hd_writers | Entries tagged with links

If you don't live in the UK and want to get the "feel" of the Marauders' childhood right, look up a show named "Back in Time for the Weekend" that's currently running Tuesdays on BBC 2. It's available on YouTube in full-length episodes.

It's about a family of four who've agreed to live each past decade since the 1950s for a week, complete with furniture, fashion, food, entertainment, technology and general living conditions. It gets relevant for the Marauders (mainly Lily and Severus, and probably Remus) from the second episode onwards, the 1960s (linked above). #3 is obviously the 70s when they're at Hogwarts, and #4 is the 1980s, when they all left school and Harry was born. More to follow ...

It shows how Lily and Petunia would've grown up in a typical English middle-class family of the time, and the Snapes -- being poor -- might've stayed stuck half, or even a full, decade earlier ... and what they might have aspired to/envied their neighbors for.

It's definitely an interesting resource -- I mean, I was born in the 1950s, and don't remember half of all that stuff, despite having lived through it! And it's a much better, more realistic depiction of how it used to be than whatever version Hollywood cranked out at the time. Mrs Evans (or Eileen Snape, for that matter) sure as hell weren't Doris Day or June Cleaver!

There are also videos on YouTube for Christmas and typical dinners of half a century ago, also under the "back in time" tag. :-)

Enjoy!

Current Mood: chipper

kitty_fic

Originally posted by

kitty_fic at References for Writing Romance Stories

I've been reading some meta/articles/thoughts on plotting and therefore angsting over the outline/plot of my

paperlegends (or maybe it was the other way around and I was angsting and therefore researching plot)

Then... I realized that the reason none of that was working for me was because they were basically outlining adventure stories or great epic/classic novels and not romances...

Then... I remembered seeing a list of elements for a romance story at one point in time, so I went looking for it:

8 Essential Elements of a Romance Novel

1-Society Defined
2-The Meeting
3-The Barrier
4-The Attraction
5-The Declaration
6-Point of Ritual Death
7-The Recognition
8-The Betrothal

I also turned up these references in my search, which seem really helpful also! YAY!

Plotting a Romance Novel 101 (streamline the elements to 5)

Plotting The Romance: the Basics (breakdown the story into 3 Acts)

The Writer's Resource: Plotting A Romance Novel (includes more related links)

How to Structure A Story: The Eight-Point Arc (Not specifically about romance, but still helpful?)

kitty_fic

Are you planning to participate in Nanowrimo?

( Take the Poll! )

Here are a few helpful links/resources/discussions to get you excited!

+Resource: 2012 Nanowrimo Wallpapers
+Discussion: Avoiding Distractions
+Tips: Finding Time to Write
+Resource: Writing Resources/Link List
+Discussion: Nanowrimo and Special Challenges/Circumstances
+Resource: The Great Nanowrimo Binder Project
+Tips: Methods to Increase Word Count
+Community:

nanowrimo
+Community:

nanoljers
+Community:

mini_nanowrimo

blossomdreams.livejournal.com

( Read more... )

Current Mood: cheerful
Current Location: At home

thisgirl-is.livejournal.com

OK, this is how I see this post working. I'm going to talk a little bit about the beta process, link some links I think you might find handy, and ask some questions to help get some conversation started. Then you guys take it from there. Talk about your experiences with beta reading. Are you a Beta? Great! Tell us how it works from the Beta side. Got handy links? Link 'em! I will add them to the resources at the bottom of the post. I plan to put a link to the resources section in the Comm’s sidebar for handy future reference.

Before I get started, this post is not intended to be me telling you how to beta, or how the beta process works. The beta process is a pretty individual thing - it's a case of figuring out what works for you as a Writer or as a Beta, and finding people you can work well with.

( The process )

So that’s my thoughts. Everyone should feel free to add their comments, question things, or disagree vehemently with anything I’ve said. Meanwhile, here are a few questions.

Questions

What other tools do you use for sharing/betaing fic? How does it work?
What’s your process?
Any pet peeves, as a Writer or as a Beta?
Got any helpful links?

( Resources )

amt149.livejournal.com

If you're staring at a black screen, your muse is on vacation, or you just need a random prompt for any reason, here are two pretty good Random Prompt Generators.

Random Prompt Generator #1
This generator will give you a phrase or line of dialogue as a prompt.

Random Prompt Generator #2
This generator will give you either a random word, phrase, sentence, or paragraph. Just fill out the type of word you're looking for if it asks you (noun, verb, adj, etc and complexity) and it'll pop them out for you!

Current Mood: cheerful

misbehavingmom.livejournal.com

Did you guys take a look at the generator that

kitty_fic posted earlier?

I've been playing with it all day, saving scenarios for future use and trying to find some inspiration for the fic I'm writing. I discovered that the site also has two other generators.

Here's the info and links to them:

Problem: Your characters lack depth
Solution: Archetype's Character Generator

What it is: A quick character sketch filled with the kinds of little details that makes stories engaging: character gender, cardinal traits, weaknesses, and most prized possession. Just like us, characters' behaviors and preferences should be rooted in both genetics and past experience.

Problem: Your characters don't feel like "real" people
Solution: Archetype's Everyday Problems Generator

What it is: The details are what make characters real, and characters, like us, have little quirks, problems, and beliefs that make them unique. Indiana Jones is afraid of snakes, Monk has OCD, and Clark Kent has that little Kryptonite allergy. This generator will help you add depth to characters by suggesting everyday fears, quirks, beliefs, and problems.

The website also has a ton of links covering writer's block and characterization. It's definitely worth checking out!

kitty_fic

I got this awesome link from

winnett! And I've spent so much time playing with it this morning!

http://www.archetypewriting.com/muse/generators/plot.htm

1---
The story starts when your protagonist tells on someone else. (draco)

Another character is a mind reader who is carrying a deadly disease.
(hogwarts era)

2---
The story starts when your protagonist uses someone else to get ahead. (draco)

Another character is a square who is stalking your protagonist. (harry)

3---
The story starts when your protagonist joins a new club.

Another character is a detective who thinks s/he is just doing his/her duty. (auror!harry)'

Oh the possibilities! XD

thisgirl-is.livejournal.com

Get your shit together - By Failed_Mission

Get Shit Done with

hd_writers | Monday 28th March - Monday 4th April | Banner by

failed_mission

It's Monday! It's time to get some shit done, yo!

Head on over to the Sign Up Post, and let's get this thing started!

The chatrooms are never closed! HD Writers and HD Writers Srsbzns.

hd-writers-mod.livejournal.com

Hello dear writers! We now have a very helpful list of links for all your writing endeavours!

( Links of Love )

If any links are forgotten, broken, or you have some that can be added, feel free to drop us a comment!

Thanks go out to

kitty_fic,

wemyss,

naturegirlrocks,

reikokatsura,

talekayler

nicevenn,

anna_unfolding,

uniquepov and

aj_socks for the links, as well as

97swan_songs,

phoenixacid,

lira_snape,