Creative Writing: How to Write Fight Scenes

Many of the novels produced today have fight scenes which must be described in detail. If you are writing a suspense or horror story, chances are someone will throw a few punches. Depending on the type of fight you are writing about, you will need to think through each fight scene and decide exactly how you want to tell it.

Fight scenes are much easier to perform on television than to write in a manuscript. On the screen, you can see the fight happening and you aren't worried about what anyone is thinking. You don't have to tell the audience how each move is executed because it is right there in front of your face. In a novel, however, the way you write a fight scene will determine whether or not your reader can follow.

One of the most difficult aspect of writing fight scenes is the tendency to slip into monotony: He kicked her. She kicked him. He punched her. She bit him. In order to keep your reader interested, you have to find creative ways to tell the reader what is happening.

Creative Writing: How to Write Fight Scenes

When writing fight scenes, focus not only on the characters who are engaged in the fight, but also various aspects of the scenery. In most cases, you will be "in the mind" of one specific character, which means that the fight is explained from his or her point of view. Even as your character is kicking ass and taking names, he or she should be cognizant of the world around them.

There is a fine line, however, between creating enough description and creating so much that it takes away from the pace. Fights are fast, furious and often over within minutes; if you drag it out too long, your reader will get bored. Keep the pace flowing by intermixing your description with the mechanics of the fight.

For example:

"Caleb was momentarily distracted by the shouts that emanated from the rapidly growing crowd in the parking lot. Catcalls were followed by cheers of encouragement so loud that his attention was momentarily called away from the fight. Joshua's leg swept out in a wide, graceful art, connecting with Caleb's ankles, throwing him off balance. Without even realizing what exactly was happening, Caleb found himself flat on his back, sucking in deep breaths of air that seemed devoid of oxygen, wincing as tiny pebbles from the asphalt dug painfully into his back. The subsequent tunnel vision that threatened to take away his sight cleared with just enough time to roll away from a kick to the ribs."

The above is an excerpt from a suspense novel I wrote several years ago, and displays an example of complementing action with description. We know what is going on with the fight, but we also understand what has happened to Caleb.

Once you have finished writing a fight scene, read it over aloud. Listen to the words from an objective point of view and determine if you can see the fight happening in your mind. If you don't feel that you can maintain objectivity, read it to a friend or family member.

Creative Writing: How to Write Fight Scenes
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Laura J. College is a professional ghostwriter with more than ten years' experience writing fiction and non-fiction manuscripts. Her work can be found all over the Internet, and she is currently accepting ghostwriting clients. Check out her website at [http://www.laurajcollege.com]

Writing Articles For the School Newspaper

Writing articles for the school paper can be fun and interesting. You can be the journalist who covers the school's basketball game or spring concert. Maybe you will go to school board meetings and report back to your fellow students on the decisions the board made. You might interview the principal about the new classrooms being built because the school is expanding. There are all kinds of stories waiting to be told by you. But writing stories for the newspaper is not the same as writing an English paper or poetry. Journalism has its own guidelines. The following will give you the basic guidelines and some ideas on how to make your stories shine.

The first paragraph. The first paragraph is the most important paragraph in a news article for it gives the most critical information about the story. Space is limited in newspapers so news articles present the most important information first. Subsequent paragraphs contain information in order of descending importance. This allows the editor the option of shortening any story to fit the space available by cutting from the bottom.

Who, what, where, when, and, maybe, why, and how. In the first paragraph include all the basic facts of the news story. Who did what? Where did the event occur? When did it happen? Sometimes explaining why and how helps the reader understand more about the importance of the event or helps the reader connect to the story. For example, pretend you were covering your school's basketball game last Friday night. Here is how the first paragraph of the story might appear. The comments in parentheses show the basic facts.

Writing Articles For the School Newspaper

In a knuckle-bitingly close (how) game (what), the Cassadaga Cougars (who) topped the Independence 76ers (who) by 1 slim point last Friday night (when) on the 76ers' home court (where). The final score was 68 to 67. Senior Langston Barnard led the scoring with 22 points.

Make the story interesting. There are several techniques you can use to make your story interesting to your reader which will be covered in the next few paragraphs. The first technique is quotes. People want to know what others have to say about the event. You can quote experts, celebrities, or the ordinary Joe. Following up on our example above, you might interview the coach, some of the players, the school principal, or people in the stands. You could also generate interest by explaining the importance of the event in relation to other things. Continuing on with our example, you could talk about where the team now stands in the rankings or how this game's performance compared to other games this season.

