During January of our “Now What?” Months, we’re here to give you some inspiration and resources as you dive into those daunting edits on your novel. While we usually share lots of advice with you from contemporary authors, sometimes it’s nice to take a look back through history and realize that editing problems have always been the same:
“Rewriting [is] very painful. You know it’s finished when you can’t do anything more to it, though it’s never exactly the way you want it… The hardest thing in the world is simplicity. And the most fearful thing, too. You have to strip yourself of all your disguises, some of which you didn’t know you had. You want to write a sentence as clean as a bone. That is the goal.”
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Originality and creativity combined with a great set of colors, in addition to a wonderful team of dancers, make this video the one hitting the top in the first place in the USA.
What can we say about the song? Original! and even Meghan Trainor recognize that point by saying to DirectLyrics "I wrote the song for myself and my insecurities and it seems to have helped many other people in world too. I'm so happy others can relate to it and understand what I'm singing about." .
Obviously that was one parte of the whole enchilada. A song without an artistic idea is flawless, and as you watch the video, we enjoy every second not only for the dancers and their funny way of expressing themselves, but also for the point that the singer is trying to convey."Every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to the top".
Here is the song for those who want the lyrics:
"All About That Bass"
Because you know I'm all about that bass 'Bout that bass, no treble I'm all about that bass 'Bout that bass, no treble I'm all about that bass 'Bout that bass, no treble I'm all about that bass 'Bout that bass Yeah, it's pretty clear, I ain't no size two But I can shake it, shake it Like I'm supposed to do Cause I got that boom boom that all the boys chase And all the right junk in all the right places I see the magazine, workin' that Photoshop We know that shit ain't real C'mon now, make it stop If you got beauty beauty, just raise 'em up Cause every inch of you is perfect From the bottom to the top Yeah, my mama she told me don't worry about your size She says boys like a little more booty to hold at night You know I won't be no stick figure silicone Barbie doll So if that's what you're into then go ahead and move along Because you know I'm All about that bass 'Bout that bass, no treble I'm all about that bass 'Bout that bass, no treble I'm all about that bass 'Bout that bass, no treble I'm all about that bass 'Bout that bass Hey!
I'm bringing booty back Go ahead and tell them skinny bitches that No I'm just playing I know you think you're fat But I'm here to tell ya Every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to the top Yeah my mama she told me don't worry about your size She says boys like a little more booty to hold at night You know I won't be no stick figure silicone Barbie doll So if that's what you're into then go ahead and move along Because you know I'm All about that bass 'Bout that bass, no treble I'm all about that bass 'Bout that bass, no treble I'm all about that bass 'Bout that bass, no treble I'm all about that bass 'Bout that bass Because you know I'm All about that bass 'Bout that bass, no treble I'm all about that bass 'Bout that bass, no treble I'm all about that bass 'Bout that bass, no treble I'm all about that bass 'Bout that bass Because you know I'm All about that bass 'Bout that bass, no treble I'm all about that bass 'Bout that bass, no treble I'm all about that bass 'Bout that bass, no treble I'm all about that bass 'Bout that bass 'Bout that bass, 'bout that bass Hey, hey, ooh You know you like this bass
Within the vast landscape of written expression, where words hold the potential to shape opinions and ignite change, the art of crafting compelling arguments stands as a formidable force. As an author, I recognize the tremendous opportunity we possess to harness this power and leave an indelible mark on our readers.
I was recently asked to write a blog about creating argumentative scenes, I found the topic quite interesting as arguments and persuasion are something authors of all genres can find themselves writing. Anger is a very raw emotion that authors often feel the need to perfect, I hope this guide on how to write persuasive arguments can help you reach that point of perfection.
Persuasion in fiction goes beyond convincing readers of a particular argument or viewpoint. It involves crafting narratives that engage readers on multiple levels, influencing their emotions, thoughts, and even actions. Just like skilled orators sway their audiences, we can use the tools of persuasion to captivate readers, immerse them in our stories, and make them feel deeply connected to our characters and themes.
By masterfully crafting persuasive narratives, we can make readers question their assumptions, reconsider their beliefs, and view the world through a new lens.
However, it's important to note that persuasion in fiction doesn't mean manipulating or forcing readers to adopt specific viewpoints. Instead, it's about presenting compelling arguments within the context of our stories and allowing readers to engage with them organically. Through our characters' journeys, conflicts, and personal growth, we can subtly challenge readers' perspectives, encourage empathy, and foster critical thinking.
Your character doesn’t have to necessarily be wrong or right and it is important to remember your readers can always have a viewpoint completely different from your opinion of your character and that scene.
