Writers Write, a South African company offering courses in business and creative writing, has shared its Top 42 Writing Posts of 2014.
The posts, written by Writers Write founder Amanda Patterson and writers and creative writing teachers Mia Botha and Anthony Ehlers, include tips on avoiding the word “very”, commonly misused words to look out for, how to test your plot, as well as some great writing prompts to chase away any potential writer’s block.
Ehlers’s short story “Breaking The Rules” was included in the second Short Sharp Stories anthology, Adults Only. Read an interview with him here.
The top 10 Writers Write posts of 2014 are:
1. 45 ways to avoid using the word ‘very’
2. Cheat Sheets for Writing Body Language
3. Eight Commonly Misused Words
4. The Five Elements of a Story
5. Persuasive Writing – Emotional vs Intellectual Words
6. 15 Questions Authors Should Ask Characters
7. The Locked Room – A simple way to test your plot
8. Five Incredibly Simple Ways to Help Writers Show and Not Tell
9. The Importance of Inciting Moments
10. 50 Lyric Titles As Writing Prompts
Read an excerpt from the top post, which according to Writers Writs garnered 1,361,105 views:
45 ways to avoid using the word ‘very’
Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very;’ your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. ~Mark Twain
‘Very’ is the most useless word in the English language and can always come out. More than useless, it is treacherous because it invariably weakens what it is
intended to strengthen. ~Florence KingSo avoid using the word ‘very’ because it’s lazy. A man is not very tired, he is exhausted. Don’t use very sad, use morose. Language was invented for one reason, boys – to woo women – and, in that endeavor, laziness will not do. It also won’t do in your essays. ~N.H. Kleinbaum
View the handy table that accompanies the post:
Writers Write are offering creative writing courses for 2015 in Johannesburg. The first, in early February, is fully booked, but there is still space on several other courses.
Dates: 2015
2-5 February (Four Consecutive Weekday Mornings) Fully Booked
7,14,21,28 February (Four Consecutive Saturday Mornings)
9-12 March (Four Consecutive Weekday Mornings)
7,14,21,28 March (Four Consecutive Saturday Mornings)
20-23 April (Four Consecutive Weekday Mornings)
9,16,23,30 May (Four Consecutive Saturday Mornings)
1-4 June (Four Consecutive Weekday Mornings)
- More information: Email news@writerswrite.co.za
View some recent Writers Write book reviews:
Book Review – The Age of Magic
Book Review – Love Loss Life
Book Review – Inspired
Book Review – Face-Off
Book Review – Girl Walks into a Wedding
Book details
- Adults Only: Stories of love, lust, sex and sexuality edited by Joanne Hichens
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EAN: 9781928230007
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- The Age Of Magic by Ben Okri
EAN: 9781784081478
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- Love. Loss. Life.: And all that stuff in between by Monica Nicolson Oosterbroek Hilton-Barber Zwolsman
EAN: 9781920601485
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- Inspired: Remarkable South Africans Share their Stories by Jennifer Lindsey-Renton
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EAN: 9781770103801
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- Face-Off by Chris Karsten
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EAN: 9780798167314
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- A Girl Walks Into a Wedding by Helena S Paige
EAN: 9780908387939
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