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#Writing-Resources collects useful tutorials for writing, including topics such as grammar, world-building, characterization, marketing, and much, much more.

All writers and world-builders are welcome to join!

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Founded 4 Months ago
Dec 25, 2012

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Resources & Tutorials

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Literature

20 Members
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602 Pageviews

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The group gallery is for writing tutorials/resources only. This definition includes forms and exercises. Please submit to the correct folder. Your submission will be reviewed for usefulness, accuracy, and general execution.

Disclaimer: Because `Luna--Rose is not omniscient, there may still be incorrect information in the tutorials in this gallery. If you feel the need to point out an error, please politely tell to the writer and he/she may fix it.

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If it's not a tutorial or resource, it goes into the favorites! All members' writings are welcome.

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We encourage you to critique other deviants' work. However, we do not encourage the belittling or harassment of others. These activities may result in you being banned from the group.

If someone's conduct violates site ToS, we encourage you to report them to the dA administration. (How?)

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Grammar and Proofreading

Proofreading Tips #7: Introductory Clauses

As the name implies, an introductory clause is a dependent clause at the beginning of a sentence. The preceding sentence, in fact, contained such a clause. Use commas to separate introductory clauses and certain phrases from independent clauses. Introductory phrases of more than five words or phrases containing verbal elements also require commas. Dependent clause openers include:WhenIfAsAlthoughBecauseAfterThoughDuringBeforeWhile
Some examples are:
"As expected, she could not turn in the homework on time."
"In the fall of last year, we held a family reunion." (use a comma after a phrase containing five or more words)
"To decide, they held a Proofreading Tips #7: Introductory Clauses by ~GoldCoinComics

Writing Lesson: Writing ConversationsWhile I am not a professional by any means, I have been writing for many years and, more recently, beta-reading as well. In all of my experience, I've noticed that a lot of to-be authors make some really silly, simple mistakes. In an effort to help out, I'm going to be putting up a few "Quick Tips" that might help you improve your writing and get more readers.

For this "Quick Tips" entry, I'm going to focus on conversation and the use of quotations. Here we go :D

Punctuation in Quotations
When a character is speaking, their statement is often followed by, "she said" or, "he mumbled". However, you have to keep in mind that this is still partWriting Lesson: Writing Conversations by *Kitsunechann

Grammar and Proofreading

Characterization

100 Questions to Ask Your OC

Hello, folks! The purpose of this exercise is to delve deep into a character's mind and tease out interesting eccentricities about them, the bits and pieces of unique information that make them special. Each question is designed to help think about the character more and understand them. Whether you're responding to one question or all of them, hopefully your character speaks to you all through it!

PERSONALITY PROFILE
1. People don't behave the same way all the time. In fact, they generally have a mask for every social group -- friends, family, business. Sometimes they have a different mask for different groups of friends. How does your100 Questions to Ask Your OC by =viralremix

Writing Lesson: Character TraitsIt's come to my attention as of late that there are a few traits that people give their characters for no other reason than making their character unique. I thought I would just ignore it, but then they started popping up everywhere. I mean everywhere. I looked through the deviations in a group yesterday and saw reoccurring "traits" that make me want to tear my hair out. So this handy guide is here to tell you what's been done to death and when (if ever) it's still okay to use it. I am by no means a professional, but I certainly hope you'll take some of this to heart.
Please keep in mind that these are all just opinions, really. I am not telling you that you can't do these things! (Not that I have the authority to do that anyway). More than anything, these are just things to take into consideration when creating a character for a novel.
Physical Traits
Heterochromia. This is the condition where one's eyes are two different colors.Writing Lesson: Character Traits by *Kitsunechann