After the game, Coach Humbart said, "I am proud of the way the team fought through to the very end. They just kept coming back each time the 76ers scored." The team had struggled earlier in the season with consistency and keeping the pressure on through the entire game. The last three games have been narrow victories. The team still stands a chance to play in the county tournament if it can win three more games this season.

As an alternative you could tell the story from the point of view of a player. This alternative creates what is called a "human interest" story. People are interested in how others feel and what they do. Readers enjoy learning how someone overcame adversity to succeed or survive.

Use clean, crisp English. News writing should be short and to the point. News stories deliver the facts quickly. However, readers get bored when they see the same story with just the facts changed. Choose each word carefully and provide not only information but a sense of urgency and impact. Take another look at the first sentence in the example paragraph. In theory each time the school's team played a game, the newspaper could use the same sentence and just change the essential facts. What if the newspaper ran a sentence like this each time the team played?

The Cassadaga Cougars played the Independence 76ers last Friday night and won 68 to 67.

Boring! Much better to run the original example sentence.

Add pictures. Find out if the school photographer will be covering the event as well. If not, take a camera with you. Take lots of pictures so your editor can choose the perfect one to accompany your story. Action pictures work best, but they need to be in focus and have good contrast between the lights and darks in the picture. If there is too much gray in a photograph, it will not print distinctly enough for your readers to tell what is happening. Get as close as you can to your subject by "zooming" the camera lens in or moving yourself. Make the subject fill the picture frame. Avoid background distractions. Take pictures in landscape format and in portrait format to allow for different layout options in the newspaper.

Be accurate. A news reporter's responsibility is to accurately report on event. Double check the spelling of names, addresses, scores, dollar figures, and other factual information you collect for your story. If you have a recording device, record interviews. Write down details on a notepad.

Be fair. Remember to cover all sides of any controversial issue. Contact people who are advocating for different solutions to an issue and give them a chance to explain their stand on the issue. When you report the issue, clearly state the differing points of view. Allow readers to come to their own conclusions about how they view the issue. Journalism is about seeking the truth and giving unbiased reports.

Spell Check. Make a diligent search for errors, including using spell check and grammar check, before sending your story to the editor.

Bylines. A byline is the acknowledgment of who wrote the story. In some newspapers, the byline is simply your name. Other newspapers allow a little more space for lauding the author of the article. Bylines give readers some insight into the article writer's expertise. Examples are "By Kevin Block, Sports Reporter" or "By Lucy Witt, covering education issues in the Piedmont". Ask your editor about the newspaper's policy on bylines.

Apply these guidelines to write quality articles that grip, inform, and entertain your readers.

Writing Articles For the School Newspaper
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Celia Webb, President of Pilinut Press, Inc., publishers of advanced readers for children and ESL students. Check out http://www.pilinutpress.com for more free articles on developing reading-related skills, word games and puzzles, and activity sheets for the company's entertaining and educational books.

Creative Fund Raising Ideas

Cowpattie Bingo. Car Wash. Gift Wrap. Karaoke Night. Sock Hop. Kids' Tutorials. All these and more are the creative fund raising ideas that have been repeatedly done in order to generate money for a certain activity planned.

Popcorn Craze is among the creative fund raising ideas that will surely be a major hit. Wondering why? Simply because, this is one of the munchies that people of all ages would adore eating. This is most true when they go to the nearby cinema to watch that movie starring Pretty Woman's Julia Roberts, Mummy Return's Rachel Weiss, Legally Blonde's Reese Witherspoon, Miss Congeniality's Sandra Bullock or Kill Bill's Uma Thurman.
If you are contemplating of doing such, this can be done at anytime of the year. Here's a suggestion, look for a place around the metropolis where a film can be shown outdoors. Consider a free huge space where cars can be parked. Ask your members to roam around as they sell it in exciting packs.

Pancake Breakfast is among the creative fund raising ideas that will be unmistakably loved by morning persons. What better way than to jumpstart their day with flour and egg ensembles topped with maple syrup or strawberry jam. Not mention, there is that steaming cup of hot chocolate to go with the healthy meal.

