasy of women who obsess over cute, glossy, travel pics on social media (~99%).
I don't think a two week vacation is going to cut it. If that's the case, read this and start thinking about it.
Also, your SO and family probably do not want you to be miserable. People can tell and life is way too short to pretend to be happy.
Vagabonding by Rolf Potts
Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman, Yvon Chouinard's book that's kind of about building the business that is the Patagonia we know today, but is a lot more about his philosophies and ideologies and how we can all be better and do better for our planet.
Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel. A fairly short book that's not some abstract ideas or a story about traveling the world (that's Marco Polo Didn't Go There, which is also fantastic), but an actual how to book on doing it. It helped me, and has helped people I've given the book to, understand that extensive travel isn't just for the ultra wealthy, it is easy to do and achievable for everyone if you make travel your priority.
Will start by throwing a few into the ring:
The Beach by Alex Garland - While its plot is certainly limited with regard to imitability, it offers a very interesting perspective on the types of people you meet in the more interesting places you'll travel.
Vagabonding by Rolf Potts - A quintessential nonfiction guide for anyone who's considering traveling long term. It's preachy in places, but it'll fire you up to get moving.
Off the Rails in Phnom Penh by Amit Gilboa - You'll see this one being sold by street children in Phnom Penh often, but it's not too hard to find a copy anywhere else. A really great, enjoyable view of expat life in Phnom Penh.
Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac - On the Road is, of course, the standard American road novel, and Jack's most famous, but the Dharma Bums offers a really unique perspective on travel - that of a spiritual nature.
The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner - Another highly enjoyable read by an author who travels to the world's most purported "happy" countries. Great take on the subject area.
In the spirit of Chris Ryan I'll recommend the book Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel, if you're in the mood for non-fiction.
As a traveller/tourist, I've always tried to stay AWAY from tourist areas, haha. I have friends who go to the Bahamas, for example, and won't leave their resort/casino. My personal best experiences have been in the local communities; you tend to stand-out more (obviously), but people are more curiouse than malicious towards you.
Of course, though, do your homework! Go to traveller's forums, read books, do your research.
May I also recommend this book Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel
There's always Mark Rosenfelder's The Planet Construction Kit
sixty million Frenchmen can't be wrong
Maybe it's because you're overambitious. "Realistic reasons for everything existing" sounds to me like you might have too much going on for a first novel. I would personally look more at what the characters and the world need and then give them that stuff rather than giving them stuff and trying to figure out a reason why they have it.
You should definitely check out /r/worldbuilding if you haven't already because I think they concern themselves more specifically with this type of problem and there are plenty of pointers to have there even if you're not very interested in fictional maps, which make up a big part of the content there.
edit:
Ty Franck & Daniel Abraham talk worldbuilding: http://youtu.be/sCsPtUo91B0
A worldbuilding guide for writers: http://www.amazon.com/World-Building-Science-Fiction-Writing-Stephen/dp/158297134X
If you can find a writing group that fits your needs, that is probably the best place to go. If you're talking about a specific person as a resource, I would suggest finding a set of books that provides that expertise, since a person who does that with the level of expertise you would need would probably charge a fee. Unless you are able to get references from other writers, there is no guarantee that a fee-based approach would get you advice that was really helpful to you in your chosen genre.
​
Two books that I find are indispensable for your world-building efforts are World Building by Stephen Gillett (https://www.amazon.com/World-Building-Science-Fiction-Writing-Stephen/dp/158297134X) and Aliens and Alien Societies by Stanley Schmidt and Ben Bova (https://www.amazon.com/Aliens-Societies-Science-Fiction-Writing/dp/0898797063/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1542787506&sr=1-1&keywords=aliens+and+alien+societies).
​
Best of luck!
r/StatementOfPurpose has lots of examples from other people that you can read, as well as if you search through this sub. I also used https://www.amazon.com/Graduate-Admissions-Essays-Fourth-School/dp/1607743213 this book for help and swapped SOPs with my peers. After a while, you get a feel for it.
>Has anyone used this method before?
Kinda sorta, I write dialogue-heavy on the first pass with very minimal descriptions, then ink that shit in on the second pass. It can help knowing what the scene looks like for dialogue (pro tips can be found in Aaron's 2K to 10K book) and related actions, but a dialogue-rich approach helps your characters step from the page.
Also, you avoid painful exposition :)
If you can track down a copy, Enough Is Too Much Already is a book written entirely in dialogue, and it's superb. I lent my copy out, never to be seen again, so don't make that mistake.
I've certainly found myself surprised to realize how many erotica and even romance writers are guys hiding behind a female pen name. No need to feel left out.
I know there are plenty of guys that read romances, but at the end of the day, the majority of romances -- and erotic romances -- are consumed by women. So you'll likely be best served to write to that expectation, even if you write from the narrative perspective of the male main character. Take that for what it is worth. There is no single true female perspective but something like this will not fly with a predominately female romance reader. Plenty of men have managed to pull off female characters to not have to beat a dead horse about the topic, but here is a good discussion thread, if you are so inclined to read it. (Side note, you might enjoy watching the Vaginal Fantasy screencast; it's a few semi-celebrity women discussing a book-of-the-month erotic romance and their discussions might be relevant to your interests, plus very entertaining to watch.)
You are probably best served by checking out a few of the "top" erotic romances that are in your erotic romance niche (there are plenty of niches, similar to erotica) and dissect them like you have to write a book report on how they work. How does the author build tension between the characters? How does the relationship grow and change over the course of the book? What are the re-occurring similarities between these top selling books that your readers are expecting from your book?
There are a few books and websites that describe in detail how to write romances.
Try some of these resources:
How about something like this:
If you're looking for more control over what your book will look like when published (i.e. page breaks before chapters, special chapter headings, etc.) you will want to look into hand-formatting. Here are a couple of books that go into further detail: Here and here!
Oh man, that's tough. I was lucky during my first book. I've always been in writing (as a journalist) and have thought about writing a novel for a very long time. That meant I had a lot of ideas stored up, and writing this first book was like opening the floodgates. Admittedly, I took it very slow, writing it out over a year or so.
During that time, I read From 2k to 10k a Day by Rachel Aaron. She has a great system for writing faster. She makes a strong case for plotting, and has totally converted me. I think that's what has kept me from suffering from writers' block. If ever I doubt where I'm going, I just go back to the outline and reassess what I'm doing. The added benefit to that is, I always know where I'm going, giving me time to focus more on prose, which has helped my writing tremendously.
"Is there a particular scene or moment in the story that is giving you trouble?"
This. Nine times out of ten this is my problem. There's not enough conflict or I'm trying to force a character deviation or my idea for the scene doesn't fit the trope or something. (And when it happens, 90% of those instances can be attributed to not enough conflict. My own personal cross to bear, maybe.) I doubt it's a personal failing on your part, OP. You already knocked out 50K... that's no small amount of work.
Rachel Aaron Bach's 2K to 10K helped me learn to step back and look at a scene if I was having a hard time. You already got suggestions for Cold Turkey Writer and I saw StayFocusd mentionded at some point -- both of those work for me as well.
Good luck with the book!.
There was a best-selling book about how anything that matters in the entire German media is controlled by one or the other intelligence agency: Gekaufte Journalisten. English translation is promised for June 2016.
I followed some of the suggestions in Rachel Aaron's 2k to 10k, to boost my output.
In the very beginning of a story, I use very rough outlines, kinda similar to the method discussed in James Lofquist's Tell, Don't Show!
Basically, I just throw it all on the page (I mean even the shittiest idea) and come back to edit it later. Saw a thing somewhere on reddit yesterday that said "You can edit a bad page; you can't edit a blank page", and that's pretty much been my philosophy since the start.
I have never taken a class, save for the basics that are required for any degree in college. I find workshops (in my area, anyway) to be full of people who just want to critique the shit out of your stuff, but who aren't actually pulling in any money from their writing. I read a lot, though, and I think that's pretty key to being able to internalize (and then naturally emulate) style, plot patterns, etc.
As for the distractions, I will usually put on a headset and crank up some kind of white noise (I have a whole host of websites that I visit, but a favorite is rainymood.com). My boyfriend knows that this is a source of income for us, and gives me the free time that I require -- if you are not in a similar situation, you may have to be firm about setting your boundaries, or just lock yourself away for a bit each day.
If I'm really not into it that day, I'll read instead. Sometimes I just need a break from the story.
I recommend reading Rachel Aaron's book, 2000 TO 10000. It's basically a instruction manual for how she become more disciplined in writing. I've gotten some great ideas from it.
http://thisblogisaploy.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-i-went-from-writing-2000-words-day.html
And the buy link--it's $1 right now:
http://www.amazon.com/2k-10k-Writing-Faster-ebook/dp/B009NKXAWS/ref=la_B004FRLQXE_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1349882755&sr=1-9
Yeah this is way too mysterious... to the point of I don't know what's going on.
Most romance blurbs are like:
Paragraph 1: Main Character #1--who they are, what's their external struggle, what's their problem why they can't find/want love, their role in the plot, etc.
Paragraph 2: Repeat for other main character.
Paragraph 3: Why they are coming together/forced to spend time together/inciting incident. Why they are resisting each other.
Read any romance blurb. They're pretty much all like this.
Also read Romancing the Beat for a quick, easy way to understand the romantic character arc that your book needs in order for you to correctly label it a "Romance."
If your story is just a cast of characters running around fucking and giving into/resisting temptation--even if there is love and emotion--it's not a romance and you'll get run out of town on a rail.
I guess it depends on whether or not you want the program to do the formatting for you.
For example I plot and write in Scrivener but then I strip the story out into a plain text file and format it manually. (It really doesn't take long once you've learnt the basics of html etc.) Once the formatting is done, I shove the html file into Calibre and convert it to epub and mobi.
It sounds like a crazy way to do it, but I don't get any weird formatting issues in my files at all. Check this page out if you think this is the route for you. That guy also has a book - Zen of eBook Formatting which is just a clean version of his blog posts.
HTH :)
> Anyone have tips for formatting?
