Writing While the Rice Boils

WordHippo

It's nice to start the year with the resources you need for the writing you want to do. Word Hippo is one of the resources writers can turn to for all kinds of information.

A quick visit to Word Hippo will answer the following questions:

What's another word for ____?
A thesaurus is a huge help for writers. How many times have you edited a passage and found you've used the same word over and over? Though we operate in a world of words, sometimes our brain only generates the generic ones.

What's the opposite of ____?
Yes, you can say what you mean. But ~~sometimes~~ (oops, used that above!) it's interesting to come at an idea from the other end of the spectrum. Instead of letting your character go on about what she loves, why not have her list the things she hates?

What's the translation for ____?
I've found this to be really helpful, since my novel takes place in Croatia. I translate all kinds of words so my characters have names that have a connection to who they are or what they do.

What words start with ____?
Alliteration can be a powerful writing tool (in moderation, of course). The tool on Word Hippo is searchable in several ways. You can find words that begin with, end with, or contain a certain letter or letters. The results are customizable so users can specify how many letters long they want their results. I imagine poets (and those who write rhyming picture books) could make use of this feature.

Find sentences with the word ____?
Sometimes you think of the perfect word, but you might not feel comfortable using it in context. Use this aspect of Word Hippo to see how others have used the word around the web. It might inspire you, especially for words you're not familiar with.

Find words that rhyme with ____?
Like the alliteration feature above, this one might appeal to poets and writers of rhyme. The results are grouped by syllables.

Find the tense of ____?
This aspect takes the guesswork out of finding the plural or singular of a word. It also identifies the past or present tense. If I ever have to take my present tense novel and rewrite it in past tense, I'm sure this would be helpful.

Pronounce the word ____?
Most writers grew up as huge readers, and as a result, have quite a large vocabulary. However, one of the drawbacks is that we sometimes imagine a pronunciation that's not quite right. I've had more than a few embarrassing moments as a result! This feature will say the word out loud for you as many times as you need.

What's the meaning of the word ____?
Most of us have a dictionary function in our word processing program, but Word Hippo has a great definition feature, along with all the rest.

Edit: I've discovered another free reference called PowerThesaurus. It features ranked synonym and antonym results, definitions, contextual examples, and practical word-choice support. Check it out!

Do you have any reference websites you've bookmarked? Let us know in the comments.

How to find the best Beta Readers for your novel

Photo courtesy of Stock.xchng

When your book is finished, and you need some feedback, it's time to think about beta readers. What is a beta reader? I heard someone recently describe it this way: You, the author are the first reader. The alpha. Whoever reads it next is the beta reader.

Finding the right beta readers for your novel is important. You want individuals who won't just pat you on the back, yet you don't want folks who will criticize you to the point you'll never write again.

Fortunately, my fellow Pikes Peak Writers member, Deb McLeod, has written a wonderful post explaining why you might want certain beta readers at one stage of your novel, and other readers at different stages. Definitely check out The Beta Reader Love-O-Meter on the Pikes Peak Writers blog.

Have you ever used beta readers? How has it been helpful, or not-so-helpful to your editing process?

Writing Roulette: All the Generators You'd Ever Want, Part 2

Note to readers:
I've gone through all the links and have fixed all the broken ones. If you're found some good generators that I don't have, leave a note in the comments and I'll be sure to add that in (and credit you for your efforts!). And if you find broken links, please let me know. Thank you so much!

Today is day two of generators for story ideas. If you missed part one, go check it out now. The list was so long, I had to split it into two posts. Have fun!