Creative Fund Raising Ideas

If you are contemplating of doing such, you can scout for an area near the busiest hubs in your domicile where a lot of people are on the rush to arrive in their respective offices. You can task someone to wear a costume suit of any fun character to catch their attention. It is also important to calculate the budget so you can control your expenses. To save more, you meet up with your team and tell them to look for ingredients right in their own cupboards.

Dollar Spare is among the creative fund raising ideas that are getting even more popular. Just come to think of it, a single penny from your daily budget is not that much of a burden. Instead of spending it for something, you can store it up for a greater purpose. You just do not know but that small amount can go a long way.
If you are contemplating of doing such, you can forward formal communications to schools and stores asking their permission to put a poster that the students and customers will be aware. As to where they can place the coins, look for as many big, tin cans as possible. Decorate each with how you want it to look.

Wing Fling is among the creative fund raising ideas that are set on an al fresco mood. What sets this apart from its kind is that almost everybody can participate since they can turn out to be the judges of the grilled dishes that are cooked.
If you are contemplating of doing such, you can rent a local restaurant for a day. Prepare a program where there can be a competition and let those who watch be the jurors themselves by having to taste it personally. To complement, sell also beverages as well as other snacks.

Creative Fund Raising Ideas
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Milos Pesic is a successful webmaster and owner of Fund Raising Blog. Visit now to find out how to get all the money you need for your non-profit organization.

Writing Articles For Publication - What You Should Know

Most articles are written for publication, either online or in print. Many people are writing articles for publication, especially on the Internet. Some of these articles are great to read; others are just total waste of time for those who write and those who read them. Some of these horrible articles come about because writers refuse to follow certain basic rules regarding writing articles for publication. Here are some of these basic principles.

Draft your articles first

The first thing to do when writing articles for publication is to draft them. The draft could be done in any format: as a text file, word file or handwritten (which is actually getting outmoded). This allows you to put down all the ideas in your mind quickly as they come to you. You then have them ready for editing and proofreading. You must always resist the temptation of publishing your articles prematurely. This temptation is great because publishing articles on the net could just take a few minutes.

Writing Articles For Publication - What You Should Know

Edit and proofread

The next step is to edit your article and proofread them. This should not be done immediately after drafting your article. It is ideal that you wait for at least a day or two before editing your article. This is because the ideas are still fresh in your mind, and you are somehow excited just after finishing drafting. You will not be critical in your reading. But after a day, you will be able to discover the omissions and spelling and grammar mistakes you made. You will even realize that some of your sentences should be redone. If you don't want to wait, then you can let someone do this for you. You cannot avoid this when writing articles for publication.

Make articles interesting to read

When writing articles for publication, you should bear in mind that the reader is not obliged to read. It is an essay for your High School or College teacher who must read whatever boring piece you produce in order to award you marks. You will have to entice your reader to read. This means that your article should be fun to read. You must know how to capture your reader and make him/her stay with you until they finish reading. Even if you are writing about very serious topics, you can still find ways of adding fun to it.

Your style should match your content

The style of writing you choose is a very important part of writing articles for websites. There are certain topics such as "How-to's" which will demand the use of the conversational/instructional style. You can't write pieces of this nature in a third person neutral style. Your style makes the article easy to understand.

Remember that writing articles for publication is a serious business. If you want to improve your readership, then you can't take the above points for granted.

Writing Articles For Publication - What You Should Know
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Stan Ashton is a marketeer and specialists in the marketing and supplying of high quality information products to entrepreneurs and small businesses globally. A management consultant since 2003 I also have a Diploma in training and development.

Article by Stan Ashton. Did you like this article? Then I'd like to offer you my free report on 7 ways to profit with articles. Grab your free copy here: http://www.profitswitharticles.com/

Using Character Sheets in Fiction Writing

Writing fiction is a bit like baking a cake. You need the right ingredients in the right amounts, or it will turn out awful. For fiction, you need the right combination of plot, action, description and character development to bring your story to life for your reader.

Character development can be one of the most important things about writing fiction. You want to create a realistic group of characters to move your plot along and to do that you need to know them. But how much do you really have to know about them before you start writing?

Well, that depends on the kind of story you are writing. The length of your tale will dictate the amount of character information you will need to make them come to life. For simplicity's sake, I've broken my character sheet down into what I use for each type of writing. Your character sheets may vary.

