ShopDreamUp AI ArtDreamUp
Deviation Actions
Temporarily on hold due to NaNo 2014. I'll pick this up again afterward!
Because I need things to read, and I need to get out of my own head and want to analyse and critique stories that didn't come directly from my own brain.
So, I thought it would be a fun idea to offer "story coaching" to anyone interested. Not editing. God knows I don't have the patience and dedication for that. Instead, I'd like to offer free services doing what I'm good at: analyzing stories and improving story structure and characterization.
- Read anything longer than approx. 1,000 words (I have a short attention span--sorry!)
- Read or beta read your actual prose/short story/novel
- Line edit, correct grammar or punctuation, give word choice suggestions, anything technical, etc.
- Give you advice on writing style
- Tell you you're doing "it" wrong (whatever the hell "it" is)
- Fanfiction (I just don't feel qualified since I'm an exclusive fangirl of nerdy shows like Firefly, Stargate, and Battlestar)
It's not that I don't want to do these things, but I know my shortcomings, and I'd only let you down if I tried.
- Read a story synopsis/outline/notes/plot/whatever you've chosen to brainstorm and/or plan your story
- Actually chat with you while you describe your story to me via Skype chat or the like
- Ask you lots and lots of questions about it such as, "Why are these events happening now?" or "Wouldn't it make more sense if your villain did X?" or "Why is your character willing to go to all this trouble? Would it strengthen your story if he was motivated by X instead?" Etc.
- Honestly tell you if your idea is solid or if needs some help and then:
- Give suggestions on how to improve the structure and characterization of your story. You obviously know your story better than me, so I'll just try to get thinking in the right direction. I have no desire to do the actual work for you.
If you're interested,send me a note email a one page synopsis and your dA identity to storycoaching@yahoo.com. Make sure your synopsis includes the main character arc, all the main plot points, and especially the ending! Here's a helpful article with suggestions and resources on how to write a synopsis.
Also include any specific questions you have about it or if there's any specific feedback you're looking for so I can be as useful to you as possible. And your Skype ID if you'd like to chat about out and get instant feedback/conversation.
Or you can send me the link to a deviation of your synopsis.
If you're new to story structure and plotting, check out my story arc diagram to get started:
I'd really love to hear your ideas and help whoever's interested to write some awesome, badass stories!
There is no expiration date on this offer ... you know, until I give one. I'm offering to do this because I genuinely want to. I have no ulterior motives! I will not ask you to do anything for me in return. This is not quid pro quo. It's just free story coaching with no strings attached.
Because I need things to read, and I need to get out of my own head and want to analyse and critique stories that didn't come directly from my own brain.
So, I thought it would be a fun idea to offer "story coaching" to anyone interested. Not editing. God knows I don't have the patience and dedication for that. Instead, I'd like to offer free services doing what I'm good at: analyzing stories and improving story structure and characterization.
First of all, what I will NOT do:
- Read anything longer than approx. 1,000 words (I have a short attention span--sorry!)
- Read or beta read your actual prose/short story/novel
- Line edit, correct grammar or punctuation, give word choice suggestions, anything technical, etc.
- Give you advice on writing style
- Tell you you're doing "it" wrong (whatever the hell "it" is)
- Fanfiction (I just don't feel qualified since I'm an exclusive fangirl of nerdy shows like Firefly, Stargate, and Battlestar)
It's not that I don't want to do these things, but I know my shortcomings, and I'd only let you down if I tried.
What I WILL do:
- Read a story synopsis/outline/notes/plot/whatever you've chosen to brainstorm and/or plan your story
- Actually chat with you while you describe your story to me via Skype chat or the like
- Ask you lots and lots of questions about it such as, "Why are these events happening now?" or "Wouldn't it make more sense if your villain did X?" or "Why is your character willing to go to all this trouble? Would it strengthen your story if he was motivated by X instead?" Etc.
- Honestly tell you if your idea is solid or if needs some help and then:
- Give suggestions on how to improve the structure and characterization of your story. You obviously know your story better than me, so I'll just try to get thinking in the right direction. I have no desire to do the actual work for you.
If you're interested,
Also include any specific questions you have about it or if there's any specific feedback you're looking for so I can be as useful to you as possible. And your Skype ID if you'd like to chat about out and get instant feedback/conversation.
Or you can send me the link to a deviation of your synopsis.
If you're new to story structure and plotting, check out my story arc diagram to get started:
I'd really love to hear your ideas and help whoever's interested to write some awesome, badass stories!
There is no expiration date on this offer ... you know, until I give one. I'm offering to do this because I genuinely want to. I have no ulterior motives! I will not ask you to do anything for me in return. This is not quid pro quo. It's just free story coaching with no strings attached.
Most Recent Deviation
I've been published!
I've been published!
Check out my short story "The Case of a Portal on Mars" in this awesome anthology Pioneers & Pathfinders (Kindle edition) and you can get the paperback version here.
:excited:
Don't Plot with Tarot
Ever been curious about tarot's storytelling abilities? Or just curious about it in general? I've been learning it and relating it to the thing I know best: creativity and storytelling. I've gotta say, while I'm certainly not a mystic nor superstitious and I don't remotely believe tarot can tell the future, it has a lot to say about the human experience. Since storytelling is all about the human experience, I've found tarot has a lot of insight into storytelling and creativity in general.
I thought it would be a fun challenge to learn and practice by pulling two cards and connecting them in a humorous way that relates to storytelling and/or
Books to Make Your Life Better - 2019
I have an older journal with more books and videos that will make your life better here: Books that Will Make Your Life Better. Now I'm continuing to share the philosophies and information that make my life better in 2019, mainly those about living intentionally and creative mastery. Nearly all of them are available as audiobooks and should be available at your local library or on the free app Libby.
Enhance Your Creativity:
Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport
Change Anything: The New Science of Personal Success by Kerry Patterson (and others)
Art Matters: Because Your Imagination Can Change the Wor
14 Ways to Acquire Knowledge (from 1936)
I thought this was interesting and useful, so I'm sharing it here:
14 Ways to Acquire Knowledge: A Timeless Guide from 1936
by Maria Popova
The quest for intellectual growth and self-improvement through education has occupied yesteryear’s luminaries like Bertrand Russell and modern-day thinkers like Sir Ken Robinson and Noam Chomsky. In 1936, at the zenith of the Great Depression, the prolific self-help guru and famous eccentric James T. Mangan published You Can Do Anything! — an enthusiastic and exclamation-heavy pep-manual for the art of living. Though Mangan was a positively kooky character — in 1948, he publicly clai
Featured in Groups
© 2014 - 2024 illuminara
Comments34
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
Oh God, I really need this, but the story I need help with doesn't really fit. It's not a, say, action story or whatnot. It's really just a character sketch/snapshot scene.