Now that I'm back from my drill weekend with the ARNG I figured I would post this up now. -_- Despite being sore as all hell, and what not. Now let's give this a try.



The Café is a place for writer's to come and discuss issues with writing, and to critique other peoples work. It is also a place for people to post their writing tutorials, and articles. You are also able to post short poetry, and small excerpts from your stories for help on trying to figure out how to get that part to better flow together, or just to show off.

Critiquing, good or bad, is allowed here and honesty is encouraged. You can't constantly say someone is good just to make them happy, no one became a better writer that way. But one's that are insulting are discouraged.

What will be here:

Posting Exceprts and short poetry

Hopefully you all are clear on what this thread is used for as I believe it doesn't need a full length explanation in lieu of everything I just said about what the thread is used for and what not. If you have a question about the thread, PM me. Otherwise, enjoy posting.

New feature

Along with writing help, I would like people to come with suggestions to keep this forum a fun place to post, with suggesting anything you can think of that can be a joint activity, like a contest, or something like the "DWG", anything you may have on your mind ^^

Just suggest it here or just send me a PM




Summary of this thread
Last updated: May 31st 06

Poetry
Rhyme
Terms
Terms Pt. 2

Prose
Formal Essay

Other
Points of Veiw
Character Development

Writer's Help Sites
Holly Lisle
Creative Writing for Teens
Deviantart
FanFiction
FictionPress
Writing Forums
Teen Writing


Thanks goes to Seung2 for summarizing this thread so far! ^^


This message was edited by Wraith(moderator) on May 30 2006.

This message was edited by keiichi(moderator) on Sep 27 2006.

Le Café Bleu :: Writing Tutorial :: Poetry » Rhyme

Rhyme is a double-edged sword. Used correctly, it can contribute magnificent flow and rhythm to a poem. But if it used haphazardly, the poem's meaning begins to deteriorate with the emphasis placed on rhyme.

Only you can decide if you want rhyme in your poetry. This tutorial is just to give a few ideas of ways to rhyme. Most methods and examples are from How to Be Well-Versed in Poetry (compiled and edited by E. O. Parrott).

I'll begin with basic terms.

Yay, it's finally open..second one here. After two weeks of writing, my tutorial on POVs is finally done. Enjoy!

Le Café Bleu :: Writing Tutorial :: Prose » Formal Essay

An essay is the written expression of the author's opinion.

An essay does not merely record facts or recount experiences; it registers the author's opinion of these facts and experiences. The methods to express opinions vary enormously, depending to some extent upon subject matter but to an even greater extent upon the author's particular view of life.

Subjects for Essays

Of all the problems an essayist must tackle, the choice of subject is the simplest, for it is almost always limitless. The only requirement is that the write know enough about his subject to arrive at some kind of opinion.

Subjects familiar to all humans require little to "know enough." However, specialized subjects like Puratinism, internal-combustion engines, or microbiology require a bit more solid information to gain an understanding of. Hobbies can provide options for essays, too.

What Is an Opinion, and How Do You Reach It?

Opinion: A belief not based on absolute certainty or positive knowledge but on what seems true, valid, or probable to one's own mind; what one thinks; judgment.

Is your opinion based on absolute certainty? On positive knowledge? Can you prove beyond all reasonable doubt that it is true? Then it is not an opinion, but a fact--or an observation so commonplace that it has the status of a fact.

An opinion such as "Friendship is an important human relationship" is a poor opinion. Although it cannot be scientifically proven, it is generally accepted as true. You can spice it up minimally by saying "Friendship is the most important human relationship," but the most effective way to convert it to an opinion is to bombard it with questions. For example:

Do boys make better friends than girls?
Is real friendship possible between a boy and a girl? Between parents and their children?
Does friendship usually have an element of self-interest?

Since these can be answered with a simple 'yes' or 'no,' you should ask "how, why, and what" questions.

How can parents and children learn to be friends?
Why are boys better friends than girls (or vice versa)?
What is friendship?

