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#659739 2006-04-04 6:03 PM
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Came across some of this shit surfin' the net today. Thought a good thread where we can all put down good sites to help find research material, articles/tips, or other tools to help writers might be good for everyone who comes in here.

Character/Setting Name Resources:


whomod said: I generally don't like it when people decide to play by the rules against people who don't play by the rules.
It tends to put you immediately at a disadvantage and IMO is a sign of true weakness.
This is true both in politics and on the internet."

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Quote:

thedoctor said:

Irish Name Generator - You know..... in case you've got an Irish character that needs a name.



This one's good too. It doesn't generate last names like yours, but you can pick from different nationalities and themes. You can click "Goth" to generate a goth name, or even click "Transformer" and get a randomly created Transformer name.

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http://www.behindthename.com and http://surname.behindthename.com

you can do ethnicity searches or for meaning so that names have some meaning to them if you want them to.


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Here's one I found and have used.

http://www.last-names.net/

Find the ethnic origin and meaning of last names.
Surname dictionary and genealogy helps include names
of Irish, German, English, French, Italian, and Jewish descent.


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Have you ever looked into a mirror and wondered if behind it was another world, the same... but totally different?
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Found a site with a bunch of links. I'll be going through and adding to this post as I check out each one.



whomod said: I generally don't like it when people decide to play by the rules against people who don't play by the rules.
It tends to put you immediately at a disadvantage and IMO is a sign of true weakness.
This is true both in politics and on the internet."

Our Friendly Neighborhood Ray-man said: "no, the doctor's right. besides, he has seniority."
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Found a book or two in the mix that might help out:

The Writer's Guide to Character Traits by Linda N. Edelstein.

    Characterization is one of the key ingredients in a good book. A reader can spot a phony character immediately, unless you, the writer know him or her as well as you know your own friends or family. Psychologist-professor Linda Edelstein has created a 329-page user-friendly resource with over 400 lists of in-depth information pertaining to character. Chapter topics include birth order, physical disorders; child development; nonverbal & verbal communication, career traits, and more.


whomod said: I generally don't like it when people decide to play by the rules against people who don't play by the rules.
It tends to put you immediately at a disadvantage and IMO is a sign of true weakness.
This is true both in politics and on the internet."

Our Friendly Neighborhood Ray-man said: "no, the doctor's right. besides, he has seniority."
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Information Resources - More with the simple research than actual writing guidelines or advice.



whomod said: I generally don't like it when people decide to play by the rules against people who don't play by the rules.
It tends to put you immediately at a disadvantage and IMO is a sign of true weakness.
This is true both in politics and on the internet."

Our Friendly Neighborhood Ray-man said: "no, the doctor's right. besides, he has seniority."
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Trying to think of an idea for a story? Here are a few lists of plot ideas:

  • The Thirty-six Dramatic Situations by Georges Polti
    A descriptive list which was created by Georges Polti to categorize every dramatic situation which might occur in a story or performance. The list was created as an aid for writers, but it has become popular with dramatists, storytellers and many others.
  • The Big List of RPG Plots
    A collection of RPG plots in abstract form, built by examining and boiling down to common denominators the premises of hundreds of published adventures for all RPG systems. The "plots" are arranged in alphabetical order by titles, which serves no useful function at all since the titles are arbitrary.
  • Twenty Basic Plots
    Ronald B. Tobias's list of 20 fundamental plots that recur through all fiction, for writers to adapt and elaborate in their own fiction. Provided by the Tennessee Screenwriting Association.
  • The Straight Dope's discussion of literary plot lists
    Pick any integer from one to a hundred and you can probably find somebody arguing that that's how many basic plots there are. No taxonomy can encompass everything in literature, and second, they don't tell you anything beyond the obvious. A more useful approach would be to abandon the chimera of universality and focus on what works today.

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Quote:

The Time Trust said:
Twenty Basic Plots
Ronald B. Tobias's list of 20 fundamental plots that recur through all fiction, for writers to adapt and elaborate in their own fiction. Provided by the Tennessee Screenwriting Association.





Tobias's book is great. He has another one Theme and Strategy that is a very helpful book.

I'm not sure if it's been listed or not, but Shrunk and White's Elements of Style belongs on your bookcase. I'm ashamed I haven't memorized it cover to cover.

Really, all the Writer's Digest books are great. In addition to Tobias's books, I recomment Orson Scott Card's Plot.

In addition, I have a whole bunch of English Literature books that are probably 30 years old (I took them off relatives that dropped out of college and never wanted to see those books again). Since I was a science major and never really had a chance to read 'the classics', I keep those on hand. And of course, a nice heavy hardback of the Bard's complete collection. To me, you have to have an appriciate of the classics to be a good writer.


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Frigg: A Magazine of Fiction and Poetry

A great magazine that's too often unnoticed, in my opinion.

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Some writing advice by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. on the subject of short stories, from Bagombo Snuff Box:

1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.