Setting
Terrain Generator: comes up with descriptive forests and oceans
City Generator: build your own description with nineteen different aspects.
City Map Generator: make a map of your setting with your own parameters.
Medieval Fantasy City Generator: this one has lots of options.
More City Maps: this site allows you to generate "endless maps of walled cities, complete with castles and winding waterways".
3-D City Maps: zoom in on the buildings in the city you create.
Blank Fantasy Maps: Sedeslav has created some wonderful fantasy maps where you can insert your own names of towns, kingdoms, and rivers. Highly recommended. Map 1 | Map 2 | Map 3 | Map 4

For Fun
Drink Generator: helpful for fantasy and sci-fi writers
Decision Generator: for you or your character, this answers the question: should you or shouldn't you?
Random Phrase Generator

More sites to check out:
The Forge: Generators for fantasy names, creatures, spells, and settings.
Serendipity: a huge amount of generators, names, characters, setting, clothing, swear words, and more.
Chaotic Shiny: another large collection, including culture, accessories, and diseases, and much more.
Seventh Sanctum: more generators, with superheroes, magic, and humor, among many others.
Where the Map Ends: more generators for language, villains, and fantasy characters.
The Generator Blog keeps up with new generators that come along.

Do you have any favorite generators to add to the list? Leave a link in the comments.

Other posts in the series:
Resources for plotting a novel
Generators, Part 1

Writing Roulette: All the Generators You'd Ever Want, Part 1

While I'm still getting back on my feet, this week I'll post a couple of my most popular posts. The generators in this post and the following one are some of the most-searched for through Google. If you've got other generators to suggest, leave a note in the comments. Here's hoping one of these generators will give you the inspiration you need!

Continuing the series of resources from the NaNoWriMo forums, I discovered all kinds of threads with links to generators for writers. What's a generator? It's kind of like playing roulette with story ideas.

Let's say you need a name for a particular walk-on character. It's a man, who hails from Brazil. You could spend all kinds of time researching, or you can click over to a random name generator that is specific by country. Voila! Your character is no longer nameless.

You may not need all these generators, and admittedly, some are more frivolous than others. But there may be a few you want to bookmark that will come in handy in the future.

Plot
Terrible Things Generator: helpful if you can't think of more trouble for your character.
Plot Generator: a beginning, middle, and end to get you started.
Plot Scenario Generator: try these ideas on for size.
Random Story Generator: a complete plot in a paragraph.
Story Idea Generator: similar to the one above.

Titles
Random Title Generator: gives you six random titles that are actually pretty good!
Abstract Art Title Generator: uses art to come up with titles, and links to Google so you can see if that title has ever been used.

Characters
Appearance Generator: choose either a simple or detailed description.
Motive Generator: what makes your character do what they do?
Quirks Generator: Give your character an unusual twist.
Bulk Character Generator: need lots of walk-on characters? Let this generator do the heavy lifting.
Everyday Problem Generator: helps make your character feel real.
Character Generator: gives you a character flaws and weaknesses.
Assorted Generators: particularly fairy tale names

Names
Fantasy Name Generator
Steampunk Name Generator
Elf Name Generator
Fake Name Generator: includes lots of details like height, weight, occupation, and birthdate
Random Name Generator: this one includes many ethnicities to choose from, plus the name's history and meaning.
Favorite Name Generator: choose names you like, and the software comes up with new ones.

Random Establishment Name Generator: find a tavern name.

And here's a new one: a fantasy language generator. There is a paid version, but feel free to use the free version to test it out.

Come back tomorrow for generators on setting, fun stuff, and sites that have collections of even more generators.

Do you have any favorite generators to add to the list? Leave a link in the comments.

Other posts in the series:
Resources for plotting a novel.
Generators, Part 2.

Keeping me in stitches...

You may or may not have noticed how quiet it's been here. No rice boiling at all!

A week and a half ago I had surgery. What was supposed to be quick and easy turned out to be neither. And I ended up with a whole bunch of stitches in my back.

One for every letter of the alphabet.

Needless to say, it's been an interesting week. After a bad experience with a couple pain meds, I decided to forgo them altogether. I've been sleeping a lot. And my family has taken wonderful care of me.

I'm more or less back on my feet, though I don't have much stamina. Hopefully, I'll be back to regular blogging on Monday.

But in the meantime, here's a link to make you chuckle. The 42 Worst Nativity Sets. I vote for the Zombie Nativity, but it's a close tie with the Godzilla Nativity.

Which one would you vote for?

Does Your #NaNoWriMo Novel Need Work?