Captivating characters possess the power to sway readers' hearts and minds. They are multidimensional, relatable, and possess qualities that make their actions and beliefs compelling. By carefully sculpting our characters, we can infuse them with the ability to embody persuasive arguments and engage readers in thought-provoking ways.
To create convincing characters, we must delve into their backgrounds, motivations, and desires. What drives them? What are their core values? Understanding their unique perspectives allows us to shape their beliefs and opinions, providing a foundation for persuasive storytelling. When our characters' convictions align with the arguments we wish to convey, their authenticity and passion become catalysts for reader engagement.
In Angie Thomas' powerful novel, "The Hate U Give," the protagonist, Starr Carter, serves as a compelling argumentative character.
Through authentic dialogue and poignant internal monologues, Starr articulates her experiences, frustrations, and desires for a more just society. Her arguments against racial profiling, police brutality, and the need for equality are rooted in her personal journey, allowing readers to empathize with her and reflect on their own biases and prejudices.
By skillfully intertwining character development with persuasive arguments, Angie Thomas creates a protagonist whose voice and convictions leave a lasting impact. Starr's transformation from a reluctant witness to a courageous advocate exemplifies the power of persuasive storytelling, inspiring readers to challenge injustice, examine their own beliefs, and work towards a more equitable world.
When it comes to persuasive writing, crafting engaging dialogue is a powerful tool that allows us to convey arguments, challenge beliefs, and captivate readers. Effective dialogue not only propels the plot forward but also serves as a vehicle for persuasion.
To craft engaging dialogue with persuasive impact, consider the following techniques:
Character Voice: Each character should have a distinct voice that reflects their personality, background, and beliefs. Whether it's through word choice, dialect, or speech patterns, make sure their dialogue is authentic and consistent. This authenticity lends credibility to their arguments and makes them more compelling.
Conflict and Tension: Engaging dialogue often thrives on conflict. Introduce opposing viewpoints and create tension between characters with differing opinions. These clashes of ideology can spark thought-provoking debates and allow readers to see multiple sides of an argument.
Subtext and Nuance: Effective dialogue often goes beyond surface-level conversations. Include subtext and underlying emotions to add depth to your characters' interactions. What remains unsaid can be just as powerful as what is spoken, allowing readers to infer hidden motives and subtle persuasions.
Relevance to the Plot: Ensure that your dialogue serves a purpose within the larger narrative. Use it to advance the story, develop characters, or explore thematic elements. When dialogue aligns with the overall arc of the narrative, it becomes an integral part of the persuasive storytelling process.
Emotional Impact: Infuse your dialogue with emotion to create a deeper connection with readers. Engage their empathy, evoke their curiosity, or stir their passion through the heartfelt words exchanged between characters. Emotional resonance enhances the persuasive power of your arguments.
By skillfully utilizing descriptive language and imagery, we can immerse our audience in the world of our story and strengthen the persuasive nature of our arguments.
Appeal to the Senses: Engage readers on a sensory level by incorporating descriptive details that evoke sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell. By immersing readers in the sensory experience of a scene, you can make your arguments more tangible and relatable.
Paint Vivid Settings: Transport readers to vibrant and immersive settings that act as a backdrop for your arguments. By creating a rich visual landscape, you can enhance the persuasive impact of your words and immerse readers in the world of your story.
Evoke Emotions: Harness the power of emotion to make your arguments resonate deeply with readers. Use descriptive language that elicits a range of feelings, whether it's anger, empathy, awe, or hope. Connect with readers on an emotional level, and they will be more likely to embrace your persuasive message.
Crafting persuasive storylines requires careful plotting and effective structuring to engage readers and convey your arguments in a compelling manner. By strategically organizing your narrative elements, you can captivate your audience, build tension, and ultimately deliver persuasive messages that resonate long after the final page. Here are key considerations for plotting and structuring persuasive storylines:
Establish Clear Goals: Define the central objectives of your narrative, both in terms of the overall story and the persuasive arguments you aim to convey. What do you want readers to understand or believe? Set clear goals to guide your storytelling, ensuring every plot point and character arc serves the purpose of advancing your persuasive message.
Build Rising Tension: Structure your storyline to escalate tension and keep readers invested in the outcome of your persuasive arguments. Craft each plot twist and revelation to heighten the stakes, gradually intensifying the conflict and presenting new challenges that test characters' convictions.