Now, any answer will be an opinion. As questions and answers multiply, your problem is no longer one of finding an say topic but of choosing the most interesting one among many.

What Makes an Opinion Interesting?

More effective than anything else in arousing interest in an opinion is opposition: if a subtantial number of people disagree with your views on a subject, you may be sure that your views will excite interest.

No argument, no essay. Simple as that.

Examining the Opposition

When you have an interesting opinion, then examine all the advantages of the opposite opinion. This may occasionally change your mind on an opinion, and that's fine. Regardless, it will have made you more aware of the strengths and weaknesses of your argument.

Every opinion that you are considering as a potential essay topic should be checked against these questions:

1. Can a valid argument be made against it?
2. Can I defend it logically against this argument?

If the answer to both of these is 'yes', you can be sure that you are on the trail of an interesting essay topic. The beginner will find it easier, on the whole, to write his first essays on topics that have a clearly defined opposition.

Believe What You Say

An argument must be honest and intelligent. A bizarre opinion manufactured simply to attract attentin is an obvious and silly device. Worse yet, it's dishonest. Honesty is quite literally the best policy for the essayist; it's the only policy, in fact, that works.

From Opinion to Thesis

As a budding essayist, you need a word that more precisely describes the particular kind of opinion represented in an essay: thesis.

The thesis of your essay is your opinion boiled down to one arguable statement.

It is the one major point you want to make.

"Closing In" on Your Thesis

No hard and fast rule can cover all the methods of "closing in." Too much depends on the subject you have chosen and upon your own way of thinking about things.

The Five-Step Process

The process of finding a thesis is mainly a process of finding out, first, what you know about a subject and then determining what your opinion is of what you know.

1. Take inventory.

Discover all of what you know about a subject. I'll use silverware, for example. If you're like me, you probably know little about it, but you can't say you know nothing about it. Bits and pieces can become a lot; just be certain you have in mind absolutely everything about the subject.

2. Ask questions.

Yes, again, you must ask questions. You might come up with something like this.

a. I wonder why some silverware is heavier than other silverware.
b. What's the meaning of the expression, "born with a silver spoon in his mouth"?
c. Why do so many women want to own sterling silver? (a bit of an outdated question, but it works nonetheless)

Question A should be discarded quickly, because it can be answered with facts. Question B can be answered easily, but the answer itself may contain the semblance of a thesis. But the thesis you will arrive at is not really about the topic assigned. Mental processes will lead you from an essay on silverware to an essay on advantages and disadvantages of inherited wealth. Question C might give you a valid thesis.

3. Look for relationships.

Your first answer to question C may be that women love beautiful things, but how do you explain the fact that many women apparently love beautiful silver more than they love beautiful sculpture or painting or music? Sterling silver costs a lot of money. With the same amount of money a woman could buy a great many beautiful things besides silver, but she chooses to buy it, perhaps even making real sacrifices to do so.

You have demand more than the first answer that pops into your head.

"Born with a silver spoon in his mouth" could be a relationship. Maybe owning sterling silver makes a woman feel rich. Silver probably came d to us from an era when only kings nad queens and noblemen could afford to own real silver. So silver is a symbol of wealth, security, and superiority.

4. Ask the yes-or-no question.

Is silver a status symbol?

Thesis A: Sterling silver is a status symbol.
Thesis B: Sterling silver is not a status symbol.

Such rigid theses would be almost impossible to defend, so one more step must be taken.

5. Qualify.

Qualification is the process of limiting your thesis to the area you choose to defend, making your point of view precise and reasonable. You must indicate the degree of truth in your thesis and, if possible, the circumstances under which you are considering it, emerging with something like this:

Thesis A: Many women own sterling silver because they think of it as an important status symbol.
Thesis B: Many women want to own sterling silver because it symbolizes both stability and beauty in family life.