Oh boy do I! Honestly, for the first few months of shorts, I just did things on Google docs then uploaded a docx file to Amazon. That worked fine and looked okay and let me focus on what was important: writing more shorts.
If you want to get fancy there's a bunch of way to go: you can use Scrivener, apparently, as you're doing. If you have a Mac and want them to look really pretty you can get a program called Vellum (there are ways to get it on your PC, too, by simulating a Mac, if you really want Vellum). The two programs I've heard mentioned for Windows (or Mac) are Jutoh and Sigil.
Finally, if you want to invest a fair amount of time learning stuff, don't get frustrated very easily, and want complete control over your books, you can do something called hand formatting. That's where you go in and use HTML to make your manuscript look nice. I just learned how to do this and find it quiet satisfying. Check out A Filthy Book in a Fancy Dress by Cooper Kegel and Zen of eBook Formatting by Guido Henkel. Henkel also has a series of blog posts if you want a quick overview of what you're getting into. Both of the books are free to read with Kindle Unlimited though, I believe, and you can get a free month of KU if you're not already signed up. It's quite useful for doing market research anyway.
But, anyway, if your just getting started I'd say: just make it look nice in a Word doc and upload that.
P.S. I don't really know what I'm talking about. Just repeating what I've learned so far.
I could only find a bootleg PDF which looks weird and unintelligible. Bootleg pdf: http://www.agmiw.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/GekaufteJournalisten-UdoUlfkotte.pdf
The only official version I can find is the German book on Amazon but it's twenty dollars. https://www.amazon.com/Gekaufte-Journalisten/dp/3864451434/ref=pd_sim_14_1/135-6879697-5879016?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=3864451434&pd_rd_r=baa083fb-8892-4434-8ef6-8e49892b1f4c&pd_rd_w=IY1d6&pd_rd_wg=e1Wih&pf_rd_p=04d27813-a1f2-4e7b-a32b-b5ab374ce3f9&pf_rd_r=4BRBSJD9CKQJ9GBBANFQ&psc=1&refRID=4BRBSJD9CKQJ9GBBANFQ
Last month it seems a very small independent publisher seems to have copied the original book in English and published it under a different title which is sold here at a very expensive 30 dollars: https://www.amazon.com/Presstitutes-Embedded-Pay-CIA-Confession/dp/1615770178/ref=pd_sbs_14_t_0/135-6879697-5879016?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1615770178&pd_rd_r=3e0a83df-f0f1-4ab1-bde6-298b65c9a020&pd_rd_w=QdjMV&pd_rd_wg=8EyBK&pf_rd_p=5cfcfe89-300f-47d2-b1ad-a4e27203a02a&pf_rd_r=7SD24B75M7DGK0K7P3VD&psc=1&refRID=7SD24B75M7DGK0K7P3VD
I own each one of those books and I would only cosign on the Amy Cooper and the Emily Baker. I also got a lot of helpful info from Unsilenced's first book.
For Erotica in general - I would also skip the Susie Bright. Instead I would go with Stacia Kane Be A Sex Writing Strumpet. Also this website also helped me helped me think stories through.
I would suggest you start learning story structure and outlining early. Dan Wells is an awesome free source - through his youtube videos, and Dwight V Swain Techniques of the Selling Writer. Also Gwen Hayes Romancing the Beat.
As a writer I would keep reading additional sources, once you find a story structure that you like - as in 3 part or 4 part, then find an ultimate resource for this.
When I first started I didn't really understand pinch points so I read a book on screenwriting that helped.
This is the method that many fiction writers use to keep themselves going. See a nifty little book called 2K to 10K.
Pretty sure she not only tracked how many words per date, but also did an hourly breakdown, and discovered that she wrote as much in her two or three most productive hours as she did in the other five or six. Cut her workday in half when she figured that out.
There's actually a post on the sidebar, second one down. It's not as detailed as it could be, but it gives a good primer in Romance.
And thanks for the callout /u/YourSmutSucks.
Here's the thing about Romance, there's a lot of good information in this subreddit, in other subreddits, and on the Internet. But the key, is that just because you call something romance, doesn't make it romance.
If you want to get a good foundation for genre writing in general, start with Storygrid by Shawn Coyne (his website has all the information in the book for free and the podcast is great).
Then look up Romancing the Beat. Just released and it's probably one of the best, if not the best Romance structure books out there.
I read a lot - books, short stories, graphic novels, screenplays, plays. Not only do you learn from studying how other writers construct their work, but by studying different mediums you tend to strengthen specific writing muscles. For example, when studying screenplays you learn how to craft better dialogue. When studying graphic novels you become better aware of how to utilize your setting.
A trick I stole from college is mimicking the style of a writer, or book, you admire (I actually do this after every good book I read). You'll inevitably pick up at least one cool thing you can use in your own writing, and it's a great way to hone your own style.
I recently bought this book on Amazon, which gives tips on how to write faster. It's only .99 and, personally, I think it's aimed towards amateur writers but the one thing I got out of it was planning before you write. It sounds like a no-brainer but I used to hate outlining. But the way she describes it, it's more thorough than traditional outlining and I've been able to write 10,000 words in one sitting without becoming frustrated.
This book is invaluable for me. If you read it, you'll notice that a lot of what I said is a summary of this, because it's just so damn on point. She goes into all the parts a bit more in-depth. That should definitely help!
Rachel Aaron/Rachel Bach. She writes [several thousand words] (https://www.amazon.com/2k-10k-Writing-Faster-Better-ebook/dp/B009NKXAWS) per day and, since 2010, has written thirteen novels and other various works.
I go to the coffeeshop and write 2000 words every day in the morning, that's my minimum. I've broken 10k in a day before, but it's usually hard for me to get through the 5k mark. Hopefully when I drop my full time job (later this year) I'll be able to work my way up.
When I first started writing, I could only do like 200-300 words an hour. Now I'm up to more like 1000-1500. Practice, practice, practice.
Also, the 2k to 10k thing helped me, like, a LOT: http://www.amazon.com/2k-10k-Writing-Faster-Better-ebook/dp/B009NKXAWS
I've never read it, but it's this one: https://www.amazon.com/2k-10k-Writing-Faster-Better-ebook/dp/B009NKXAWS
I've used a couple of different methods, including the one Rachel Aaron describes in 2K to 10K, but I've found the most success using the Snowflake Method.(Here's the Amazon link if you decide to purchase the book.)
To me, this is a very organic and easy-to-follow method. With each step (e.g., Step 5, which requires you to delve into a character's backstory and role), I find myself filling previously missed plot holes or discovering the real reason for a character's actions. For example while working on Step 8 the other night (creating a scene list), I suddenly found myself adding six new chapters (about 18 proactive and reactive scenes) that completely solved a gap in my antagonist's timeline. When I realized that something didn't quite work, it was much easier to delete one weak sentence than throw away a 1,500-word scene that didn't add anything.
The best way I can think of to summarize this method is that you will start with a very basic idea and then extrapolate it in multiple steps. As you progress, ideas will ebb and flow. Small changes during this process save so much time. You'll find that after you finish the steps, the writing is easy. I know that when I'm done with the steps and finally begin to write, the skeleton and muscle are already there; all I have left to add is the skin and maybe one or two tattoos.
In any case, I would certainly recommend taking a look. One of the women in my writing group just switched to the Snowflake Method after becoming stuck in the middle of her third novel (part of a fantasy series that has had good sales on Amazon). She sent me an e-mail the other night telling me that she was now a believer, having finally resolved the issues that had resulted in a stagnant project.
Hope it helps!
On Writing Well.
https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Science-Papers-Proposals-Funded/dp/0199760241
I enjoyed this one.
Excellent resource!
I get similar "ew, no" reactions when I recommend Josh Schimel's book Writing Science to fiction writers, even though that's one of the best-researched and most concise books on writing I've yet come across.
Definitely adding this article to my library.
Yeah, it's strictly a biography, but it's still very worth checking out just because the guy was such an evil and relentless slimeball. If you wanted something more about the phenomenon/psychology itself you could check out something like this (but keep in mind who the author is)
Game related :
https://www.amazon.de/Slay-Dragon-Writing-Great-Stories/dp/1615932291
Stories in General:
https://www.amazon.de/Stein-Writing-Successful-Techniques-Strategies/dp/0312254210
Hi u/Calicox,
Brandon Sanderson has a series of lectures he did at Brigham Young University when teaching a creative writing class there. Here's his lecture on character, but the others I've seen are also worth your time.
You may find the following books helpful:
This
This
This
This
This
This
This
Best,
DR-M
Writing Down the Bones is pretty good, as is Stein on Writing Actually, anything by Sol Stein is good for a aspiring writer, if for no other reason than it'll be an outstanding example of good writing.
> Volevo sapere se conoscete un libro per imparare a scrivere
Ti consiglio di cercare su /r/writing/ (e sugli altri subreddit dedicati alla scrittura che sono linkati da /r/writinghub) perché spesso ho visto dei consigli su libri dedicati alla scrittura creativa, anche se al momento non ti saprei dire quali fossero.
Personalmente ne ho letti parecchi di libri simili, ma me ne sono piaciuti (moderatamente) soltanto due: questo e questo. Purtroppo non credo ne esista una traduzione italiana.
> volevo lanciare un'idea di poter creare anche sun sub in italiano
Ogni volta che viene creato un nuovo subreddit in italiano, una buona parte degli utenti di /r/italy si lamenta del fatto che già si è in pochi e creando nuovi subreddit ci si frammenta ancora di più.
Se preferisci, crealo, ma per quanto mi riguarda i racconti originali sono i benvenuti qui su /r/Libri.
Read Immediate Fiction.
In the book "Stiff" They talk about this. Apparently, a brain transplant was performed with a monkey. Thing is, as sotek pointed out in another comment "When we transplant other organs, we mainly have to reconnect tubes (blood vessels, intestine, etc.)" So when they transplanted this monkey brain, they didn't connect it to anything except the blood vessels in this other monkey.