Use Narrative Devices: Employ narrative devices such as foreshadowing, flashbacks, and dramatic irony to enhance the persuasive impact of your storylines. These devices can provide deeper insight into characters' motivations, reveal hidden truths, and strengthen the arguments you present.
Balance Pace and Reflection: Find a balance between fast-paced action and reflective moments to allow readers to digest and connect with your persuasive messages. Provide opportunities for characters to contemplate their beliefs, engage in meaningful conversations, and undergo personal growth, which reinforces the authenticity and impact of their arguments.
Editing is the key to refining and enhancing the persuasive impact of your writing. As you revisit your work, focus on clarity, coherence, and compelling language. Here are essential editing steps to maximize the persuasive power of your piece:
Streamline Your Argument: Trim unnecessary details and tighten your arguments. Ensure each sentence and paragraph contributes to the central message, eliminating any tangents that may dilute the persuasive impact.
Enhance Clarity: Clarify your ideas by simplifying complex concepts and using concise language. Avoid jargon or technical terms that may alienate or confuse your readers. Opt for clarity over complexity.
Strengthen Structure: Check the flow of your piece, ensuring a logical progression of ideas. Arrange your arguments in a coherent manner, guiding readers from one point to the next with clarity and coherence.
Choose Compelling Language: Use powerful and evocative language to captivate readers. Employ vivid verbs, descriptive adjectives, and figurative language to engage their senses and emotions, heightening the persuasive impact of your words.
Proofread for Errors: Eliminate grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can distract readers from your persuasive message. A polished and error-free piece lends credibility and professionalism to your arguments.
I hope this blog on the ultimate guide to writing persuasive arguments will help you in your writing journey. Be sure to comment any tips of your own to help your fellow authors prosper, and follow my blog for new blog updates every Monday and Thursday.
Are you an author looking for writing tips and tricks to better your manuscript? Or do you want to learn about how to get a literary agent, get published and properly market your book? Consider checking out the rest of Haya’s book blog where I post writing and marketing tools for authors every Monday and Thursday
No estoy seguro de lo que voy a hacer, pero bueno, quiero ir a lugares y ver personas. Quiero que mi mente crezca. Quiero vivir donde las cosas suceden a gran escala.
F. Scott Fitzgerald (via elcielosobremi)
Calendario del Desván
CALENDARIO DEL DESVAN
Marco A. Romero
La historia de todo ser humano se puede resumir en un historia de amor....
Amor desviado, amor contradictorio; amor malsano, amor malvado; amor renegado, amor irreverente; amor odiado... amor suplicado.
Las venas y las arterias contaminadas de pasiones y dolores que brotan y fluyen entre las partes, para generar acciones en otros -las que fueran- que hicieran sentir el cuerpo vivo y sentirse también querido en el dolor; y amado, en relación igualmente a la infringida por el dolor.
Agresión y Amor. Agreder lo que se ama, agrederlo para sentirlo tuyo, de tu propiedad, para arrojarlo o pisotearlo, para infamiarlo o crucificarlo, para bendecirlo o maldecirlo porque después del infierno viene el cielo, después del golpe la sanidad, después del sufrimiento la armonía.
Los polos opuestos, los polos que no se pueden reconciliar pues si se reconcilian no funcionan y algo anda mal...
Es mío y nada más que mío; para besarlo o crucificarlo, para amarlo o bendecirlo, para sangrarlo o sanarlo... pero mío, sólo mío... sólo mío...
La historia de amor se puede resumir como una guerra, en una lucha constante y prolongada por conquistar amores; amores que se dieron, amores que no se dieron.
Los unos y los otros empantanados en batallas campales que generan actos de locura en ambos lados, y a las cicatrices y heridas infringidas le suceden también la ruptura en el funcionamiento normal -equilibrado, diríamos- de la estructura.
Guerras empecinadas, sin tregua y a morir, por conquistar el amor de otros cuando normal debiera fluir…
Quién quebrará el embrujo, quién, quién, quién?
En el aspecto personal, de interrelación de uno a otro amigo, cada uno buscaba en el otro lo que uno deseaba para sí, y nunca se dieron cuenta de las bondades que su misma persona tenía, al estar mirando frecuentemente -y de soslayo- las actuaciones ajenas del vecino.
Y así pasaron los días, los días se convirtieron en años, las quejas se fueron convirtiendo en ruidos cotidianos como las hojarascas en el otoño al ser arrastradas por el viento, hasta que los años menguaron la piel, marchitaron la juventud, sin que los antigüos patrones se sustituyeran por otros nuevos de armonía, fraternidad y felicidad...
Y éstas son sólo visiones,
no constituyen juicios de verdad,
sino sentires personales,
pensamientos...
que salen del desván..