Writing Lesson: Your Character's Parents While I am not a professional by any means, I have been writing for many years and, more recently, beta-reading as well. In all of my experience, I've noticed that a lot of to-be authors follow the easy trends and miss out on some great story telling opportunities. Hopefully this guide will help you improve your story and learn that the easy way out isn't always the best! If you would like more writing guides and tutorials, check out the description below.
For this "Quick Tips" entry, I'm going to focus on an important part of back story: parents.
*Please note! I understand that, unfortunately, not everyone reading this has parents. If your parents have passed away or are otherwise absent, please forgive anything written here that might be considered upsetting. These scenarios are for fictional parents only and when I say "dead", I do not mean it to sound nearly as insensitive as itWriting Lesson: Your Character's Parents by *Kitsunechann

The Necessity of Flaws in CharacterizationOkay. Close your eyes (well, maybe just one) and imagine your favorite fictional character. Are they strong? Compassionate and giving? Witty and clever? Wise and intelligent? No matter the make-up of their awesomeness, they probably bring a smile to your face and that warm, fuzzy feeling to your insides. You probably remember vividly their adventures and hijinks, their clever retorts, or how amazing they were at figuring out some wild and crazy puzzle. They probably inspired your own writing. You probably wanted to recreate that smile and fuzzy feeling with your own readers, so you made your version of the character (or took some of their traThe Necessity of Flaws in Characterization by ~Faraleigh

Characterization

Character Attributes

Writing Lesson: Naming Your CharacterYour character's name is one of the most important decisions you have to make when writing a story. There are tons of resources for naming your characters (baby name websites being my personal favorite) but there are also many things you should take into consideration. Here are some do's and don'ts in no particular order.
Similar names for twins I read an article on names recently that expressly forbid the use of matching or similar twin names because it was "overdone". While yes, naming your twins Jayden and Kayden can be a bit tacky sounding, the truth is that people do it. A lot. I've personally met a pair of identical twins named Kirsten and Kristen. Do I think their parents are crazy? A little, but when you're choosing names for your twins, it's hard not to look for rhyming or alliteration. For writers, my only suggestion is to make them visually different enough that readers can tell them apart. Jace and Jackson are easy twin names to read, butWriting Lesson: Naming Your Character by *Kitsunechann

Character Attributes

Building Worlds

Creating a New World

Please copy and paste this into a Word document or deviation. Then highlight the information after the colons and type over it.

Setting

Time/Era: Exact year or approximate time

Name of Country: For fun, you could alter the name of an old empire. For example, the Assyrian Empire (Mesopotamia, BC) was particularly brutal, so a twist off of that name could be interesting for more educated readers. Readers love to be in on jokes like that. Oh, and don't steal Asrian Empire. I already called it.

Geography: I recommend you draw a map (it doesn't have to be exact; it's for consistency)

Landscape: Trees, soil, water, buildings... Imagine you werCreating a New World by `Luna--Rose

Building Worlds

Style

Proofreading Tips #1: Redundancies

Have you ever thought about how redundantly we speak in every day conversation? Sometimes this passes into our writing. For graduates especially, we are unfortunately trained to add extra "padding" into our text to reach a desired word count.
Word redundancies (known as pleonasms and sometimes given the nickname of "baby puppies") are one such way. Here is a list highlighting such phrases--avoid using these at all costs:advance warningalter or changeassemble togetherbasic fundamentalscollect togetherconsensus of opinioncontributing factordollar amounteach and everyend resultexactly identicalfew in numberfree and cleargrateful thanksgreat majoProofreading Tips #1: Redundancies by ~GoldCoinComics

Style

Story and Plot

The Price of Plot TwistsPlot twists. Whether it be mystery novels, an M. Night Shyamalan movie, or the prolific father-son reunion in the Empire Strikes Back, plot twists pop up in every genre and medium of storytelling. With good reason, too. A plot twist surprises you, it makes you rethink everything you thought you knew, and it shatters whatever plot predictions you've racked up for the ride. A good plot twists enriches a story, it complicates it. A great one blows your freaking mind.
I think it's the "blows your freaking mind" variety that have really pumped us all up on the concept of twists. After all, when people talk about, say, The Sixth Sense, what do they always bring up? The heart-warming relationship between Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment? Of course not! It's that reality-shattering twist (which I will not name for the sake of those who haven't seen it yet). Or how about Shutter Island? That one had a bit of a doozy as well.
We've developed a bit of an addiction, I think.The Price of Plot Twists by =Inkfish7