2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.

3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.

4. Every sentence must do one of two things -- reveal character or advance the action.

5. Start as close to the end as possible.

6. Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them -- in order that the reader may see what they are made of.

7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.

8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

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Here's a great resource for the lazy writer:

http://www.seventhsanctum.com/

Check out the "Generators" tab at the top left of the window. With that you can find algorithms that randomly generate plots, characters, and the like. Neat-o.

This link is for the plot generator:
http://www.seventhsanctum.com/index-writ.php

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Thanks for keeping this stickied, new mods. \:\) I actually use the links in this thread on a regular basis.

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 Originally Posted By: The Time Trust
8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.


I don't entirely agree with this one. Some of the greatest short stories, such as "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, kept the audience entirely in the dark regarding the true nature of the story until the very end.

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Forum: Writer's Block
Thread: Online Writing Resources

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http://www.darkhorse.com/Company/Submissions#writers

 Quote:

PROPOSAL AND SCRIPTING
GUIDELINES FOR WRITERS


Aspiring writers, do you need some guidance on how to format
your script? Download our script format guidelines in
Microsoft Word format
or

PDF format
.


To submit a written proposal to Dark Horse, the following
material must be included:


1. SIGNED SUBMISSION AGREEMENT

Dark Horse has the highest regard for creators and for the
ownership of original properties, and this agreement should in no
way be misconstrued as license for Dark Horse to appropriate your
creations. This agreement protects Dark Horse from any liabilities
involving coincidental similarities to works-in-progress or other
submissions. It is only required for original stories, scripts,
series proposals, and characters. You do not need to sign it if you
are only sending art samples or previously published script
samples. Story proposals or scripts arriving without a signed
agreement will be destroyed without review. Obtain a copy of the
agreement here. A new agreement must be submitted with each new
idea, proposal, script, etc. and must be signed by all involved
creators and copyright holders. Please note that Dark Horse does
not review unsolicited scripts, story ideas, or proposals
pertaining to properties currently published by Dark Horse or any
property not owned by the submitter. Such material will be
destroyed without review.


View or
download
a copy of the Submissions Agreement



2. COMPLETE SYNOPSIS

Succinctly tell the entire story: beginning, middle, and end,
omitting unnecessary details. A short-story synopsis should be no
longer than a page. A synopsis for a series (limited or ongoing) or
graphic novel should be about two to five pages. Indicate issue
breaks where applicable. A synopsis should say exactly what happens
and how, noting plot and character specifics. Do not leave the
resolution of the story in question. This should be the most
straightforward presentation of the story as possible, as the
synopsis is often the make-or-break point for a proposal.


3. FULL SCRIPT

You must include a full script for any short story or single-issue
submission, or the first eight pages of the first issue of any
series, unless you are a published professional, in which case, you
should include samples of previously published work. You can
download our Script Format Guide on which to base your script
format on here. If the work is already completed, story,
art, and lettering, copies of this may be sent instead. When
preparing to send your story, consider the following questions: Are
my characters believable and consistent throughout the script? Is
the plot clear and easy to follow? Is all the necessary
information?including subtext, symbolism, essential background
detail, communicated clearly to the artist? Does the script allow
the pictures to tell the story rather than relying on captions or
other forms of exposition? Does the story work as a comic book,
taking into account the conventions and the language of the
medium?


Notes:

# Do not send scripts or story proposals for any title currently
being published by Dark Horse. Dark Horse's agreements with its
licensors and creators prohibit Dark Horse editors from reading
such submissions. Such submissions will be destroyed unread.

# Please send submissions to:


Submissions


c/o Dark Horse Comics

10956 SE Main Street

MIlwaukie, OR

97222


# We do not publish page rates. If an editor is interested in
working with you, you will work out a financial deal at that
time.

# If a submitted project has an artist collaborator, samples of the
artist's continuity work (not just pin-ups or character
illustrations) must be included.

# We accept proposals for both limited series as well as ongoing
series.

# Do not send samples/proposals via facsimile (fax) or email. All
such submissions will be destroyed without review.

# Do not make telephone follow-ups to check on the status of your
submission. It is now Dark Horse?s policy to respond to submissions
only if an editor wishes to hire the creator.



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Here's one I found today, don't know if it's shown up before. http://www.publaw.com Everything you'd want to know about copyright and trademarks and how it relates to written works.


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Forum: Writer's Block
Thread: Online Writing Resources


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 Originally Posted By: MisterJLA
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AFLAC!


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 Originally Posted By: The Time Trust
Thanks for keeping this stickied, new mods. \:\) I actually use the links in this thread on a regular basis.


Damn, I guess that means it's time for my once-a-year Mod duties...


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The 10 Types of Writers’ Block (and How to Overcome Them): Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the terrifying mystique of Writer's Block, it's better to take it apart and understand it — and then conquer it. Here are 10 types of Writer's Block and how to overcome each type.

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