E.A. Deverell - FREE worksheets (characters, world building, narrator, etc.) and paid courses;
NotionByRach - FREEBIES (workbook, notion template, games, challenges, etc.);
Hiveword - Helps to research any topic to write about (has other resources, too);
BetaBooks - Share your draft with your beta reader (can be more than one), and see where they stopped reading, their comments, etc.;
Charlotte Dillon - Research links;
Writing realistic injuries - The title is pretty self-explanatory: while writing about an injury, take a look at this useful website;
One Stop for Writers - You guys... this website has literally everything we need: a) Description thesaurus collection, b) Character builder, c) Story maps, d) Scene maps & timelines, e) World building surveys, f) Worksheets, f) Tutorials, and much more! Although it has a paid plan ($90/year | $50/6 months | $9/month), you can still get a 2-week FREE trial;
One Stop for Writers Roadmap - It has many tips for you, divided into three different topics: a) How to plan a story, b) How to write a story, c) How to revise a story. The best thing about this? It's FREE!
Story Structure Database - The Story Structure Database is an archive of books and movies, recording all their major plot points;
National Centre for Writing - FREE worksheets and writing courses. Has also paid courses;
Penguin Random House - Has some writing contests and great opportunities;
Crime Reads - Get inspired before writing a crime scene;
The Creative Academy for Writers - "Writers helping writers along every step of the path to publication." It's FREE and has ZOOM writing rooms;
Reedsy - "A trusted place to learn how to successfully publish your book" It has many tips, and tools (generators), contests, prompts lists, etc. FREE;
QueryTracker - Find agents for your books (personally, I've never used this before, but I thought I should feature it here);
Pacemaker - Track your goals (example: Write 50K words - then, everytime you write, you track the number of the words, and it will make a graphic for you with your progress). It's FREE but has a paid plan;
Save the Cat! - The blog of the most known storytelling method. You can find posts, sheets, a software (student discount - 70%), and other things;
I hope this is helpful for you!
☕️ buy me a coffee! ☕️
Leadership is a very exciting course because it has taught me to see the groups’ perspective, and how perfectly communicating ideas may influence people to achieve the goals of the group or company. As Maxwell stated, “the three components of this triangle are communication, recognition, and influence. You start to communicate effectively. This leads to recognition and recognition in turn to influence.”
Personally, I have always worked with groups and have agreed to work with them because it is necessary to go through the experience with them in order to win their heart and have a common ground that allows us to work together. At this point, I see two principles of Maxwell, the first one relates to the “Pareto Principle” which states, (referring to counseling) “20% of people take up to 80% of your time.” The second principle states, “The leader must develop trust with people” as Maxwell puts it. “The more people trust the leader, the more willing they will be to accept the leader’s proposal changes.”
In addition, working with groups is all about ideas. It is about achieving each goal in life, as a supporting cast, and not a staff position working for a personal benefit. In that regard, I agree with Maxwell when he states, “Am I building people, or am I building my dream and using people to do it?” Maxwell says it pretty clear, “Manipulation is moving together for my advantage, and Motivation is moving together for mutual advantage.”
Personally I like the Maxwell leadership style because it is positive, open, and democratic. The object of his leadership plan is to form an organization that believes in the benefit of every person in the group. Working with clear, defined, and objective rules in which we can all learn to work together for a better future within the company or society.
The Maxwell leadership style applies to my style of working with groups. Unconsciously, I have applied many of its concepts, not perfectly, but I have in some ways applied it to my style of work. I obviously have a lot to learn from Maxwell, but I believe I am striving to apply these concepts in my workplace, with coworkers, and in my family.
:)
It is a beautiful sensation To wake up in the morning With the sound of a beautiful lady That turns your life into joy. It is that sound, That melody in her voice, That brings you peace and love And color the world by being her alive. With an outstanding performance of that beautiful moment, Eddie Brickell sings "Good Times" You don't even have to try It comes easy for you The way you move is so appealing It could make me cry Go out driving with my friends In Bobby's big old beat up car I'm with a lot of people then I wonder where you are Good times, bad times, give me some of that Good times, bad times, give me some of that Good times, bad times, give me some of that I don't want to say goodbye Don't want to walk you to the door I spend a little time with you I want a little more Good times, bad times, give me some of that Good times, bad times, give me some of that Good times, bad times, give me some of that
How would you sing a song with a broken heart?
Here you will find some of the things that I really like. I like writing, music, poems, and producing any idea that comes to my mind. I hope you like it!
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