So it's kind of like plugging in a gaming system to a powersource and turning it on, but not connecting the monitor or the controls. The brain was "on" and alive, but no information was going in or out of it because all the nerves had been severed. They had an EEG connected to it, so they knew thoughts were being produced and the brain was still alive, there was just no way to know what exactly was going on. They suspected the monkey brain probably went insane with having no outside stimulation coming in.
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers was incredibly humorous and I also learned a lot of gross and interesting facts I can never bring up at dinner parties.
Stiff, Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
You may want to read this just before Gross Anatomy.
http://www.amazon.com/Stiff-Curious-Lives-Human-Cadavers/dp/0393050939
Everything you've ever wanted to know, and then some, about corpses.
> Basically people from Forensics dept's around the world come to America and dig up donated bodies then figure out what killed them..
http://www.amazon.com/Stiff-Curious-Lives-Human-Cadavers/dp/0393050939
Highly recommended book. Amusing, yet dealing with an interesting subject.
Stiff.
http://www.amazon.com/Stiff-Curious-Lives-Human-Cadavers/dp/0393050939
I would start off with Stiff and then Bonk. I liked Spook but on amazon it doesn't have as good of reviews as the others so I'd read that one later if you aren't as interested in it. I've yet to read packing for mars but if it's anything like her other books, it's wonderful.
Mary Roach is great. I also loved her books ["Bonk"] (http://www.amazon.com/Bonk-The-Curious-Coupling-Science/dp/0393334791/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1409258621&sr=8-7&keywords=mary+roach) (about sex-related research) and ["Spook"] (http://www.amazon.com/Spook-Science-Afterlife-Mary-Roach/dp/0393329127/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1409258592&sr=8-6&keywords=mary+roach) (about research into the paranormal).
God might be hiding somewhere too. Pixies might. Fairy dust too. Until we come up with something that is provable, however, it's useless speculation. There is not even a shred of proof of anything that even remotely resembles a soul. And I'm not just saying that to be contrary, I really wish there was something. I'm the kind of guy that reads books like Spook - which is a great book, by the way - about the earnest search for... something. It just isn't there.
You might be interested in reading Spook. If basically goes through and takes a look at various beliefs of what happens after people die. It covers near death, ghosts, reincarnation, etc.
possibly not true. If you read Spook, there's a fascinating conversation with a physicist in which he uses thermodynamics and information theory to argue that your consciousness might not just disappear... instead, it may get "recycled" by the universe. So there may be a sort of afterlife, though not in the "spirits floating around and interacting" sense.
I think your MIL needs this. Just sayin'.
I suggest reading some good books on writing novels. Writing Fiction for Dummies is a great place to start
Feedback is great, but the foremost person to satisfy is yourself. If this story entices you, keep writing, as keepfuckingwriting will no doubt mention.
Hemingway has this great line: "The most essential gift for a good writer is a built-in, shock-proof, shit detector."
In my view the detector isn't built-in. It evolves--by reading fiction and by studying the craft of writing. Read even more in your genre and branch out of it. Find mentors in writing books; some of mine are John Gardner, Chuck Wendig, and Dwight Swain.
I find general writing books are pretty good. My favorite is Techniques of the Selling Writer mainly because it teaches how to write smoothly. But, the biggest is just to keep reading erotica and find what works for you.
You will not get an appropriate response from denizens here, I suggest that you read this book instead; that way, you will not be buggered into further derision.
Vagabonding by Rolf Potts.
I recently read Vagabonding by Rolf Potts, it was pretty interesting.
It's about traveling not a story about travelling though. If you travel a lot you may have already experienced some of what he talks about.
Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel It isn't fiction... but I can't think of anything else more inspiring to world travel.
Definitely long term travel. It could probably help you grow more as a person than a semester of a graduate program.
What is your experience with statistics and what are you looking to do with it? There are excellent online modules (I've heard anyway, my stats knowledge came from school) that you can definitely utilize while working at your own pace (even at work during downtime). R is the statistics program/language that is currently most well respected in the statistics community, and it's free. R isn't even really taught in a lot of academic programs as far as I know, all the people I know who are proficient in it taught themselves.
edit: This is a great book about long term travel, he's also done some podcasts https://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-Travel/dp/0812992180/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1541349629&sr=8-1&keywords=rolf+potts
you should read Vagabonding.
The book is not long and it has everything you ever need to know. It was eye opener for me :D
Could everyone add a quote from the book they're reading? A good quote could draw my interest. Helps me find new stuff to read!
As for myself, I'm currently on Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel. Here are a couple of quotes from said book:
"We need sometimes to escape into open solitudes, into aimlessness, into the moral holiday of running some pure hazard, in order to sharpen the edge of life, to taste hardship, and to be compelled to work desperately for a moment no matter what."
"In this way, vagabonding is like a pilgrimage without a specific destination or goal— not a quest for answers so much as a celebration of the questions, an embrace of the ambiguous, and an openness to anything that comes your way."
Good book on this topic: http://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-Travel/dp/0812992180
> I'll never meet a guy that will love me back. There's no one that's remotely interested in me. I'm too awkward. Even if I did find a guy, he'd probably leave me anyway.
I lived in SF for a long time and I can tell you that people of all stripes and levels of awkwardness find love, I saw it all the time.
The people at Pixar say things get better:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a4MR8oI_B8
As for your parents, people find comfort in having scapegoats and people who are followers tend to listen to leaders who are happy to supply scapegoats - in the past (US) it was the Irish, Italians, Chinese, Polish, etc nowadays for rednecks it is the immigrants, for flag wavers it is ISIS, for Mormons it is the gays. One way to think of these people is morally immature and easily lead astray by the authority figures they rely on to tune their moral compass. You have to be the bigger man. In this case, yes they are torturing you but it is because they think it is what they are supposed to do. Success is your best revenge.
As far as jobs or education here is a secret - being a middle manager or something is not necessarily more rewarding than being a barista. Honor and fulfillment come from how you conduct your life and how you treat others. Chop wood, carry water there is much to be said for humility and simplicity. You can learn more for free from the best schools in the world on iTunes University than you could at BYU.
https://diyscholar.wordpress.com/guide-to-itunesu/
"Do not let yourself be guided by the authority of the sacred texts, nor by simple logic, nor by appearance or opinion, nor even by the teachings of your master; when you know in yourself that something is bad, then give it up, and accept the good and follow it." -Buddha
You are stuck in a place where people live in a very small bubble and they all believe it is real, it is not and there are many amazing and fulfilling things out there that you should try out before you kill yourself. Here are just three books with alternative ideas about spirituality, philosophy and jobs - you can stop living live exclusively from the POV of the Mormon bubble without letting anyone else know that you are doing it - for now while you are still in prison, once you are out you can be your own man.
http://www.amazon.com/Chop-Wood-Carry-Water-Fulfillment/dp/0874772095
http://www.amazon.com/Wabi-Sabi-Artists-Designers-Poets-Philosophers/dp/0981484603
http://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-Travel/dp/0812992180
Here's something I read in Rolf Pott's Vagabonding that's so obvious, but most of us don't think about: there are people living frugal, yet comfortable, lives almost everywhere in the world. When you visit the place, if you adopt some of the local practices of frugality, your trip suddenly becomes a lot cheaper than you would have imagined when you were thinking of yourself as just a typical a tourist.
The main cost of world travel is the airfare for getting to the place. Once you reach there, you can do as the locals do (who are usually poorer than the average American) and have yourself a frugal trip, without sacrificing the awesome experiences of world traveling.
The book also goes on to say that as a world traveler, you can travel cheap and save your money for an occasional splurge on something unique, than waste it on routine stuff like staying in expensive tourist hotels and eating in tourist restaurants all the time.
I highly recommend that book.
Why hello there good sir!
May I recommend "Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide To The World of Travel"?
Ok, I had a similar trip, here's a few tips and tricks:
3)Overnight trains are fine. A little loud, a little bumpy but cheaper than a hotel for a night and you're not missing out on day travel time. I say they're worth it but you miss some countryside so just play it by ear.
Other than that, have fun good luck, I recommend Vagabonding by Ralph Potts. Lots of great advice.
http://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-Travel/dp/0812992180
Not sure if this has been posted, but I found this book to be one of tremendous inspiration for my travels.
>Wish I could work my ass off for 2 years straight on Vyvanse and earn enough money to "chill" for 6 months and unravel my mind or something.
You may enjoy this blog: Mister Money Mustache which talks about how to do exactly this thing. Also Timothy Ferris' book The Four Hour Work Week. Ooo also: Vagabonding by Ralph Potts is even more precisely what you are looking for.
In short there are a lot of ways to live and if you think of a "weird" way to do it, chances are someone else has too and written a book or blog about it.
Read this book if you haven't already.
Read Vagabonding
Great resource for the whole 'drop my current life to start a new one' mentality, even though it involves mainly travelling the world, not setting up shop somewhere.
Look for Vagabonding in Google, there's a fair amount of stuff on the subject.
This is a book on the topic I've only heard good things about.
The basics are: Get the very best backpack you can (try it on first), carefully think about what you really need in terms of clothing (consider the climate you want to be in), at least learn a bit of the language of where you want to be and then look for some hobo-tips on how to avoid most stab-wounds (also, try to look like a tourist instead of a hobo).
Dumpster-diving can also help greatly as it means less money is needed for food.
Absolutely! Check it out if you haven't. I got mine for like 8 bucks on Amazon!
My list:
Get this book http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0812992180. I wish I would have read this book before I went to Thailand.
You may want to read the Planet Construction Kit by Mark Rosenfelder.
Language building and world building go hand in hand in my opinion. The world, its geography, history, politics, culture, flora and fauna, all and more inspire uniqueness in languages.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0984470034/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_op7Pub04GQYCT
This is a book I got for christmas. It's a fantastic read for conworlding.