Now that another NaNoWriMo has come and gone it's time to work on that manuscript. A first draft, especially one written in a hurry, is not ready for submission. I've listed several ideas for working on your novel in I wrote a novel. Now what? (the post is up today on the Pikes Peak Writers blog). But today, I want to let you know of a more social way to work on your book.

It's called PlotWriMo. It stands for International Plot Writing Month, and the project is in its fifth year. It was begun by Martha Alderson, the famed "Plot Whisperer". If you missed her fantastic YouTube videos on plot, read more about them here.

The purpose of PlotWriMo is to re'vision' your story and its plot arc, preparing for a rewrite in the new year. Once that's done, it's in much better shape for submission or publication.

Each day, Alderson takes writers through the process of analyzing their plot in order to iron out wrinkles and fill in holes. She also continues to add to your YouTube video collection. If you're more of a visual or auditory writer, these might be just what you need.

Check out Alderson's daily posts. They're easy to accomplish, and will take your novel to a new level. Also, take a look at her book, The Plot Whisperer.

What does your novel need most right now?

30 Free Resources from Writer's Digest

I don't know how I missed this, but Writer's Digest has been giving away free resources all month, in honor of NaNoWriMo. And it's pretty cool stuff. Most of the free downloads are worksheets and excerpts from some of the fantastic books Writer's Digest puts out.

Among the resources are:
A great excerpt from the book 20 Master Plots, with descriptions of each plot.
50 writing questions to consider if you're stuck.
Tips on how to write fast.
How to create powerful conflict in your novel, from writing teacher James Scott Bell.
A chart to help you map your novel.
How to pace yourself, from the book Beginnings, Middles, and Ends.
How to maintain energy to write (even when you're working full time). This is a 43-page excerpt of interviews with successful authors who write and work another job, and are willing to share their secrets.
A subplot tracker.
A Q&A from Orson Scott Card's book Character & Viewpoint.
A worksheet to help you write the perfect climax.
From the author of 45 Master Characters, comes a 46th character archetype.
From the Writer's Compass, a fantastic chart to help you map your story.
And many more.

All these resources are available on the Writer's Digest NaNoWriMo page. I don't know how long the links will be live, so you may want to grab the ones you want right away.

A writer can't have too many resources. Which of these appeal to you?

Four Resources (and Cyber Monday for writers)

What a whirlwind week it's been! I've been to New York City, and many points between there and Colorado. And most of that time, internet availability has been non-existent, so I haven't been able to post like usual.

I did get to spend some time in the city, and one of the highlights was a stroll through the New York Public Library (which, surprisingly, when I wrote about what they offer free online, has been my highest-read post). My husband had never been inside, so it was fun to introduce him to the amazing art and architecture.

We tramped from the Empire State Building to Radio City, Rockefeller Center (where we watched workers decorating the huge tree), and Times Square. I really do miss the city, but I love living in a small town now.

So as I'm getting back into the swing of things after a week away, here are some random resources to check out:

Want to promote reading? Help other writers? Check out Mike Duran's post 10 things you can do to promote authors you like. Maybe folks will do the same for you someday.

I'm a big fan of Bob & Jack's Writing Blog. Jack Remick has come up with a fantastic post called A Short Course in Structure ~ Writing Tips for the Committed Novelist. You'll learn valuable information on 'timed writing' (and why it's a good idea), what's a 'start line' and how it can energize your writing, and how to use the 'cut to' technique in effective ways. Don't miss this post.

Jeff Goins posts a list every year of the online writer's guide to Cyber Monday. Check out some amazing deals on books, courses, software, and more.

And here's a nice, concise post from Susan Dennard on how to write a one-page synopsis. You know, just in case you've finished your NaNoWriMo novel early and have time to kill...

How was your Thanksgiving break (for those of you who celebrated)? Do you participate in Cyber Monday deals?

Thanksgiving Thoughts

I've been traveling the past few days (with no internet!), but I wanted to jump on and wish all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving. Today, I'm blogging over at the Pikes Peak Writers blog, Writing from the Peak. I'd love it if you stopped by to say hi! We're talking about different ways to plot a novel.