Note that Thesis B is now affirmative, not negative. "Not" is always weakening in a thesis. Your eventual arguments might run something like this:

Thesis A: The average housewife seldom uses her sterling silver; even though she claims that she wants it because it is beautiful, she does not use it to beautify her daily life. The more expensive it is, the better she likes it. Its cost is more important to her than its design. She "shows it off" exactly as her husband "shows off" his expensive new car--to impress their friends.

Thesis B: The average housewife needs to surround herself with as many beautiful things as possible. Otherwise she is likely to find her life drab and meaningless. If her only interest were status, she could buy goldplate or some of the new and even more expensive metals. Far from being a mere status symbol, sterling silver is an intimate and enduring symbol of basic family relationships.

After having considered both sides, you will settle eventually on the view that seems to you to be closest to the truth.

A Subject Close to Home

Let's take drag racing, for example.

A. Drag racing is wonderful.
B. Drag racing is terrible.
(All emotion; no appeal to reason.)

A. Drag racing is the perfect sport for today's youth.
B. Drag racing is a senseless and dangerous pastime.
(Overstatement; still too much emotion.)

A. Drag racing is one of the best of all sports for today's youth.
B. Drag racing is little more than a senseless and dangerous pastime.
(Somewhat qualified, but still too general--what does "best" mean?)

A. Drag racing is an excellent way to develop skilled mechanics as well as good drivers.
B. Drag racings encourages boys and girls to waste time and money and to endanger their lives in senseless speed.
(Better; more specific, but a bit flat.)

A. Today's drag-racing teenager is primarily an automotive engineer, as eager to test his theories as to win races.
B. Today's drag-racing teenager is usually an irresponsible show-off whose ignorant love for speed makes him a public menace.
(Final thesis; resonable, specific opinion that can be defended.)

The Full and Final Thesis

Elements of a Full Thesis

1. Thesis
2. Points that can be made against your thesis
3. Points in favor of your thesis.

The Psychology of Argument

Pros (arguments in favor of your thesis) need to be presented in an escalating order, with the strongest argument last. So the full thesis revised:

1. Thesis (accurate, qualified statement of main idea)
2. Point that can be made against thesis.
3. Points that can be made in favor of the thesis.

Notice that only one point against the thesis should be addressed in a thesis. If you were arguing in favor of something, you wouldn't spend time on all the cons, and so you shouldn't in a formal essay.

Structure

Finally, we come to structure. The essay consists of three main sections: the introduction, the body, and the conclusion.

The Introduction

The function of the introductory paragraph is simply to introduct the subject and come to the point.

Here is a sample introduction:

The American buggy race is a thing of the past, but its spirit is not. It lives on today at a thousand dragstrips, where teenage boys and girls now race their hotrods just as their grandfathers once raced their horse-drawn rigs. The boy behind the wheel of that roaring modern buggy, however, has a great deal more than his grandfather's daring spirit. He has a machine built mainly with his own hands and a head full of technical knowledge that grandpa never even dreamed about. Every race he drives is not only a contest but a test--a test of his knowledge as well as his skill as a driver. Like his grandfather, he will race every challenger, but today's drag-racing teenager is primarily an automotive engineer, as eager to test his theories as to win races.

The paragraph opens with a broad, general statement related to the thesis and gradually narrows to a single points. It moves from the general to the specific, from "pan shot" to close-up, from broad observation to punch line. That is its whole purpose--to introduce the subject in a general way and then come to the point. Her again you can see the psychology of argument in operation. Your thesis is an opinion, and no one wants an opinion blasting in his face in the first sentence of a conversation, written or oral. So begin your introductionwith a genereal statement and end it with your thesis statement.

NO BOMBS, PLEASE

One of the most common errors is to attempt a "terribly clever" opening. The demand upon you is for clarity, logic, and rasonableness, never for surprise or "gag lines." Consider these openings:

Drag racing! How parents hate it! How kids love it! Zoom! Powie! Varoom! We're off!

Whee! Just listen to that roar! The draggers are really hot tonight!.