Here are some of the interviews he's done on the topic if you're interested.
http://freakonomics.com/2011/08/08/tim-groseclose-author-of-left-turn-answers-your-questions/
>Last week we solicited your questions for Tim Groseclose, a political science professor at UCLA and author of the new book, Left Turn: How Liberal Media Bias Distorts the American Mind. The response was fast and furious. A total of 149 questions (and counting) have been posted in the comments section. We selected 14 of them for Groseclose to answer, and he obliged us quite promptly. As always, thanks to all for participating.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1EQiKq_J1s
https://www.amazon.com/Left-Turn-Liberal-Distorts-American/dp/1250002761
Ha, good luck winning a war after they have voluntarily disarmed themselves and flocked to cities with no independent sources of food. What will they use as weapons, vegan burgers and plastic Guy Fawkes masks?
The Dems have no solution, only identity politics. The problem is with the 24/7 news cycle the public is getting overdosed with this kind of predictable attack. I don't think the Zimmerman thing and Ferguson thing helped the left at all, both instances made them look like reactionary idiots. The War on Women thing is also wearing pretty thin, the race card is dog-earred all they really have are the young people but liberals aren't reproducing so that's going to dry up as well. We've already seen demographic shifts concerned abortion due in a large part to the fact pro-life people have more kids and pass those values on.
You might enjoy this book, the author and economist, makes the claim, and backs it up that the media basically pulls the country about 25 points to the left. Left Turn: How Liberal Media Bias Distorts the American Mind - Tim Groseclose
Here he is on Freakonomics discussing his model.
transcript
Listener questions with Groseclose
I'm French and I would rather advise on reading Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong: Why We Love France but Not the French.
[Get this.] (http://www.amazon.com/World-Building-Science-Fiction-Writing-Stephen/dp/158297134X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414761150&sr=8-1&keywords=worldbuilding)
Two of my favorites, from two of the all-time best science fiction writers:
How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy by Orson Scott Card
World-Building by Stephen L. Gillett and Ben Bova
Both look at it from more of a writing standpoint, but they're great resources for RPGers or hobbyists too.
> Is this a theory of yours, or is it contributed to elsewhere?
There is plenty of literature out there on it, don't know any online references off the top of my head though. This book has a good basic coverage. Note this is a book about writing realistic Science Fiction, so it does talk about what we think is plausible and what we think isn't. And looks at things like known abundance of various elements.
Can't offer consultation myself, but check out Artifexian's YouTube channel. He does a lot of worldbuilding tips based on known science and offers handy equations to allow you to ballpark exact specs, like distance from the parent star and whatnot.
A book that was helpful to me was World-Building by Stephen L. Gillet. Very math heavy and maybe no longer current thanks to how quickly exoplanet science is evolving, but it gets really deep into the mechanics, moreso than Artifexian.
SUNY and CUNY schools are heavily researched-based, and some of their programs are just as competitive as any other state system. It might be worth looking into CUNY EMBA programs if they are available (they are more expensive, but have more to do with making new connections and gaining experience rather than heavy research.)
I'm a first-year grad student that applied last year using this book as a guide. Part of the book contains great general advice for the different components of your application: finding the right programs, keeping track of deadlines, asking for recommendation letters, etc. But as the title suggests, most of the book is about the entire process of writing a solid personal statement. You start with some brainstorming exercises that eventually lead to compiling your first draft, followed by editing techniques until you get to your final iteration. 50+ example statements are provided, along with commentary that points out good and bad aspects of each one.
That book was easily the best resource I had while applying. I was able to borrow a copy from my local library, but even at the $15 Amazon price it's totally worth the money. It looks the the one I linked you to is a brand new edition that's only a couple months old, so I'd be interested to see what's been updated.
Drafting your essays in a Google doc is a great idea. Strongly recommend reading Donald Asher's Graduate Admissions Essays. Tons of tips on how to write your way into the graduate school of your choice, and samples.
I've read that's more impressive to ask meaningful questions about their research that reflects that you read their recent/prominent work. Although, that's for the PhD track, and it goes with the same mentality that you take the proper steps necessary to ensure this lab is a good fit for you.
I'm not too familiar with the etiquette for master's programs, but I think that these questions:
>...is the program mostly focused on classes?
>Is it possible to continue and get a PhD in the same program if I decide that I want to keep continuing?
...are better directed at the admissions officer of the program, rather than the professor.
I'm referencing this book, which you might find helpful as well: Graduate Admissions Essays
Despite the title, it has a chapter on emailing professors before applying, complete with a template of what you should be sending them.
Good luck! hope that helps c:
http://www.amazon.de/Gekaufte-Journalisten-Udo-Ulfkotte/dp/3864451434
I prescribe these two books for you to read in this order:
Writing Tools: 55 Essential Strategies for Every Writer
On Writing Well, 25th Anniversary Edition: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction
Read these two books carefully and apply the advice to your own writing.
Good luck.
1.) Your courses will give you enough of a reading list to keep yourself busy; I wouldn't try to cram in too much more, at least not during the school year. I'd check out How to Read Literature Like a Professor if you find yourself struggling with your classes, and On Writing Well and Elements of Style if you're struggling with your essays.
2.) I wish I'd done something non-writing related. I had internships and work study positions and worked for the campus newspaper and all of that stuff so I almost got... burned out? on writing and books. It took a little while to recover.
3.) Marilynne Robinson's Housekeeping was great. I also had a class where the only book we read was Ulysses. I wouldn't have been able to make myself read that book without a semester long class, but I'm glad that I did. Now I never have to again.
4.) Learn how to skim your readings. If you've got a couple hundred pages of reading each week, there just aren't enough hours to do it all.
5.) See #2
6.) See #1. Also: go to office hours. I know professors can seem intimidating, but they don't want you to fail. Most of them are just sitting there during their office hours, twiddling their thumbs.
Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!
Here are your smile-ified links:
On Writing Well
Elements of Style
Thrill Me
Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft
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^^i'm ^^a ^^friendly bot
Heh, it's a hell of a lot easier to write walls of text. Anyone can take a dozen sentences to say something, but taking one to say the same thing it's trickier. Most aren't willing to put in the effort. And some people are just naturally verbose....butI'm sure my education didn't hurt my ability to write. I got a degree in philosophy which was basically "Write a hundred papers about a subject you don't really understand in such a way you can convince someone you do". As a writing exercise, it's pretty useful. If I learned anything from my years in college, it's how to argue, which comes down to writing cogently. Well, it also gave me the tools to win arguments the wrong way, with sophistry. Which I kind of delight in doing. It's like being given powers and using them for evil...
I always intended to write, but then my chronic illness came along and with it went my ability to concentrate well and most of my motivation (case in point, I just had to look up "motivation" because I couldn't remember the word). As far as writing goes, I say work from the ground up. Get something like this or this. Just my personal opinion, but I believe it's all about a good foundation. But you know what works best for you. The only other advice I'd give is just keep doing it. Like anything else, the best way to get good is practice. Even if the piece it isn't up to your standards it's a step.
God, fucking star signs. People are willing to believe the STUPIDEST shit. So everyone born in the same hospital as me at the same time should have identical lives and personalities? Yeah, evidence REALLY bears that out...garbage.
I'm a firm believer in the jack of all trades as a lifestyle choice. I find too many different things interesting to pick one and ignore the rest. I mean, almost all of the things I'm interested in would fall under "Academia", but so many different fields are fascinating. I don't think it's a character flaw, but then again, I wouldn't, since I'm right there with you. It's not indecisive if you find many things interesting yet none interesting enough to choose. You've chose the many over the one, a completely valid choice.
Ah, yeah, my parents were pretty lax too. Very few hard and fast rules. Probably kept me hanging around longer, but I also just really like both of my parents.
I've read a bit about mormonism, and how "The Temple" is super reserved for the elites. I've also driven past the one in DC with the overpass preceding it saying "Surrender Dorothy" because it looks like fricking Oz. I'd heard about people getting married in the temple but a lot of their family couldn't attend because they didn't count as "Mormons in good standing." Crazy. Not very "community" oriented at that point. I also remember seeing this youtube video of a guy who got pretty far up in the hierarchy before losing faith and he showed a bunch of the weird behind the scenes stuff. There's this whole ceremony with a LITERAL "secret handshake" and everyone is robed and your blindfolded. SO masonic. Interesting stuff.
I think "Humanist" sounds kinda....hippy dippy. It certainly doesn't imply "spiritual" in anyway. And certainly not compared to "Deist" which clearly posits a god from the word go. The lines between ALL spirituality branches are pretty blurry. I mean, on the whole, the big three religions are worshiping the same guy, the arguments merely boil down to how. And every religion basically says "There's a god and he wants you to be good" with the rest being window dressing.
There are some good book resources if you want to take the time to read through them. Schimel's Writing Science: How to Write Papers That Get Cited and Proposals that Get Funded seems pretty well recommended on Amazon.
Reading journal articles is a good start but be careful because there are many poorly written published articles out there.
A book that could be really helpful is Writing Science - I haven't read it all personally but my supervisor outlined the major points in it before I started writing my thesis and it had some really good advice.
https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Science-Papers-Proposals-Funded/dp/0199760241
We read this book in a graduate writing seminar I took this semester. It was the first book we read and I thought it had some great ideas on how to develop a writing schedule and stick to it. We followed it with "Writing Science" by Josh Schimel which really gets into the details of how to write WELL, not just a lot. It's much more dense but worth looking into if you're committed to improving your writing. :)
Take a look at this recent post. There are some good suggestions in there.
I posted in there, but it still applies here: Writing Science: How to Write Papers That Get Cited and Proposals That Get Funded. Great book, easy to read, and I saw great improvement in my writing.
Chris Wallace is the best of them, but his reporting is biased. Check out his interview with Jon Stewart on youtube. Bret Baier is pathetically biased. Shepard Smith has his moments, but none of them are even close to objective. It's not just in the way they present the news, it's the news Fox chooses to present, what it ignores, the terminology used.
Fox is institutionally one-sided, propagandistic, and as I said, Fox viewers are consistently misinformed, under-informed and ignorant when they re polled. Consistently. Dozens of polls, dozens of years. No question.
Watch the documentary Outfoxed. There are examples of many interviews with reporters who worked there.
