June 18, 2010, Newsletter Issue #207: Miscellaneous

Tip of the Week

Below are several archived tips from the “Miscellaneous” category.  Though some tips have been edited by the current guru, James Gapinski, most are the original creations of past Life Tips gurus.
 
Online Diaries
 
Scribbling on paper isn’t the only way to record your thoughts these days. There are plenty of online journal services that will give you space to vent and philosophize. Most are free!
 
Check out:
 
Diaryland
www.diaryland.com
 
Diarist.com
www.diarist.com
 
SFWA Nebula Award
 
Given annually by the Science Fiction Writers of America. Search winners and finalists for great writers to learn from.
 
http://dpsinfo.com/awardweb/nebulas/
 
Haiku
 
Haiku’s ideally include some element of season or nature in them & are a clever form on their own.
 
The Basics:
_______________
Haiku has 3 lines and 17 syllabes distributed in 5, 7 and 5. The haiku conveys a "snapshot" impression of a moment, feeling, or observation from nature.
 
You can find more detailed resources & even submit your haikus on A Haiku Homepage.
 
http://home.clara.net/pka/haiku/haiku.htm
 
Links for Crime Writers
 
Officer.com. Click here for info on just about anything police related.
 
http://www.officer.com
 
Romance Writers links
 
http://www.geocities.com/charlottedillon2000/
 
Journal Writing Links
 
Journal For You--a vastly informative site for those wanting to develop their journaling experience.
 
http://www.journalforyou.com/
 
Writers Workshops
 
The Erma Bombeck Writer’s Workshop is a hub for humor writers and features articles & general info on the business. There is also an annual writing contest and a conference.
 
http://www.humorwriters.org/
 
Online Resources
 
HumorLinks provides an astounding wealth of humor related resources. It’s worth flipping through, even though it also includes a fair amount of joke sites and such.
 
http://www.humorlinks.com/cgi-bin/sites/page.cgi?d=1&g=index.html
 
Science writing links
 
http://www.research.att.com/~andreas/sci.html
 
Online Workshops
 
If you’re looking for a journaling workshop, but are low on spare time, consider going online.
 
http://www.writingthejourney.com/
 
Nature Writing links
 
http://www.connix.com/~fmusante/nature/nature.htm
 
Memoir writing links
 
Memoir Writing community at Suite 101
 
http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/memoir_writing
 
Places that might consider your screenwriting manuscript
 
StudioNotes.com
http://www.studionotes.com/StudioNotes/index.html
 
ScriptPimp.com
http://www.scriptpimp.com/home/
 
Dave Barry´s Miami Herald Column
 
Dave Barry is a humor writer who manages to be naturally funny (hilarious, even) without ever really going over the top.
 
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/columnists/dave_barry/
 
How to be funny on demand (link)
 
http://www.wsws.ca/humor.shtml
 
Good Writers to Learn From
 
Contemporary Writers
________________________
Rick Bass
Annie Dillard
Gretel Erlich
Barry Lopez
Farley Mowatt
Terry Tempest Williams
 
Classical Writers
________________________
Henry David Thoreau
 
Reading List
 
Deadly Pleasures is a site that stays up-to-the-minute on crime writing publications. This page provides a good list of crime novels that have received acclaim.
 
http://www.deadlypleasures.com/dplist2001.htm#U.S. Novels
 
Writers to Learn From
 
Isaac Asimov
Ursula K. Leguin
 
Ideas for entries
 
Journaling can often be a place to lazily record your thoughts as they meander. But sometimes you will want to experiment with focused writing exercises on a specific topic. Here are some random ideas--add your own to the list.
 
*My earliest memory
*The sounds of nature
*A terrifying experience
*Being single/involved/married/divorced/widowed
 
Handmaking a Journal Book
 
You might enjoy the physical craft of building a journal from scratch. Many cultural centers and craft stores offer workshops on how to put one together. For a reasonable fee, you’ll get materials, fabric, instruction and a place to work. Definitely worth checking out.
 
Finding an agent
 
The best place to research agents is with the Writer’s Guild. They keep a log of agents who are active and, most importantly, legit.
 
http://www.wga.org/agency.html
 
Independent Mystery Booksellers
 
The Independent Mystery Booksellers Association is a good resource if you want to find quality crime fiction. You can search for books on the site. Check out their Top 100 list!
 
http://www.mysterybooksellers.com/favorites.html
 
Reading List
 
Leaving a Trace: On Keeping a Journal
by Alexandra Johnson
 
The best book resource I have come across for journaling. It emphasizes the importance of journaling to creative development and touches on many personal aspects of the genre. Includes great exercises to get you started and stoke your creativity.
 
Screenwriting links
 
The Mad Screenwriter
(Download scripts from your favorite movies!!)
http://www.madscreenwriter.com/
 
Screenwriting Directories & Resources
http://www.dvshop.ca/dvcafe/writing/screenres.html
 
Sci Fi Writing Associations
 
Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America
 
Be sure to check out the page for "Craft." It gives great resources on the basics of Sci Fi Writing.
 
http://www.sfwa.org/
 
Links for FanFic writers
 
Fan Fiction on Force.Net. A community of fan fic writers, with a huge archive and mailing lists.
 
http://fanfic.theforce.net/

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