Take four wheels, a little metal and glass and some gasoline. Mix well and add a guy. What have you got? A drag racer!

Writing as painfully bad as this is born of a perfectly sound impulse, the desire to be interesting. Unfortunately, its effect is the exact opposite.

The Body

Whether your body is short or long, it is here that the real power of your essay resides. For the middle section is your argument.

REFER TO YOUR FULL THESIS.

1. Make the necessary concessions to the opposition (cons) as soon as possible.
2. Devote as least one paragraph to every major pro argument in your full thesis statement.
3. Save your best argument for last.

An example of this can be seen at the bottom of the tutorial.

The Conclusion

Your conclusion begins with the thesis and widens gradually toward a final broad statement.

You may want to restate your thesis from your introduction.

Thesis: Today's drag-racing teenager is primarily an automotive engineer...
Restated: In short, today's drag-racing teenager is, primarily, an automotive engineer...

The conclusion is the introduction in reverse.

TYING IN THE MIDDLE SECTION

Many essays run aground in the conclusion because the writer attempts to summarize the points he has made by listing them. This is a big mistake! Your reader will not like to be reminded in this heavy-handed way of something he has just finished reading. Try, instead, to leave your reader with a series of pictures in his mind rather than a series of blunt and graceless declarations. Borrow meaning from your body, a few words, but don't be flatly repetitive.

Remember, your conclusion is your last word with your reader, your last chance to persuade him of the truth in your thesis. Take advantage of it.

The following are sample essays. Since they're difficult to find on the Internet, I had to use my own. Others will be added when I get them back from my teacher.

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Emily Dickinson’s poetry was unlike that of any of her predecessors. Her poems shared a deep understanding for their respective subjects, and more often than not, the subjects of her poetry tended to reflect her life as a poet. Her poems dealing with spirituality are numerous enough to be considered significant. The concept of death ruled her life as a recluse. Thus, Emily Dickinson’s poetry holds a fascination with death.

It is true that not all of Dickinson’s poems have to do with death, but her poems about death are usually the most captivating and puzzling of all of her poems. In “Apparently with No Surprise,” a flower is accidentally killed by the frost of the night. And while the sun shows ambivalence toward the deed, God approves it “to measure off another day.” It shows that she thinks of death as just another thing that happens in the course of a life.

Furthermore, in “The Bustle in the House,” Dickinson states that death is the cause of a great business in a house, because love for the one who died needs to be put away, never to be used until eternity. For a short poem, the subject of death gives it a mysterious captivating quality, which shows that Dickinson put most of her effort into poems about death.

In “Because I Could Not Stop for Death,” Dickinson offers a new perspective on death. She sees it as a kindly old gentleman, who graciously takes her to her grave, putting to rest any fear of death. She treats death with such an obsession by exploring the enigmas surrounding death in her literature. Other poems that exemplify her obsession with death include “There’s a Certain Slant of Light” and “I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died.”

But perhaps the strongest reason why Dickinson’s works reflect death is the fact that she was faced with enough of it throughout her life. After she had shut herself up in her house in Amherst, a tragic series of deaths plagued her life over the next ten years. In the course of those ten years, from 1874-1884, her father, nephew, mother, and her beloved Charles Wadsworth passed away. Numerous precious friendships of Emily’s passed away during that time, and that further influenced her mania with death.

Clearly, then, Dickinson’s poetry shows a total obsession with the subject of death. As a result, her poetry about death is the most interesting, and she tends to put a lot more effort into those particular poems. Society had no influence on her, because she completely shut herself up from society. Thus her unique poetry expressed feelings that reflected her own solitary life, and her deathly words would remain eternal.

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That was my first essay, but not a personal best. Things I did wrong was not giving enough attention to things I cited, such as some of her poems.

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If you have any questions/comments/suggestions, feel free to contact me (links in my signature).