Story and Plot

Inspiration and Writer's Block

OC Exercise: The Best Cure for Writers Block'Ello, Kitsune here. As many of you know, I'm currently working on a novel that is taking over my life. Recently, I've been having trouble keeping the personalities of my characters (who have changed a lot over the near eight years that I've been working on my novel) completely straight. I know my main character well enough, since the story follows her life closely, but sometimes I feel like I don't know everyone else in my world enough.

I'm sure you've all seen the character profiles before. (Name, age, height, physical description, likes, dislikes, etc.) I have filled out more of those than I care to admit, but they very seldom help. Therefore, I came up with this "OC Exercise" to help you get to know your characters better. The best part is, it will even get you some writing practice!

I highly suggest posting your finished products on deviantart and requesting a critique. This will not only help with your actual writing, but it miOC Exercise: The Best Cure for Writers Block by *Kitsunechann

Writers Block and How to Kill ItWith NaNoWriMo coming up soon, I thought I'd finally spit out a writers block help guide. This can be used any time and for any blocks! Let's begin.
Environment
A lot of writers block cases come just from environment. For example, for a long time my computer was a desktop. Not very portable, right? Well, this meant that if I wanted to do any writing, I had to sit down in the same spot every time and write. I had to deal with the same environment, the same clutter, the same chair, the same sitting position, etc. This doesn't help! So consider your environment. (For suggestions that require moving elsewhere, use a laptop or a good old fashioned notebook with a pen or pencil)
Clean up your workspace. Organize it. Rearrange it. Make it different than last time you sat there.Light a candle or incense, or even freshen up your room with an air freshener. Go in another room. SoWriters Block and How to Kill It by *Kitsunechann

STUCK on a Short Story?

10 Second Tip:
Stuck on a SHORT Story?

Stuck on what to put in your story?
-- This is the list of things I check off when I create a story:

Do you have a Setting in mind?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Sci-fi
- Historical
- Modern day
- Fantasy

Do you have ONE big main event for the story to focus on?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- A battle
- An escape
- A love scene
- An act of revenge
- A sacrifice
- A treasure to claim
- A magic spell
- A transformation

Do you know what you want to SAY with your story?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Love sucks.
- Friendship is forever.
- No good deed goes unpunished.
- A snake can only ever be a snake.
- Sometimes STUCK on a Short Story? by *OokamiKasumi

Beating the Block

brought to you by Super Editor

Please read this list slowly and carefully. You'll get much more out of it. (Thinking about specific characters and/or listening to your book's theme music while you read may help.)

This list is mostly (but not entirely) designed to give ideas for characterization-related scenes. If your issue is more along the lines of "I don't know where I'm going," then this may not be as helpful. While you can read this just in case, meditation and logic are usually the things that work best.

If this gives you an idea, write it down! It's a long list, so you don't want to risk forgetting anything.

Not all of these thoughBeating the Block by `Luna--Rose

Inspiration and Writer's Block

Presentation and Marketing

10 Easy Tips to Improve Your Writing.These are some very basic things for new writers. If you see somebody that could benefit from this, send them a link!

1. Use correct punctuation, spelling, and grammar everywhere, not just in your writing.
I see a lot of writers that text-talk in conversations, leave out punctuation, don't capitalize words, etc. Even if you're just shooting a message to a friend on Facebook remember those rules! Not only does this create good habits, but I find that it leads to better and more intelligent conversations
2. Learn those tricky rules like "laid/lay" and "effect/affect".
A lot of people slack off on these. Personally, I have to look up things like this all the time because I just don't remember. They're annoying, but learning the differences can help you out in your writing and in real life. Also, the difference between "good" and "well" is a must-know! I hear this used incorrectly every single day.
3. Paragraphs and when to use them.
Obviously your wr10 Easy Tips to Improve Your Writing. by *Kitsunechann

Your Stats and your... Artist's Description?

