Gilded Bear Editing

While it can seem like a challenge to get characters drawn out, checklists can be a saving grace. So go through the checklists provided here, and answer as many as possible. If any are irrelevant or would be a bad fit, then by all means skip them. Try not to skip a lot of them. Think of them as graded questions on a school test, each one counts. The first checklist is a great starting point. Are…

The Imitation Game Seeing how others write can help you piece together how to do it. When you imitate a person’s writing then you’re practising a basic way to build your writing skills. So find an author that you’d like to write like, and try to write a story within their genre. For example, if you loved Diana Wynne Jones then write a fantasy adventure. Add in a touch of romance and sass.…

Experience and Memory Write down memories that you’d like or may want to use in your writing, or draw inspiration. This could help you through a healing process, reminisce on good memories, and help to motivate you. This could include memories about: Foods Words Places Music and Sounds Images Smells and Tastes You can include lists of their experiences with these things as well. When…

Character basics should include easily sketched out pieces of information. This is what some would call a police profile sketch. Anyone that’s dealt with roleplaying on forums will likely already know about putting together this information, and profile skeletons. Over the years, I got to see a lot of what people were doing with forum roleplays and profile skeletons. It was interesting to see how…

Seeing as today is April Fool’s Day, why not have some fun with today’s writing prompt? There are plenty of ideas that could be solely focused on, but I’d like to offer several prompts, today. Especially when today is a day of opportunities and chances. First Round of Prompts Describe the best April Fool’s prank that any of your character ever pulled or had played on them. Write about a time…

Where do you write? When do you write? How long should you write? How do you write? What’s the process? What other items do you need to be able to write? Answer the above questions in terms of your current routine, and add in notes about how you want to or should change in order to make things flow better for you. To help, I’ll answer the questions to show the detail that you can go into and…

Once again, it’s National Storytelling Day, or was… As it falls on March 20 every year. (Whoops. Sorry about being a bit late.) It’s a day to celebrate and promote oral storytelling, share stories, foster connection, as well as celebrating diverse voices. This year’s theme is Light in the Dark. My mind goes immediately to stories of the Man in the Moon, or even James Joyce’s Guardian series…

Time to get your notebook and pencil case and head outside, again. Find a comfy, cozy spot for yourself to hunker down. You may want to find a nice little corner or hidey-hole if you’re self-conscientious or don’t want people to notice. When you’ve found your spot, start observing your setting. Take in as much as possible, and if you need to change up where you’ve sat yourself then do so. That…

Find a notebook that you like and want to fill in. Keep it with you at all times. Be ready to write down all ideas whether they’re good or bad. Some might say that you should only write the good ideas, but writing the bad ones will produce some fun ideas. Use this notebook freely. You can use pencils for easy corrections. I prefer pens and markers in order to keep ideas even as alternatives.…

For this exercise, you’re going to have to take your trusty notebook outside. Find a place where you can observe people, and make notes without worrying about anyone noticing. If you have a larger notebook, then you should be able to break a page into four sections. If you’ve got a smaller notebook, then you may want to use two pages that you can break into two sections each. Section One For…

I’ve come across a method of writing goals called the SMART method. It’s a great way to make a more concrete goal. Your goals should be: Specific Measurable Achievable Result-Oriented Time-Based We’ll break goals down, today into several timeframes. First will be lifetime. Then three to five years, two years, one year, one week, and today. You’ll have to make sure to be specific with your…