Why do you think right wing neocons and Republicans always choose Fox to grant interviews exclusively? It's because they get softball questions. Why do people like Sarah Palin and Huckabee and John Kasich and many other GOP politicians end up getting jobs on air at Fox and no where else? Because Fox is biased, and they can be their party hack selves there.
If you don't know this, you don't know anything. Google around you will find endless information to back me up on this, and no credible sources making the case for Fox's impartiality. Look at the myriad conservative assholes who work there. Hannity, O'Reilly, Megan Kelly, those three shitheads in the morning that Douchy guy, the stupid lady and the overgrown mutant five year old, Brian Kilmeade. Look at the management, the megalomaniacal Rupert Murdoch and the party hack Roger Ailes, who brought us Rush Limbaugh.
Why did Rush Limbaugh endlessly promote Fox on his program when it was new? Because it's to "fair and balanced"? No, because it's a biased propaganda machine for conservatives and Republican greedheads.
Studies find that Fox news tells the truth about 18% of the time. On a good day. And here are endless other articles to back up my claim. I haven't parsed them all, so there may be some opinion pieces in there, but my point is undeniable. They include sources like th Temple foundation, Pew Research, Quora, NY Times, Brookings Institute and so on. there
s just no question about this.
A video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrWGgBKv8go
http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/tv/fox/
http://www.alternet.org/story/154875/the_science_of_fox_news%3A_why_its_viewers_are_the_most_misinformed
http://guides.temple.edu/fake
https://forwardprogressives.com/fact-checking-site-finds-fox-news-tells-truth-18-percent-time/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_News_controversies
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/01/14/five-facts-about-fox-news/
http://www.politicususa.com/2013/07/08/fair-balanced-fraud-exposed-94-fox-news-viewers-republicans.html
http://aattp.org/university-professor-do-not-use-fox-news-as-a-source/
http://csweb.brookings.edu/content/research/essays/2014/bad-news.html
http://www.justice-integrity.org/1094-fox-news-spews-mind-changing-propaganda
http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21706498-dishonesty-politics-nothing-new-manner-which-some-politicians-now-lie-and
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cody-cain/how-fox-news-destroyed-republican-party_b_9644594.html
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/1964:fourteen-propaganda-techniques-fox-news-uses-to-brainwash-americans
http://www.salon.com/2016/11/02/peak-propaganda-fox-news-creates-an-alternate-reality-and-cnn-perpetuates-it/
https://www.amazon.com/Fox-Effect-Network-Propaganda-Machine/dp/0307279588
There are many write ups of this, but the jist of it is coming out of the Nixon admin, a media staffer saw the potential of a news org to swing public opinion. This jr Nixon staffer was named Rodger Ailes and he became a major DC republican operative thru the 80s and 90s. He was the head of Fox from its beginning in the late 90s until 2016 when he was ousted in a sex scandal and died later that year - all the while advising the Trump campaign right up until his death.
Can read about it here in much more detail or on many sites online. The key is to look into the career and goals of Rodger Ailes. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0307279588/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_oncxCb6CR3D5K
> We have regulated ourselves out of being competitive on the global market.
And you think those other developed countries all have less regulation? Pull the other one.
>Is it because of our libertarian tendencies?
Yes, it is. The murder rates and most of the health outcomes have had had rigerous studies done that show causation by income inequality. I have not researched the rest, but the correlation between income inequality and those outcomes is really strong at minimum.
The most striking is work done on religiosity and income inequality that demonstrates not only does income inequality drive religiosity, but that it seems to be used by the rich as a tool to oppress the poor.
This is what FOX News and other right wing talk radio is for: It's not to give you real power, it's to keep you scared of other lower class people and servile to the desires of the rich. They use fear, patriotism, and religion as means of control, which they have admitted themselves in candid moments. Now, liberals sometimes do the same, and nobody in media is perfect, but nobody else is as shameless about flat out lying and denying science for political gain as FOX.
I urge you to research for yourself what the data actually says about how to make a great society. A decrease of fear and war-mongering is another byproduct of actually knowing the data.
Your desires to make a better society are good. Make sure that they are based on reality, or you will do real harm instead.
> Seems like the further away from our roots we have legislated the worse off we have become. Of course its hard to establish causality when we spend so much of our collective wealth to wage war. Maybe the corporation that benefits from these wars should pay to feed the poor.
Maybe corporate should. In just about every other developed country, corporate taxes pay for a significant part of healthcare costs. Where to most efficiently raise or save money and how to use it most effectively is a much more nuanced discussion, and is the the one we should be having instead of the one we are.
The radicalization of News and discourse in general has stopped us from having the real discussions we should be having by lying about the true nature of our problems, and often denying we have problems at all. We have real problems, the shape of the solutions is well known, and the main problem is that the rich have shown they can buy enough denial and fear to drown out the discussions we need to be having to create a better, more prosperous, more safe, less warmongering USA.
It has been written: the fox effect
My favourites are these exact two books, as well.
I like this one too.
How To Write A Damn Good Novel
>I learned a lot reading this book, so before anything thank you to James N. Frey. By far the best non-fiction on writing I've ever read. Please consider purchasing the book itself (here, as no amount of notes will ever be satisfactory substitutes for reading the actual book. And quite honestly the man deserves the sales).
>
>Second, apologies for taking so long. A close friend of mine was having some health issues that I had to help her with, and on top of that my internship has been kicking my ass lately. So anyways here are the notes. I assumed .pdf was universal enough, but if someone needs a different format let me know and I'll oblige.
>
>I left out the chapters on revising/editing and "the zen of being a novelist," because I myself didn't read them. I wrote a small little checklist at the bottom of the document to ensure you hit all the marks for a 'damn good novel.'
>
>https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B29ZBVzB0Z-TWTVkeUtzZE1zQkE
>
>
>
>edit: I tried to make my notes as readable as possible (you should've seen them before I went through and edited them..). So I'm sorry if you can't read them, or if some parts are incomprehensible, but I did my best! I also included some screenshots of the examples the author used for parts that, I thought, demanded such.
>
>
>
>edit: Wow. Thank you to the kind stranger that gilded me. What do I do with my hands? I've never been gilded before..
>
>
>
>I learned a lot reading this book, so before anything thank you to James N. Frey. By far the best non-fiction on writing I've ever read. Please consider purchasing the book itself (here, as no amount of notes will ever be satisfactory substitutes for reading the actual book. And quite honestly the man deserves the sales).
>
>Second, apologies for taking so long. A close friend of mine was having some health issues that I had to help her with, and on top of that my internship has been kicking my ass lately. So anyways here are the notes. I assumed .pdf was universal enough, but if someone needs a different format let me know and I'll oblige.
>
>I left out the chapters on revising/editing and "the zen of being a novelist," because I myself didn't read them. I wrote a small little checklist at the bottom of the document to ensure you hit all the marks for a 'damn good novel.'
>
>https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B29ZBVzB0Z-TWTVkeUtzZE1zQkE
>
>
>
>edit: I tried to make my notes as readable as possible (you should've seen them before I went through and edited them..). So I'm sorry if you can't read them, or if some parts are incomprehensible, but I did my best! I also included some screenshots of the examples the author used for parts that, I thought, demanded such.
>
>
>
>edit: Wow. Thank you to the kind stranger that gilded me. What do I do with my hands? I've never been gilded before..
>
>
>
>I learned a lot reading this book, so before anything thank you to James N. Frey. By far the best non-fiction on writing I've ever read. Please consider purchasing the book itself (here, as no amount of notes will ever be satisfactory substitutes for reading the actual book. And quite honestly the man deserves the sales).
>
>Second, apologies for taking so long. A close friend of mine was having some health issues that I had to help her with, and on top of that my internship has been kicking my ass lately. So anyways here are the notes. I assumed .pdf was universal enough, but if someone needs a different format let me know and I'll oblige.
>
>I left out the chapters on revising/editing and "the zen of being a novelist," because I myself didn't read them. I wrote a small little checklist at the bottom of the document to ensure you hit all the marks for a 'damn good novel.'
>
>https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B29ZBVzB0Z-TWTVkeUtzZE1zQkE
>
>
>
>edit: I tried to make my notes as readable as possible (you should've seen them before I went through and edited them..). So I'm sorry if you can't read them, or if some parts are incomprehensible, but I did my best! I also included some screenshots of the examples the author used for parts that, I thought, demanded such.
>
>
>
>edit: Wow. Thank you to the kind stranger that gilded me. What do I do with my hands? I've never been gilded before..
>
>
>
Stein on writing, by Sol Stein?
Sol Stein is a masterful editor; below is a good book to read.
https://www.amazon.com/Stein-Writing-Successful-Techniques-Strategies/dp/0312254210
Watch your comma usage. Too many commas slow down and break up the flow of the sentence.
Am not trying to be hyper-critical, just calling it like I see it and want to help.
I'm not sure about what questions you could ask a coach, but any information i'd ever want to learn about writing can be found in the following books:
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1444723251
Stein on Writing
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0312254210
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Print by Renni Browne
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0060545690
Maybe some questions you can answer for us? Why have you sought out a writing coach? What kind of writing do you do? How long have you been writing and at what level?
You may get some better responses after these questions. :)
Sol Stein recommends the opposite as well: examine crap to identify what doesn't work. Since that sentiment is mirrored in our sister profession, I'd call that a good tip.
I don't know how much advice I can offer, as I write coming-of-age pieces that aren't necessarily vast or world-building. I may misjudge your audience.
However from a personal level, I can tell you that I come to a story for a character and the plot he/she goes through. I know that in scifi world-building is a huge element, but books involve stories, and stories involve characters, and the character should be mentioned as early as possible. Not just the fact that he's a sweaty pilot--say something painterly about him, humanize him.
As a reader, I don't mind being confused about the plot if I like something about the character. If he's 19 and scared out of his mind and there's someone waiting at home for him. Throw the readers a little treat, and they'll be patient on their leash.
Then, once you've roped them, you can find ways to sneak information. Use dialogue during this mission to explain to the readers important details in a natural way.
