Touching One's Soul ... The Ultimate Inspiration for a WriterWritten by Edward B. Toupin
From smoke and dirt to pollution and oil, it is amazing how much gunk can collect on a window over time. I sit here in my office looking out window that appears to look same as it did when it was new, but wondering why it was always a gray overcast outside. I was just used to slow collection of crud so I never really noticed how opaque window was becoming. It took a lot of cleaner, four rags, and a lot of elbow grease to make window acceptably transparent again, but it'll never be same as it was when it was new.Just as with window, from birth, we all collect some level of gunk on our souls. This gunk consists of misinformation, prejudices, conflict, trauma, and myriad other experiences that layer over our creative insides. These layers slowly change way we see our world by creating an opaque film over our soul's eye. With that we begin to see world in a way that we assume that it is and not necessarily in a way that it truly exists. Our reality becomes tainted preventing us from perusing and becoming everything that we could possibly become. However, somehow we need to clean off that gunk to obtain a clear view of life. ---Writing to Clear my Vision--- After 15 years of sharpening pencils and banging on keyboard, I am still amazed at things that happen as I continue to write. In early days, I simply did it because it helped to pay bills and it was fun to see my books at bookstore. But, as time passed, I began to realize that more I write, more I learn about myself, and more layers that peel off of my soul. I must say, that most fulfilling experience I ever had as a writer was day that I saw my soul. To settle your doubts, it wasn't so much a physical manifestation of a soul, but it was automatic typing of my fingers to create content so rich that I had to pinch myself to see if it was still me. This bizarre, yet fulfilling, sensation pushed me into an entirely different frame of mind and a sense of satisfaction and self-belief like I had never known. ---Writing to Scratch Surface--- Writing can take on many different shapes and sizes. Some write for research. Some write for pleasure. Others write for money. But, at core of writing is expression of one's inner being. It is an outlet for soul. A way for it to give so that it can dig its way out of layers of contradiction and goo that have piled on over years.
| | How to Create Incredible Characters EasilyWritten by Caterina Christakos
Creating incredible characters can be easy if you know of a few simple rules:1) Each character should have his own voice. If your character is from Brooklyn, give him brooklyn accent and mannerisms. 2) Before you write, decide on his or her background and outline it thoroughly. If she is supposed to be from a high profile Georgia family, know what her parents do for a living. Is she trying to live up to their standards or does she move to California in rebellion? Why? 3) Know your character's motivations. If he is a seriel killer, what about his upbringing or his mind created him into pathological criminal that he is.
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