This message was edited by BMXPro on May 04 2005.

i guess i will be the first to ask for help here... typically me, the clueless.

ok, recently i can't find any time to write. no stories, no poems, nothing whatsoever because of all the things i have to do for school and other things. i guess this isn't really a writing question, because i am just so exhausted every day. i barely have time to come on-line.

so my question is, how can find time to write? because i am organized, but i am just so tired. i'm afraid that if i let this go on much longer, i will lose my ability or skill. will i? so how do i find the time? or should i just give myself a break and stop trying? whatever i try to put on paper right now seems not good enough. so yeah... i'm confused.

Just give a break from what you think you need to, it seems to be you have to give a break for something.

You'd be amazed at how much letting go of all your scheduling and just taking a break from everything.

If you think taking a break from writing will help you, I'm all for it.

Though if you feel it right, make some time for it.. Or atleast just skip a couple after school activities to rest and reflect, or just get more energy.

Atleast that's how I feel =/

and we are moving in apprx. in 2 weeks time, a lot of the stuff at home is in boxes, things are so messed up and everyone is stressed and i just don't know what to write about... hey, maybe i could write about that? ugh. but that isn't good enough either.

I've tried Omniscient POV before, after reading Innocence and trying to mimic the style in which that book was written (really good, albeit a bit hard to understand). Never knew it was omniscient pov though. oO It's not real easy, but I think I have it down just enough to be classified as a novice.

Anyways, finding time for writing. I took one hell of a long break from writing once, and came back writing like I used to. If you're a good writer, it does come a bit natural. In order to keep your skill up write things, or short entries into a notebook when they pop into your head just so that you keep your style up. Of course work that around how much time you have available.

If you have skill, you won't lose the touch. At least that's been my experience as your writing is part of who you are practically. A sort of self-expression that just doesn't die.

^^

That's about all the advice I can give on that matter.

thank you so much. that was very reasurring. you are right, i do write small things on paper whenever they pop into my head, but i was still worried. so thank you for the tips. i guess i should focus what's in front of me for now, and then find the time to try other things.

Interesting post you have there BMXPro. Would you guys mind if I used it in Open Mic?

You'll have to ask those who make the tutorials if they can be used elsewhere. So you could NeoPM him the request if you want.

can anyone give me some tips on character development?

Above all, make sure that you know your character. You have to know how he will react to various situations and what his past was like. What would he do if a friend lied to him? Does he fear death? What was the happiest moment he can remember? What makes him the most self-conscious?

Don't make your characters one-dimensional. It's not likely that the main character will be a perfect gentleman or that the main baddy will be perfectly evil.

...Well, there you have my two cents.

Developing a character is sort of like acting. You don't just write about a character, you are that character and all the other ones which you develop. Each and every single one of them, you must imagine in your mind, and act out their situations, sort of like living in their skin. Either the character becomes a version of yourself, or you become the character itself. Only this way will you know how the character well to judge how they will react in different situations. Like Sierra said, all main characters are 'human like' which means they can think, in terms of no one is purely evil and no one is perfect.

A final thing would be to make sure you have two characters that stand out above all. The Protagonist and the Antagonist. They may have sidekicks or great friends/allies, but you must have a single main character who's journey you are going to focus on. (I'll write more as I think of stuff to add.)

[Edit:] Never make two characters alike even if they are on the same side, (with an exception if the antagonist is a mirror version of the protagonist) and also,
Make the Characters believable. (e.g. never say something like 'he has green hair'. which would be nice and possible in fantasy anime stories, but unless it is important to your story, don't add that in.)

Perhaps what you've said would apply to realistic works of literature, but think of fiction. A character can be as static or dynamic as the author wishes. It can be a cat, a dog, a tree, or a raindrop. Granted, some of those would not make good characters because of their limitations, but personification can play a big role with some characters. They can have green hair, too.

In nonfiction, though, you need to show a realism able to be compared to people in real life. It's good to just sit out in your front yard (on a porch, if possible) and watch people. Even better, if you have a job, watch how people act, what they say, what they do, etc. to gain ideas for characters in your novel. Even caricatures of people work well.