And don't forget that you may want to reveal some details to the readers in later chapters instead of earlier on. The right amount of confusion is a plot device that keeps people reading the next chapter.
Game of Thrones has what people jokingly call "sexposition," which (as you may have guessed) when exposition is revealed through the dialogue of people having sex. I'm not suggesting you use sex scenes as liberally as GoT, but keep in mind that it's easier to read important details while characters are doing things or talking than it is to read great big chunks of information--especially if we don't care about the characters yet, or know what they're going to do.
Again, I don't know if this is at all helpful--if it's relevant to your audience--but I think it applies to general readership.
Also, I highly recommend 2 excellent books, "Stein on Writing" and "How to Grow a Novel," both by Sol Stein. He's an old editor with plenty of brilliantly sharp writing and editing advice. He has a lot of "rules", but it's really fantastic advice if you take it with a grain of salt.
https://www.amazon.com/Stein-Writing-Successful-Techniques-Strategies/dp/0312254210
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0312267495/ref=pd_aw_sim_14_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=09Q68W3D49Q8ZQ5PJTTR
My answer has mixed opinions at this board, but the fact is a professional writer needs to have a strong grasp of business sense to keep from being torn apart by vultures, especially trad publishing vultures. The contracts are stuff of legend and getting worse. Read every last word of this blog to catch up on the situation.
This page is very helpful too.
So what that means is, the better your business and marketing chops, the more you'll have in your toolbox to deal with everything that comes with being a writer. We don't just sit back and collect checks. There's marketing, contract know-how, and strategic decisions to make whether indie or trad. You have to know how to make your own website, strike up your own social media, and make sure no one is stabbing you in the back.
English lit? A skeptic here. Read the classics. Read the books in the syllabus. But major on it? One of the biggest complaints I read on the tubes is how college classes skew prose into such a pretzel that the only thing they teach is how to be obscure. I mean, I guess it depends on who you want your audience to be. People who turn their noses up at even well-written, people-accessible genre books? Or people who want to become enveloped in a story that transcends their everyday life?
Do I think you should be well-read? Fuck. Yeah. Am I slamming the classics? Not on whole. Do I think it's a shame profs aren't teaching basic plot structure during the entire curriculum? Oh yes.
One of the three links I gave you directly above (Immediate Fiction) was written by a man who was FURIOUS after he graduated from college and realized he still knew jack-shit about writing a book.
Immediate Fiction. Grab a copy. Read it cover-to-cover. He gets past all of the cruft and boils writing down to its essentials.
Go read this book. I could care less what happens to my body. I'm gone. Same for you regardless of your beliefs your are done with your body when you die. Maybe somebody else can use parts. Become an organ donor and know that someday you may help someone after you're gone.
http://www.amazon.com/Stiff-Curious-Lives-Human-Cadavers/dp/0393050939
If any of you are further interested in the topic of burials and how we treat the dead, eco-friendly options, and/or the tradition of burial, I HIGHLY suggest Stiff, by Mary Roach. I had to read this for a Anthropology of Death class in college. It is an amazing read. Good stuff.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about this and the history of cadavers/medicine/ethic of the dead while NOT being a med student. Highly humorous at times and very informative.
Stiff?
Good book. Love Mary's stuff. Stiff is also great.
You can donate your face so aspiring plastic surgeons can reconstruct your dead nose -- see book Stiff. I want to be composted. I used to want my corpse dropped in an active volcano from a helicopter but that's totally impractical, probably not legal (but you can probably chop my parts up and get away with it).... not to mention it's such a to-do for someone who doesn't really think about the afterlife too much. Composting though, that sounds useful. David Cross will do this
I highly recommend this book -- http://www.amazon.com/Stiff-Curious-Lives-Human-Cadavers/dp/0393050939 -- it's a very well researched discussion of all of the possibilities for cadavers. You'll be quite surprised at what "donating your body to science" can mean. My favorite part was the need for human bodies to calibrate crash-test dummies.
I just finished The Emperor of All Maladies and just shortly before that Stiff. I really enjoyed both of them! Emperor is a long read, but well written and very thorough. Stiff is a quick, enjoyable read that's a less academic, but still really interesting. I'm about to start My Sister's Keeper. The PI across the hall recommended it. And I'm reading Introduction to Statistical Thought by Lavine for a class. I added a few of the books other people listed here to my to-read list
I want to learn about the afterlife. What happens when you die? What are some of the ideas people have of the afterlife? It's both terrifying and fascinating, but it's something I like to think about. This book would help me tackle the subject with more depth.
Fun book! Funny woman investigates scientific studies that have been done on the subject.
http://www.amazon.com/Spook-Science-Afterlife-Mary-Roach/dp/0393329127
Believe me, it makes me a grumpy toast to shell out that much for likely outdated books. At least it's an ebook, though. CTRL+F FTW!
Still working through it, but I'm reading Writing Fiction for Dummies. I found it in my store and was actually pretty surprised. I'm not usually a fan of the quality of Dummies books but this one seems pretty comprehensive so far, if a little geared towards professional writing.
A blog about how you start from scratch would be fun. Especially if you keep it up, you will be able to look back on it as a professional years from now and see how far you've come.
For writers of large worlds (I have my own persistent universe for my science fiction), I do recommend one thing: It is possible to have a universe that is TOO big. To avoid drowning your audience is needless details, be sure to learn how all the story elements PLAY TOGETHER. Characters advance the plot. The setting is the world that characters interact with. Characters run into conflict. Plot is all about the conflict. Etc etc .... all story elements are interconnected in every which possible way. If nothing works cohesively together, then you will run into disjointed issues in your writing.
To learn how these story elements are interconnected in a sort of "web-of-storytelling", I've enjoyed the Writing Fiction for Dummies book to help explain the basics. It definitely does NOT cover everything, but it's a good high level view of all story elements. Each element (i.e. plot, setting, characters, dialogue, etc) can and does have its own books by themselves. If you feel you are lacking in a specific element, you can potentially read up further into it.
Your fictional writing courses should help out as well. Again, be aware that you will not learn everything there is to know in your coursework.
I have a disclaimer though: Reading about writing, and taking the time to write are two different things. Do NOT spend a lot of money in hopes that self-help books alone will teach you everything there is to know. Most skill comes from experience and practice. This is where your blog will come into play. It will keep track of how well you improve over time.
You can do it!
I'm a firm believer that learning any skill is a matter of following a simple three step process: 1. Study; 2. Practice; 3. Get feedback. And, of course, repeat until... Well, basically until you die or lose interest. There's always more to learn.
Others have already addressed steps 2 and 3 (ad nauseum), but it's obvious what you're really asking for is resources for step 1, so here are a few of my personal favorites:
As a bonus, here are my two standard recommendations for where to go when you get to step 3 and are ready for peer critiquing:
One useful tool was described by Dwight Swain in his book. I've written a post on it some time ago, and I guess I'll just copy it whole here for convenience instead of linking to it. The question it answers is very similar to yours.
***
Dwight Swain in his "Techniques of the Selling Writer" proposes a method that alternates between what he calls "scenes" and "sequels" (to those scenes). You can read the book for in-depth discussion, but long story short here's how it works:
A scene** is a sequence of the following material:
At this point the scene technically ends and what Swain calls the sequel launches, consisting of, in order:
Now, back to your question. While Swain considers his "scenes" physical and, so to say, "real time", the "sequels" are psychological and, therefore, detached from time and space. In a Swainian scene the character deals with something specific and likely physical. In the "sequel" the character thinks, mulls over, fears, hopes, considers, reconsiders and makes a decision. As Swain puts it, "Where time unifies the scene, topic unifies the sequel." Such "sequel" sections can do away with the concept of time, taking form of collages that span months or years if you so wish, in as much or little text as you want.
So, there's one technique to manage the passage of time without resorting to metatextual clues like chapter breaks or time passage disclaimers (all of which are perfectly valid techniques too, of course). Besides, the Swainian trick is useful for managing pacing: "If an air of improbability pervades your masterpiece, lengthen your sequels. Follow your character step by stop, in detail, as he moves logically from disaster to decision." E.g., some Golden Age comic books lack "sequel" type material almost entirely, which might make them feel caricaturic and improbable to some readers.
http://www.amazon.com/Techniques-Selling-Writer-Dwight-Swain/dp/0806111917
Techniques of a Selling Writing is a great book for me, it talks a lot about creating concise narrative and engrossing stories.
Plot and Structure By James Scott Bell: Far and away one of the best book I've ever read on writing.
http://www.amazon.com/Plot-Structure-Techniques-Exercises-Crafting/dp/158297294X
I actually just started Techniques of the Selling Writer by Swain, which I have heard great things about but I haven't read far enough to give my own opinion.
http://www.amazon.com/Techniques-Selling-Writer-Dwight-Swain/dp/0806111917
> Am I just missing something? Where should I go to learn what I want to learn?
https://www.amazon.com/Techniques-Selling-Writer-Dwight-Swain/dp/0806111917
Read this. It's an in-depth answer to the questions you have about turning an outline into a first draft.
As far as "Write more". I like to write my first draft long hand. Then I re-write my second draft long-hand using my first draft as a reference.
Then I type my third draft into my computer using my second draft as a reference.
Then I print out my third draft and type my fourth draft using my third draft as a reference.
For the fifth draft I cut 10%. For the sixth draft I cut another 10%. Then I polish it.
I think that's what most people here mean. Writing is re-writing.
I've been reading up on Scene - Sequel and MRUs this week, so I figured I'd throw in some useful links to jump start you!
A general overview of the Scene Sequel concept: http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/articles/writing-the-perfect-scene/
Then some examples:
http://storysensei.blogspot.com/2005/08/scene-and-sequel-scene.html
http://storysensei.blogspot.com/2005/08/scene-and-sequel-sequel.html
This next one is my favorite MRU post. It covers another version of the MRU called Stimulus, Internalization, Response (SRI) and has the best break down of the MRU/SRI method I've seen yet. (https://www.writingforums.com/threads/130361-Master-Class-The-MRU)
All of these methods come from a book by Dwight V. Swain. I haven't read it yet, but if you want to know more that'd be the source.
https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0806111917/camysloft-20/
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree
https://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-Travel/dp/0812992180
http://wwoof.org
Doesn't need to be expensive.
