Nour Zikra's Blog, page 3

Are Physical Books Becoming Dinosaurs?

With the rise of eBooks, some people are wondering if physical books are becoming outdated, a generation of soon-to-be-extinct dinosaurs. However, this seems unlikely, because bookworms who love physical books have not gone extinct, nor will they anytime soon.

On the contrary, I believe that physical books are increasing in number. If a single reader reads at least fifty books in a year, then that is fifty new books on the market. Now imagine thousands of readers reading fifty different books.

Of course, readers love eBooks too. Nevertheless, eBooks do not replace paperback and hardcover books. There is something magical about holding a book in one’s hands and turning the pages. eBooks, while great, do not give all readers this satisfaction. Besides, what is a reader to do while reading in bed? Hold the tablet up while they lie on their back and hope the device doesn’t fall on their face? There are certain traits of a physical book which an eBook cannot compete with.

What is your opinion on the rise of eBooks and how it is changing the reading experience? Let us know in the comments!

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Show, Don’t Tell: An Easy Guide

If you’re taking a creative writing workshop, you’ve probably heard the term “show, don’t tell.” When I first started my major in creative writing, this term gave me anxiety. Implementing it was hard at the beginning; however, after years of practice, it comes naturally to me now, and it will for you too.

What exactly is “show, don’t tell?” It is a phrase to remind writers to use the five senses and feelings to let readers immerse themselves in the scene rather than simply summarize the story and details. After all, no one wants to be told the details; they want to experience them.

Example of telling: She looked at the dark sky. It was raining, and she was cold. Her shirt became wet.

Example of showing: She tilted her head toward the angry sky. Rain drops clattered down, trickling over her shivering skin. Her shirt was a damp mess, clinging onto her every curve.

Basically, showing uses the five senses: Sight, touch, taste, sound, and smell. Plus, it allows the reader to feel the emotions the characters feel. Instead of learning that a character is sad, we feel the sadness ourselves. On the other hand, telling does not use the five senses. It simply states things for what they are.

Example of telling: She was sad about the breakup.

Example of showing: Her throat stung as she wept, the picture of her now-ex imprinted into her mind.

Here in my “showing” example, I did not mention that the character is sad, but you can easily feel her sadness and see her reaction to it. In fact, this is more effective at making you feel her sadness than the “telling” example. Sensing emotion is always far better than merely naming an emotion.

A great tip to remember when implementing “show, don’t tell” is to use the five senses (not always, of course, as that could become exhausting) and refrain from simply mentioning an emotion instead of showing how it affects the character.

Above all else, though, it is wise to keep a balance. “Show, don’t tell” does not mean that you should never tell. On the contrary, telling is useful in certain instances. Your story is not a movie; you do not need to immerse readers into the story as if they are using a virtual reality headset. Your job is to draw a scene and then let the reader conjure up the minor details.

If you’ve found this blog helpful, be sure to check out my others for more helpful writing tips!

How to Plot a Story from Beginning to End

A story is a bunch of incidents and scenes put together, but you already knew that. What you’re here for is how to plot a story. How can you create an entire novel from beginning to end? It seems intimidating when you are starting out as a writer; however, it can be done, as the numerous published writers have already proven.

You should start by figuring out your main character(s) and the premise. Both are essential for starting your story. So, plan these elements before anything else. Sometimes you need to know the setting to create the premise, as they tie together. For instance, the premise could be a bunch of kids who must kill each other in a forest until one of them wins (The Hunger Games). Here, the premise and setting are connected. Once you have this down, you can create a detailed main character.

Now that you have the general structure of your plot, you can add more to it to build a fully functioning story. Here comes the easy part: filling in the blank middle scenes. This means you must put your main character through hell for almost the duration of the story. Figure out what your character loves the most, then take it away or make it difficult to attain. This is the conflict. Keep increasing the stakes to entice readers.

To make plotting easier, create a general outline of your novel. Going chapter by chapter will help you figure out whether your story is too short or too long. It will also show you what your plot holes are so you can fix them before you begin writing your novel.

If you’ve found this blog helpful, be sure to share it and check out my other blogs on writing tips and more!

Who vs. Whom: A Simple Trick to Remember

I am going to be honest and admit that I have struggled with this rule myself. Who vs. whom is abstract to foreigners learning English, and it is even hard for English native speakers. I was once a foreigner, and although I am an American author now, I can still understand why people have a hard. Nonetheless, I have mastered this grammatical rule along the years, and I am happy to share my knowledge.