Using Character Sheets in Fiction Writing

Flash Fiction

Writing flash fiction is one of the hardest types of writing. You have to create a story with just the minimum of words and it has to make sense. For most flash fiction, you only need the most basic character information.

Name:

Age:

Height:

Weight:

Hair color and style:

Eye color:

Complexion and skin tone:

Character's body build:

These should be enough to create a flash fiction character.

Short Stories

Short stories have a higher word count, so the characters in those should be more developed. You have more leeway with your character's descriptions and can even give background information, which will make them more real for your readers. Use the above information and add the following:

Character back story:

Identifying marks:

Facial features:

Hand features:

Scent:

Mannerisms or gestures:

Novellas and Novels

Novellas and novels require the most detailed characters because they are as much character driven stories as plot driven. Character sheets with more detailed physical description, personality traits, and an extensive background will go a long way to making your story one that pulls a reader in and keeps them reader from beginning to end. Use all of the above plus the following:

Strongest personality traits:

Weakest personality traits:

Needs of the character:

Ambitions:

Father's name:

Age:

Physical appearance:

Mother's name:

Age:

Physical appearance:

Sibling's names and descriptions:

Favorite sayings:

Interests and hobbies:

Favorite foods:

Favorite colors:

Pets:

Education:

Religion:

Financial situation:

Future plans:

Possessions this character values most:

What drives your character:

How does your character handle conflict:

What is standing in your character's way:

What is their favorite room and why:

What vehicle do they drive:

Favorite sport(s):

What are your character's prejudices:

How does your character feel about love:

About crime:

What is their neighborhood like:

What is your character's philosophy on life:

What is your character's family life like:

You also should have a rough background and timeline for this character, from childhood through the start of the story. Break it down into 5 year spans, unless your character is fairly old, then go with 10 year spans. Finally, have a profile summary, taking everything you have for the character and write up a one or two paragraph summary. It is a good way to focus your character's information, and could be used in your story.

Book Series

When writing a series of books about the same characters, it is imperative to keep some kind of record of their traits. Do not rely on your memory when it comes to writing each book. As an avid reader of series books, it is amazing the number of times a character's eyes have been dark blue in one book and dark brown in another then gone back to blue. While most casual readers won't catch that kind of mistake, your dedicated readers will. It costs you nothing to keep a notebook with your character sheets and reference it when writing the next book in your series. It will go a long way to keep the continuity of your books intact.

A note on describing clothing. Unless clothing change is crucial to your story's plot limit your fashion descriptions. You do not need to tell every single piece of clothing your character is wearing. A basic idea of their attire is enough for most readers.

Your characters are as important to your story as your plot. Developing them will help bring your tale to life, but taking the time to plan them out prior to writing is a great way to make them real to you and your reader.

Using Character Sheets in Fiction Writing
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Dawn Arkin is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Writers. Her portfolio can be found at http://darkin.Writing.Com/ so stop by and read for a while.

Selecting a Creative Business Name - Here's Why and How

Picture yourself trying to name a baby, especially your own. You would make sure that you take enough time and put in enough effort before you close in on any one name, while also trying to ensure that the name that is given to your baby is as unique as possible. So why should naming your own business be any different? Of course, the two aren't exactly the same, but the point is that naming your business calls for as much attention as naming your newborn baby.

While starting a business from scratch does involve a lot of hard work and planning, there are scores of businesses that do not pay enough attention to giving their businesses appropriate names. In looking for a suitable name for your new business/company you should take every effort in looking for creative business names as this would help set your business apart from its competitors and give you the edge you so badly need, especially at the onset.

One of the most common mistakes that new businesses make in giving the businesses a name is that even though the business name might be descriptive and accurate, it turns out to be quite forgettable. One of the primary reasons for this to happen is that the business name lacks creativity.

Selecting a Creative Business Name - Here's Why and How

Many business names are decided in the boardroom wherein a number of decision makers sit around a table tossing names in the air. With no expertise in this endeavor (yes, naming your business is an endeavor in itself) there is every possibility that the good names are overlooked and what is picked is an inappropriate business name. The end result of such an exercise is your business losing out on getting the required attention and fading into oblivion.