Found the title, the author is actually Rolf Potts.
Here's the amazon link for anyone who stumbles through here interested in the book.
Also, check out this book. A nice guide/inspiration for the whole getting rid of stuff and focusing on travel thing.
http://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-Travel/dp/0812992180
Well certainly if you want to go into the computing/IT side of things an apprenticeship or a degree is pretty much the only way in... there are exceptions, but these rely on more right place right time and a big chunk of luck.
My super responsible advice would be, suck it up, get good grades and go to uni, do a vocational subject (e.g Engineering/ Computer Science) and have a decent standard of living (if nothing special) for the rest of your life. But by the sounds of it you are pretty set on going unconventional and to be honest straight out of school is probably the best time to do it (no immediate responsibilities and a good 30-40 years to sort it all out if you fuck it up first time round), so with that i give you the following...
I'm guessing where you say you're quite good at business, you mean you're doing a Business Studies (or similar) A-Level and are quite good at that? There is a lot of differences between theory and practice... in theory everything is easy if you know what you are doing and you know what everyone else should be doing, but academic studies don't always prepare you for real life situations where people "don't play fair". When it comes to setting up a business, you need a great product and a sizeable client base before you even get started.... and that costs money (or a great deal of time which as you will know is also money).
As for you travelling ambitions they also require money (normally).
Now i think you have two options and i am going to recommend you read two books, one for each option (but you should read them both if you can).
First option, you go travelling shortly after you finish your A-levels. You're the perfect age for cheap labour (i.e bar work, retail market stalls etc) and you move from place to place earning enough to live on as you go. To get an idea of how you can do this with little or no start up funds read Vagabonding by Rolf Potts (non-affiliate amazon link) It is probably one of the best non-fiction books ever written and is regarded by many to be the bible of traveling. You can alway come back and return to the conventional life after that.
The second option, and in my opinion the best option for you is to start your own business... Just be aware that what you have been taught will be geared more towards corporate business with the aim of getting you onto a business based degree so not all of it may apply (although things like accounting will, you still have to be legal, even if unconventional). This is where my second book recommendation comes in. The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss (non-affiliate amazon link). Again this is one of the top semi-educational books ever written, and provides a great framework (not a step by step guide) for building a scalable business with minimal capital and minimal responsibility as well as some interesting anecdotes (i should point out the title is not literal, unfortunately). I would also really recommend listening to his podcast "The Tim Ferris Show" where he does super in depth interviews with the most successful people (from entrepreneurs to sports trainers to motivational speakers) on the planet in terms of behaviour, routines and personal philosophies, as well as the occasional "who would you most like to punch in the face and why?" question, which is always entertaining. very much worth your time to learn what it takes to be successful.
My final point is just picking up on something you mentioned... having a "basic knowledge of most things" is no longer what we call a skill or a talent... it's called google, and everyone has it.... don't use it as a differentiator between you and everyone else.
good luck.
That looks like an awesome book, I'll definitely get it. Thanks! In exchange, for any traveler, I highly recommend Vagabonding by Rolf Potts, and also the website Travelfish which was indispensable when I spent a month in Thailand, and it's great for SE Asia in general.
Maybe read Vagabonding and see if it helps you visualise your trip
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vagabonding-Rolf-Potts/dp/0812992180
Vagabonding by Rolf Potts is a great read. He talks about the philosophy of travel quite a bit.
Buy [Vagabonding] (http://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-Travel/dp/0812992180) by Rolf Potts
Out of college, my sister got a job with Edelweiss Lodge and Resort in Garmisch, Germany.
It's a Department of Defense resort for troops- so she gets awesome benefits, and will be able to retire with pension after 20 years. And they paid for her flight.
http://www.edelweisslodgeandresort.com/employment
Not sure if that helps though. Good luck.
I've also heard that the book Vagabonding by Rolf Potts is pretty useful in this type of situation.
http://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-Travel/dp/0812992180/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417675510&sr=8-1&keywords=vagabonding
Read Vagabonding by Rolf Potts, as soon as possible. It’s full of useful advice for travel, especially solo travel.
Don't make saving your entire life in your 20s. It's important, sure, but only in balance with everything else, namely travel. It all depends on the lifestyle you want to live when you're old. If you want to be in the millions when you retire, your life will be pretty dull when you're young if you're just making average money, but if you get serious (talk to a financial adviser) about your finances at a reasonable age when say you're 30... you'll have no problem being better off than most who don't. For me, in my late 20s, it's travel, travel, travel. I have a degree in finance, I have a great job right now, but I'm saving up to travel long-term (1+ years) throughout central and south america in just over a year, will possibly teach English abroad elsewhere afterward, namely India. With no real responsibilities I think it's important for Americans (specifically) to live entirely out of a pack on their back for a sustained period of time. No all-inclusive resorts. Go somewhere where your money goes far (most of Europe is expensive). Couchsurf, bring a hammock - no one cares if you set it up between 2 palm trees on the beach - hostels, locals; it forces you to meet people and figure out who you are and what you want to do with your life. You can try to go with a friend, but you will meet so many great people along the way that it's not entirely necessary. It's also extremely cheap to do. Read Vagabonding or The 4-Hour Work Week . But I am one who just can't make up my mind what I want to do in life. Honestly, I just want to climb rocks, but that's not exactly practical since I'm not Chris Sharma . I have some business ideas in the works but I'll probably end up going back to school so I can teach and have 3 months off in the summer, preferrably psychology or the psychology of religion. But I think I could also be content organic farming in my later days... or writing, I write a bunch, and plan to use the trip as the muse for a Karouac-esque tale. See so I have no clue. But that's the fun of it. Just shotgun your interests and figure it out. Love life. Go live it. Don't let anyone tell you you're crazy because your values are different. They will come around. Also, no soda - water, water, and coconut water.
You can always afford it if you make travel a priority. You don't need thousands of dollars to travel, you just need a shift in priorities. I recommend reading Vagabonding to help shift your awareness. It'll help you prepare for where you eventually want to be -- living in another country. In the mean time, it'll teach you how to prioritize your life for what's important to you. Maybe that's travel, maybe not.
if a laptop is completely necessary, bring it, but bringing more SD cards instead will save a lot of stress and worry and potential sadness if something does happen. there's always travel insurance which is a good idea to have anyways but it still sucks to have things stolen and a theft would put a damper on things for sure. plus the insurance route includes the joy of filing a police report in a foreign country and dealing with the claims process afterwards, an avoidable waste of time but an adventure nonetheless. internet-wise a smart phone is usually sufficient and if you need to use a computer most large cities and/or tourist areas have internet cafes and hostels may offer computers as well.
may i suggest reading vagabonding by rolf potts. it's a great primer for travel, inspiring and feel-good while covering all the bases. I always give it a listen before trips, gets me in the zone.
If you haven't read it, you will probably find this interesting, and helpful.
http://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-Travel/dp/0812992180/
And to put things in perspective, most people work their whole life without being able to take 2 months off to travel. Some are able to when they retire, if they're lucky and planned for it.
1 Read - Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel (http://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-Travel/dp/0812992180)
2 Visit - http://www.vagablogging.net/
3 Enjoy
You described me in high school to a tee. You are an introvert living in (probably) THE MOST extroverted country in the world. No wonder shit's tough. There is nothing wrong with being an introvert. Please PLEASE watch this TED talk by Susan Cain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0KYU2j0TM4
If there was one book I wish I'd read before middle school, it's her book, "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking". When people say that "such and such a book changed my life" I feel like smacking them in the face - what single piece of advice could do a human life justice? If ever I was to proclaim that something helped NEARLY that much, it's this woman's research.
Also, I dissolved a good portion of my depression by changing my diet. Look at Mark's Daily Apple and soak in as much as you can from that guy:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/welcome-to-marks-daily-apple/#axzz26BkmN7ot
It's probably the purest diet you can follow. However, the easiest diet to follow is the slow-carb diet, which is nearly the same, and much more fun:
http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/04/06/how-to-lose-20-lbs-of-fat-in-30-days-without-doing-any-exercise/
Tim Ferriss, the one who created the diet, has a book I found to be an inspiration, "The 4-hour Workweek"
As far as work goes, you must find something that makes you feel alive! This is easier said than done because our schools and our whole system don't work that way. Ken Robinson gives you the details as to why:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U
You might find his book helpful as well: "The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything"
Also, travel can really clear one's head and make one feel alive. No one explains that better than Walt Whitman in "Song of the Open Road". If you've ever wanted to know how to travel for months on end I suggest the book "Vagabonding," by Rolf Potts:
http://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-Travel/dp/0812992180/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1347390437&sr=1-1&keywords=vagabonding
Sorry I sort of went apeshit on you. I'm just excited to share what has helped me. Twenty months ago I went through a similar hell, and the minds I describe really helped me.
I sincerely hope you escape the doldrums.
Never done it, I'm coming from Texas to try it.
It's one hell of a hike thats for sure, but I don't think its extremely strenuous overall. There are some climbing parts near the end around Glencoe and I think its a bit up and down around Loch Lomond, but overall I think it's supposed to be a bit nice with a hill climb here and there.
Granted, I do backpack outdoors a fair amount and I'm used to tent camping every night. I know the WHT has bunkhouses and hostels all along the route, so you can get a decent nights rest and some warm grub every night. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to tent camp the whole way or stay at some of the places.
You're definitely welcome to join, even if you just want to meet me at one of the towns on the route and hike a day or two just to try it out.
On the entire backpacking/get out note, I think its a great idea. I'm 26, been working since college, and I'm going insane. I think we're all so focused on "save save save/work work work, I'll do the fun stuff when I retire" that we don't pay attention to the fact that we we'll be too exhausted to do anything when we're done.