Here is a trick I have learned that helps me figure out how to tell the difference between who vs. whom. If you can replace “who”/“whom” with “he”/“she”, you would put “who.” If you can replace the word “who”/“whom” with “him”/“her”, you would put “whom.”

Example: “He can take her place.” Becomes: “Who can take his place?”

Example “You love her?” Becomes: “You love whom?” or “Whom do you love?”

Example: “He has the paper?” Becomes: “Who has the paper?”

Example: “How often do you go there with her?” Becomes: “How often do you go there with whom?”

Any time you struggle figuring out whether you need who vs. whom, simply switch them with “he”/“she” or “him”/“her”. Depending on the one that fits the sentence, you would have your answer.

If you’ve found this blog helpful, be sure to share it and check out my other blogs on writing tips and more!

3 Steps to Get Rid of Writer’s Block

Writer’s block is a writer’s worst nightmare. You sit at your desk without ideas or motivation. Who’s going to write your novel if you’re not? Dread sets in, gives you an existential crisis. You think, I am a failure. But this is where you need to tell your inner critic that it is wrong and to shut up and act. Here’s how you can get rid of writer’s block:

Step #1

First off, it is all in your head. There is no such thing as writer’s block. You claim your imagination and creativity are stifled, but that’s not true. You are simply giving up too fast by assuming the universe will send ideas your way. However, that is a childish mentality. You are waiting for someone to hand you the ideas while you do the easy work. But guess what, you’re a writer! This is your job, every part of it. So, do it.

Your first step to combating writer’s block is to stop using it as an excuse not to write. By blaming this invisible culprit, you are detaching yourself from your responsibilities. Yet you are responsible for sitting at your desk, writing down some thoughts, thinking for some time about your work, and getting work done. Ideas don’t come without effort, at least not all the time. You must do your part.

Step #2

Your second step is training yourself to think creatively. The more you sit at your desk and jot down ideas, the more creative thoughts will start popping inside your head. It’s a beautiful thing.

Step #3

Your third step is putting your ideas together to form a novel. What would be interesting to you in a novel? Perhaps a story premise might pop into your mind. A man is dead, for instance, except people are claiming they saw him seconds before six people were murdered. I just came up with this premise on the spot. Now I can go on and ask myself, who is this dead man? And with that, I’ve created a character. Is this man really dead? Does that make him a ghost? Is he the killer or was he warning the people?

Another idea might be about the main character. A teacher, for instance, in her mid-twenties. She is one of the people who witnessed the murders (but she didn’t see the killer, only the dead man).

Another idea could be the setting. London on a snowy day! See how easy this was? I wrote it all in just a minute. My creative juices just flowed through my brain.

Do the same. Jot down ideas, even if they don’t make sense. Eventually your brain will produce brilliant ideas, and that’s how you end writer’s block.

Also, if you’ve started a story but keep getting stuck, possibly due to emotional ties to the scene you are describing, put the story aside for some time until you are better fit to go back to it. In the meantime, jot down new ideas and write a different story. Good luck!

If you’ve enjoyed this blog, be sure to share it and check out my other blogs on writing tips and more!

What is the Difference Between Your and You’re?

“Your” and “you’re” sound the same. However, they are obviously not the same word. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be reading this blog. So, what is the difference between the two? Let us take a look!

“You’re” is simply an abbreviation of “you are.” There was a time in history where “you’re” was never or rarely spoken, while “you are” were the proper choice of words. Later, when people began speaking faster, using slang, and abbreviating words such as “can not” to “cannot” and “will not” to “won’t,” the words “you are” also got an abbreviation. “You’re” is that abbreviation. In fact, the apostrophe simply replaces the missing letter in “are” and indicates that the word “you’re” is an abbreviation of two words.

Example: “You’re going to be late.” = “You are going to be late.”

Example: “You’re here.” = “You are here.”

“Your,” on the other hand, simply indicates that something belongs to you.

Example: “Your dog is lost!”

Example: “Your dad is here.”

Example: “How do you not have your work?”

Example: “I told your friend to go to class.”

It is easy to remember the difference between “your” and “you’re.” Just recall that the apostrophe in “you’re” indicates an abbreviation, and you are good to go.

