Category Archives: Writing tools

This sample of revision exemplifies the improvements paragraph-level changes make possible. Obviously, sentence-level problems remain, but the second draft has clearly improved. I’m guessing the genre is urban fantasy?

The Oulipo Group uses mathematical principles to generate experimental texts. Larding is one of the exercises they suggest.

Do at least one of the following Read the draft in one sitting without changing anything. Make an outline of what you’ve already written. Try the “shrunken draft” exercise. Then freewrite answers to these questions: What do I need to … Continue reading →

Consider Janet Burroway’s discussion of theme.

Here are three examples of what can be done at Wordle. Try it. You’ll like it. (I’ll repost the draft of the plan once I’ve finished it.)

In October, NPR’s “All Tech Considered” included an interview of Cory Doctorow. Doctorow discusses new ways of publishing and marketing books and stories. Here’s a link.

One aphorism by Jerome Stern A scene that seems to happen nowhere often seems not to happen at all. and five by Janet Burroway. Like dialogue, setting must do more than one thing at once, from illuminating the story’s symbolic … Continue reading →

I’m thinking of this as part of revision, but it might be useful in other ways as well: highlight text in Word, go to View, then Toolbars, then Speech. Click on Speak Selection in the small window that appears. Listen … Continue reading →

From lifehaker.com, these seem useful to me.

Violence and the Sacred In Texas they shoot apples from the tree. The Rangers saved Smith and Wesson, it’s history, from those who, without buying, would wonder what the purpose of a gun that revolves might be. The apples disappear, … Continue reading →