So I guess my additional tips/ideas are:
Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel
Lots of people do this. You might enjoy reading Vagabonding
It's not fiction but it's good for traveling - Vagabonding by Rolf Potts
I have some but depends on what you want
About planets:
http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Construction-Kit-Mark-Rosenfelder/dp/0984470034/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1286906911&sr=1-2
About languages:
http://www.amazon.com/Language-Construction-Kit-Mark-Rosenfelder/dp/098447000X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268637297&sr=1-1
i dont know about it too much but heard its good:
http://www.amazon.com/Maps-Imagination-The-Writer-Cartographer/dp/1595340416
This is THE deal:
http://www.amazon.com/How-Write-Science-Fiction-Fantasy/dp/158297103X
Another helpfull thingy:
http://www.amazon.com/Strata-Terry-Pratchett-ebook/dp/B003NX6Y6U/
https://www.amazon.com/Planet-Construction-Kit-Mark-Rosenfelder/dp/0984470034/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1286906911&sr=1-2
/r/conlangs !!!
Here's a good podcast.
Book from the guy that created Dothraki (he's also on the podcast every now and then) about constructing languages
The language construction kit. Gives you a general overview of how languages do things and how you construct languages
Second part of the LCK. Highly optional
After you're done with either the podcast or the fist LCK, you might as well get into the grammar of other languages instead of using language construction things.
Don't do auxlangs, though.
Edit: There's also a planet construction kit in case you want to get straight into world building as well
Go and buy these three books: The Language Construction Kit, Advanced Language Construction (don't worry, it's not that advanced), and The Conlanger's Lexipedia. And if your conlangs are designed for made-up worlds, then get [The Planet Construction Kit] (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Planet-Construction-Kit-Mark-Rosenfelder/dp/0984470034/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=W79ND56BKPK8EKXT2VQZ) too. If you want to make cultures that are not European then I'd also suggest The China Construction Kit!
Of all of these I'd suggest that you definitely buy The Language Construction Kit and see how you get on. I'd also suggest buying some grammar books of languages you're interested in, and even go so far as to learn a second language if you don't speak one. Having knowledge of at least one other language will help you a great deal.
You got a source for that? I highly doubt most of the national press is owned by right wing investors. You have a couple of single large ones like News Corp (which even that is arguably not "right wing" in many areas of the company) but the rest are small independents like Breitbart or Rush. ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and all the network affiliates are far larger combined.
This UCLA professor on the other hand concluded the exact opposite - that national press in the US is overwhelmingly liberal and distorts towards the left.
>I was expecting something else and certainly didn't find it.
So it looks like you are disappointed by the difference between your expectations and reality. If your expectations, as for China, are not very high, then you're not disappointed...
I really suggest you read "sixty million Frenchmen can't be wrong". It explains the whys of French society to Anglos who, because they are culturally not so distant (unlike with China), have so many expectations about French society and when those aren't fulfilled, are disappointed by that fact.
http://www.amazon.com/Sixty-Million-Frenchmen-Cant-Wrong/dp/1402200455#reader_1402200455
First, I'm glad you're applying to become an RD! I hope you get in and go far! :)
When I applied, I tried to get everything done as early as possible. If DICAS has already opened, then have a goal of getting it all done and turned in 2-4 weeks ahead of time. Certainly don't wait until the last minute to put it all together. I suggest finding a date you want to turn it in by and start scheduling items from your "To-do list" so that you can pace yourself and not have to do everything at once (during the semester is fine as long as it doesn't interfere with other important things like exams). Things like who you want to get rec letters from would come first because professors have many obligations and letters likely won't be written within a couple of days time.
Luckily, I didn't have to take the GRE, so I won't be much help here. But, I would think that if you need the GRE for DICAS, it would probably be a good idea to take it during winter break since you haven't already. Definitely not something to wait on and you're going to have to study for it. Again, if you need it for DICAS, start scheduling study times now because you're not going to have an opportunity to take it twice.
The best resource I've ever purchased was a book on how to write admissions essays (or else you're going to sound just like everyone else). This book my favorite.
Also, I wouldn't address the grades specifically. For example, I didn't do well the first year of undergrad, but did exponentially (so to speak) better by my senior year, so I talked about my growth in education and learning and how my grades showed a positive trend that only went up over time, and were only going to continue being great.
I hope you find this information useful and let me know if you have other questions!
And this is the book if you are interested:
http://www.amazon.de/Gekaufte-Journalisten-Udo-Ulfkotte/dp/3864451434
"I guess I need to figure out just how seksi-time I'm going to make my romance novels. Are erotic romances where it's at? Or should I aim for straight up romance (i.e. less graphic seksi times, less seksi times in general)?"
Romance is wide-open (er, so to speak) in terms of how sexy you make it, but there's something that many erotic authors discover when they start writing romance: romance readers have their own expectations, and it's important to meet those expectations when you write romance. Pick up a copy of -- at least -- Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes. (And there are a lot of resources about romance floating around the Net.) Romance readers are more interested in the developing relationship between well-written characters -- the chase -- than the capture: "seksi times". Doesn't mean that erotic is right out the door: you just have to make it part of the story rather than the whole story.
Buy this book.
Update (for my own satisfaction):
Hit 3.4K on the first few scenes of a possible romance novel. I also completed a first draft of an outline using Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes, which I am sure I saw recommended somwhere here on EA and it was a massive help.
http://www.amazon.com/2k-10k-Writing-Faster-Better-ebook/dp/B009NKXAWS
For me coding is less hard than forcing myself to do a boring thing lots of times! The process goes like this:
1.) Google something like what I want to do. (Hope someone already did something similar.)
2.) Copy it. Make the changes to apply to my particular situation.
3.) It does something. Not what I wanted it to do. Cry. Swear.
4.) Google something slightly different and splice in the new information.
5.) Does it work? If so, yay! If not, go to 3. Repeat until forever.
Here's the little bit I stared at for 30 minutes until I figured out what I was doing wrong (and therefore what was right):
line = re.sub(r'<p>','<p class=first>',line)
line = line.replace('</span>','')
splitstring = line.partition('<span>')
line = splitstring[0] + '<span class=fletter>' + splitstring[2][0] + '</span>' + splitstring[2][1:]
which basically takes a line of the document which is encased in <p><span>[words]</span></p> tags and moves the span with my first letter class around the first letter.
It is simple and silly and dumb and I yelled at it and I sent my partner angry unicorn .gifs about it and when it worked at last I got up out of my chair and did a small dance in the middle of the room.
Hat tip to "Zen of Ebook Formatting" and "A Filthy Book in a Fancy Dress", the latter of which I can never ever search for ("A Naughty Book in a Pretty Dress"? "A Dirty Book in a Classy Dress"? "A Slutty Book in a Lovely Dress"?) and end up searching for BOOK DRESS FORMATTING DAMMIT until I find it.
https://www.amazon.com/Filthy-Book-Fancy-Dress-Formatting-ebook/dp/B00WIPMMEC
https://www.amazon.com/Zen-eBook-Formatting-Step-step-ebook/dp/B00KJAH4HS/
EDIT: to add a closed paren. you might think I would be on the lookout for that stuff after coding all day but APPARENTLY NOT
That being said, you might like "Zen of eBook Formatting" by Guido Henkel.
http://www.amazon.com/Zen-eBook-Formatting-Step-step-ebook/dp/B00KJAH4HS
Henkel has a book that describes his tutorial + more. https://www.amazon.com/Zen-eBook-Formatting-Step-step-ebook/dp/B00KJAH4HS
Have yet to get it but I use his online tutorial every time.
I generally write, then map, then write, then re-map, repeat. (I also have a giant file of ideas and snippets.)
If you're interested in different types of plotting/mapping, check out Dan Wells' YouTube videos on the 7 point plot structure, Rachel Aaron's book 2k to 10k, and everything the Writing Excuses podcast has under their plot tag.
Edit: added links.
Thanks to this nifty book I've been doing a daily writing log where I chart my word count, time spent writing, words per hour, etc. It's helped me tremendously in making me more productive and keeping me on track. I find that I'm most productive either early in the morning or really late at night.
I don't bother much with KDP select anymore, as the changes in Amazon's affiliate program has made free giveaways less appealing to book bloggers; their affiliate codes don't bring in the cash anymore.
Unfortunately even if you're not in it for the money a steady production schedule is the only way to keep visible. Amazon heavily weights its search results towards new releases. If it takes you a year to publish another book, well, by the time that year has past your first book has been hidden in search obscurity for 10 months.
There are only really two things I can suggest.
Anyway, good luck.
That obviously depends on the day. If I have nothing else to do I would expect 5K at least. If I'm busy I might not get anything done.
Anybody interested in writing faster might benefit from reading Rachel Aaron's 2K to 10K at $1 for the Kindle edition.
Main lessons from that: Take a couple of minutes before starting to write a short outline, be really excited and interested in the scene you want to write (if something bores you, it will bore readers as well), keep records of your progress.
This is the first book I've read by Rachel Aaron, but as it happens I have read her writing help book (2k to 10k: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love - also available on Kindle Unlimited) and quite liked her style. In fact I wonder now why I didn't pick up any of her other books at the time ...
Anyway! This book is a solid urban fantasy story, low on the romance and high on the morbid humor. Although it is the first in a series, it does not end on a cliffhanger.
With the exception of my first two books (which each were written over sequential one month periods), my writing output has pretty much been even across 13 year - right around 1,500 - 2,000 words a day. The reason those first two books came out so quickly is the story had been building for her a decade, and when I decided to write it, the damn broke and I barely ate or slipped while I purged them from my brain.
That pace is more than good for most writers (and also the most common word count of those who write daily. Now that said, Rachel Aaron, is a writer who is quite talented and she wrote a book called 2k to 10k: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love. I've not read it because I have no desire to increase my writing to that pace, but, knowing her, I think there is probably some good stuff in there.
Buy Rachel Aaron's book of writing advice. It is actually very helpful.
Also check out the snowflake method.
See what other famous, prolific writers do. Try a bit. See what you do best with.
If something gives you a headache, either it's not for you, or you're doing it wrong.
Up to you to figure that one out.
Rinse, repeat. :)