If you have found this blog helpful, be sure to share it and check out the other awesome blogs on writing tips.

What to Do at the End of NaNoWriMo

With November nearing its end, NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is also nearing its end. The good news is that you do not have to worry about the 20,000 words you have yet to write by the deadline. Instead, you can continue working on your story, because, after all, writing a book should be a yearly endeavor and not just a one-month activity.

Here are some writing activities you need to do at the end of NaNoWriMo, so basically starting in December:

Continue working on your story, since it is nowhere near complete and you have a lot of plot you still need to discover.
Do a second draft, then a third, then a fourth, and so on.
Fix any plot holes and make your characters more well-rounded.
Add and enhance the setting, since, let’s be honest, setting is the hardest element to bring to life.
Make dialogue more natural and accurate to your characters’ personalities, age, profession, time period, and location.
Cut out unnecessary scenes, lines, and words.
Revise, revise, revise. I cannot stress this enough.

And keep on revising until your friends yell at you to stop. Just kidding. Bust seriously, do revise! The end of NaNoWriMo should not halt your work. Keep on writing, keep on editing, keep on being an artist. That is your full-time job. Make it happen!

How to Become a Writer in 18 Steps

To become a writer, you must go through these simple but crucial steps.

Step 1: Buy a notebook

Step 2: Buy a pen

Step 3: Write

Step 4: Revise

Step 5: Cry about being a failed writer

Step 6: Lie awake at night thinking of every terrible thing that has ever happened to you

Step 7: Write another story

Step 8: Have your friends read your story and get told that “it’s good”

Step 9: Go to therapy

Step 10: Write about your therapy sessions

Step 11: Try to get your stories published

Step 12: Get your stories rejected by publishers

Step 13: Hide in your room for a week and smell like moldy cheese and a bit of urine

Step 14: Keep writing

Step 15: Finally get published

Step 16: Live happily ever after

Step 17: Just kidding…there is no such thing as a happy ever after. Keep writing

Step 18: Hope your kids do not become writers

 

I hope you’ve enjoyed this humorous blog on becoming a writer. And if you are a writer like me, you know that while being a writer is a tough career, it is absolutely worth it. Keep on writing (and do live your happily ever after)!

There vs. Their vs. They’re: Which is Correct?

There, their, and they’re; they sound alike, right? Obviously, they are (they’re) not the same interchangeable word.

Here is a simple trick to know when to use each one:

“There” is for pointing out something.

Example: That boy over there.

Example: There is a piece of pizza.

Their means something belongs to them.

Example: It is their pizza.

An easy way to differentiate “their” from “there” and “they’re” is to associate the letter “i” in “their” with a belonging.

Another example: Their kid just walked away.

“They’re” is simply an abbreviation for “they are.”

Example: They’re going to school.

 

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How to Develop Characters that Feel Real

Characters are people we visualize inside our head. So, they must be just as real as we are; they are full of depth, emotion, and quirks. After all, no one is perfect. Thus, do not make your characters perfect. That is not how you develop characters

This is not to say that they cannot be good people. A person with strange habits can still be the nicest person on the block.

So how do you develop characters that feel real in a story? You flesh them out, give them a backstory, and show their quirks in dialogue and action.

Here is an example:

Lucy jumped on Betty’s bed. The mattress was soft except for one spot where she’d hidden a surprise for her sister.

“Come on! Jump with me,” she urged Betty.

When Betty hopped on the bed and he foot hit that bumpy spot, she jerked away, confused. She pulled back the sheets and found an olive.

“I wanted you to dream of olives, Betty.” Lucy grinned, her eyes twinkling with playfulness.

Betty was not pleased.

Here, we can easily picture Lucy’s silly character merely through her actions. I did not have to mention her silliness nor her personality or age. We can clearly see that she is young. We can also see that Betty is the more serious of the two.

There is also an amazing writing exercise that I recommend. It will help you build a character with ease. I call it the “Fridge Exercise.” I did not come up with this exercise; it is actually a well-known writing exercise I learned while studying creative writing in college. Describe the contents inside a character’s fridge. Is the food healthy? Old? Is there only junk food? Diet food? No food? Fast food? Only alcohol? The contents inside a fridge can say a lot about a character.

So, try to get down to your character’s natural quirks and habits. Flush them out. Then try out the amazing writing exercise I mention here. In time, you will have characters as real as walking, talking people. Good luck!

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