There are a number of aspects that need to be looked into before you decide on any one name for your business. These include looking at the supporting elements, seeing the context, and ensuring that the new name that you come up with is does not find itself associated with names from the past. The creative aspect of naming a business is very important as this makes your business name eye catching and gets your prospective and probable customers to look in the right direction. However, you must remember that a creative business name isn't enough if you haven't taken the other aspects into consideration.

The closer you can get to pinpointing the 'what' of your business, the more is the possibility of coming up with a suitable creative business name. On the other hand, this could also lead to your business name turning out to be more of a description instead of a business name. This is why it is important that if you are unsure about the process of naming your business, you seek professional guidance (and plenty is easily available).

So no matter what you decide to name your business, make sure that it does not lack in creativity, as this will ensure that your business can make that much needed initial mark, and this will also ensure a much smoother ride for the future.

Selecting a Creative Business Name - Here's Why and How
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creative business names

The Vintage Scrapbook - Eight Creative Ideas For Using Vintage Images in Your Scrapbooks

Vintage images can add a nostalgic dimension to your scrapbooking. Whether they are illustrations from an artist's hand, early photographs, or antique paper items like advertisements, newspapers or other ephemera, they lend instant artwork to your scrapbooking project. These pictures from the past also capture the essence of an occasion or an emotion, verifying that the important things in life don't change over time.

Many kinds of vintage images are available digitally through simple online downloads -- just try a Google search for "vintage images." Though most will be in the public domain, be aware of any usage restrictions you find.

Here are eight ideas to spark your imagination!

The Vintage Scrapbook - Eight Creative Ideas For Using Vintage Images in Your Scrapbooks

Use the full image as a centerpiece. Choose an image that reflects the theme of your page; a photo of an antique car for your page about your son's new car; a jolly Victorian St. Nicholas for a Christmas page; a vintage Eiffel Tower photo for your Paris vacation page. Place the image centrally and lay out your photos around it. Enlarge the image as your background. Many images are perfect for backgrounds, such as handwriting on aged paper or a pastoral scene. If the digital image is high resolution (150-300 dpi), you can probably enlarge it to the size of your scrapbook page. Use the background colors to determine your photo matting palette. Layout your photos, text and embellishments so the background image peeks through. Cut out "scraps" as embellishments. A major pastime for Victorian women was cutting out small illustrations (called "scraps") and pasting them in books - hence, scrapbooks. Many vintage images include comical figures, holiday symbols, good-luck charms, and more. Simply resize and print them from your computer and cut them out with manicure scissors. Glue them onto your page where you need a nostalgic embellishment! Create frames or borders from the images. Many vintage postcards and greeting cards were designed with fanciful decorative borders. Resize and print them on your computer, cut out the center, and you have an ornate vintage frame for your photos or text. Use vintage written sentiments as inspiration for your journaling. Long before Hallmark, Victorian-era postcards were created for all occasions (even Leap Year) with snippets of poetry and flowery sentiments. Incorporate these texts and artwork into your scrapbook page for a touching message from the past. Borrow the colors from an image to set the palette for your scrapbook page. Choose an image that attracts you with colors, bright or subdued, or even a striking black and white or sepia-tone photo. Use those colors and shades in your background, matting and texts to create a harmonized, coordinated look. Alter vintage images with paint, ink, rubber stamping or other treatments. "Altered art" is both fun and trendy. Take a basic image and add your own touches with paint, foil, cutting, folding, stamping, embossing, burning -- pretty much anything. What you add and how you do it can make an image comical, provocative or nostalgic. When in doubt -- it seems -- put butterfly wings on a baby photo. Let your personal photos "interact" with vintage images. Find a vintage photo or illustration that fits your theme -- perhaps a picture of a seated Santa. Now, size and cut out a silhouette of your child, and place her on Santa's lap. Or, start with a vintage beach scene, with everyone posing in long-legged bathing dresses. Add your daughter to the lineup in her bikini. You are limited only by your dexterity with scissors or your prowess with your computer's graphics software.

These eight ideas are just a start. Virtually any scrapbooking technique can be applied to vintage images. Happy scrapping!

The Vintage Scrapbook - Eight Creative Ideas For Using Vintage Images in Your Scrapbooks
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Scott Henderson founded Vintage Image Craft (http://www.vintageimagecraft.com) for crafters and scrapbookers who love creating with vintage images. Visit for free ideas, techniques, instructions and vintage image downloads.