Brought to you by Super Editor
Note: This is not a "Writer's Guide" because it is intended for writers and artists.

Do the words "4 comments" frequently haunt your deviations? Is it difficult to find an audience for your artwork or writing? Do you yearn for detailed critique on your artistic technique and receive comments such as "nice" and "cute girl?"

Low stats result from a number of things. Maybe you don't comment much on other people's works. (You get what you give.) Perhaps you haven't joined any groups, or you haven't submitted to them yet. Maybe you are doing these things, but you're just new to the site.

I can't give you automaticYour Stats and your... Artist's Description? by `Luna--Rose

Presentation and Marketing

Publishing

Multi-Subject and Misc.

Knock Yourself Out

How to Write a [Near]-Fainting Experience
Brought to you by Super Editor

You've probably all read books or seen movies in which a character passes out. The heroine might swoon gracefully and collapse onto the floor or into the hero's arms. People rush to bring water, a doctor, or something to revive her. She then wakes up, rosy-cheeked and a bit distressed, and she fans herself for a while while insisting that she is fine.

Fainting in real life is not nearly so beautiful. Authors, especially ones with no experience, can sometimes fall for such idealized descriptions. I am (un)fortunate enough to have experience in this area, so I will sharKnock Yourself Out by `Luna--Rose

Your OC's Hair

Brought to you by Super Editor

You have the unique opportunity to see a Writer's Guide being drafted.
Some bug of a mysterious nature decided to delete the resource text last January or so and I think the text is gone for good, so I'm re-writing it. This notice will be taken down when this is no longer considered a draft. (Yes, I'm letting you read my draft. Now you have insights into my evil mind...)

*~*~*~The Actual Guide~*~*~*

Most girls are taught that there is a standard, all-encompassing way to take care of hair. You brush it every morning and don't pull the tangles too hard. When you wash it, you use a little bit of shampoo for tYour OC's Hair by `Luna--Rose

Multi-Subject and Misc.

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Affiliates

We accept affiliations with any groups that collect writing tutorials in their galleries.

This includes the following:

Groups for writing resources only

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Writing groups with a folder for writing resources

Comments

~ShayLaLaLooHoo Feb 24, 2013

Wow...that was fast!

~WonHitWonder Feb 21, 2013 Hobbyist General Artist

Saw this and just had to join in the fun!

Also, I'm back on dA. It's a long story! o_o

*Kitsunechann Jan 19, 2013 Hobbyist Traditional Artist

Aw crap. I think I submitted something to the faves incorrectly. Feel free to deny it, I didn't mean to D:

*Kitsunechann Jan 17, 2013 Hobbyist Traditional Artist

Hello! Will there be a place for writing exercises? (such as my exercise with the different scenarios to help get the creative juices flowing)? I would think it'd be considered a resource.

Also, where (if anywhere) would I submit a "getting over writers block" tutorialish type thing?

`Luna--Rose Jan 18, 2013 General Artist

Exercises can go into whichever folder best fits the subject matter. For example, an exercise on characterization would go into the characterization folder, whereas a style exercise would go into the style folder. It's ultimately up to you!

I've renamed the inspiration folder to "Inspiration and Writer's Block" to make it clearer. Thanks!

*Kitsunechann Jan 18, 2013 Hobbyist Traditional Artist

I've noticed a lot of the folders aren't open to submissions. Perhaps check if they're open? I know that when you first create a folder, it's set to closed.

`Luna--Rose Jan 19, 2013 General Artist

Thanks for pointing that out! I've fixed it, and I'll do my best to remember to open submissions whenever I make a new folder.

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