How to Write Interesting Stories

April 27 is Tell a Story Day, a great time for writers at all levels to finally share the stories that they’ve been keeping to themselves. But, what if the story you want to tell isn’t quite ready for its debut?

We encourage you to find a different story to tell! How, you ask? Read on . . .

Famous writers approached their writing in different ways, but one commonality involved extracting stories from real life experiences. The characters and settings may have received some embellishment, but the premise of their stories mirrored what they experienced during their lives. Hemingway wrote about armed conflicts that he covered as a reporter, Faulkner brought to life the southern culture he remembered from the early portion of the 20th century, and Jane Austin vividly described the scenes of 18th century English society.

Although the ideas for their stories derived from real life experiences, famous writers had different ways of developing story ideas. Hemingway often talked about how he worked out story ideas on the go. Faulkner believed that “You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore.” Only through pushing the boundaries was he able to develop complex story ideas. Austin took the power of observation to another level in the development of her story lines.

Novice writers often complain that their well of story ideas has run dry. They do not have to follow the lead of a famous writer to develop compelling story ideas. Instead, they can stimulate their own creative process by following a few writing tips.

Open Up to New Experiences

Experiencing different cultures, people, and places enriches the idea machine that often lies dormant within your mind. The more you diversify your experiences, the more fertile the idea machine becomes. Try different foods, travel to distant lands, and above all, read the works of authors who cover a wide variety of genres. Famous authors such as Hemingway and Faulkner mention how much reading helped them to develop story ideas. “Writing in the voice of me” helps writers expound on their expanded horizons.

Eliminate Self-Doubt

Writers may represent the most self-critical professionals. The lack of story ideas can turn a once confident writer into someone who begins to limit his or her belief in the capacity to churn out creative story ideas. Writers need to acquire the patience to face the inevitable impasses that derail the story idea development process. Believe in yourself and your story ideas should flow like a graceful river.

Every Idea Counts

Instead of trying to focus on developing great story ideas, strive for quantity over quality. Entertain every story idea until the feasibility of the idea wanes. What appears to be a stupid story line today may be the next best selling story idea of tomorrow. Record all of your story ideas in a notebook or in a computer file and revisit each idea periodically to expand on its premise. Time does a wonderful job of forming some story ideas into powerful novels. Record every idea the moment it pops into your head. Once again, reading a wide variety of writing genres helps you generate story ideas.

Avoid Convention

Famous writers often defied writing convention to bring their unique ideas to life. They thought outside of the writing box by creating characters and developing story lines that appeared to have no chance of gaining popularity. Who would have thought the musings of an illiterate adolescent would make for a powerful story idea in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Obviously, Mark Twain did not follow the writing norm in creating his captivating main character.

Walk a Mile or Two in Your Shoes

The writing process can stagnate whenever you stare blankly at your computer screen and silently curse your current state of writer’s block. You can shake writer’s block and stimulate story ideas by working story lines out as you walk. Too many novice writers sit down and immediately expect story ideas to pop in their heads. Famous writers such as Hemingway walked until they developed the foundation for a story idea. Once you develop the structure of your story idea, the words should fly from your fingertips whenever you decide to sit down to write the story.

Remember that, at times, even the most polished writers have trouble developing ideas for interesting stories. What differentiates them from the novice writer is that they implement strategies to set their creative wheels in motion. Follow the examples set by famous writers and open yourself up to new experiences; entertaining every idea you think of; avoid convention; eliminate self-doubt; and if all else fails, take a walk! You’ll be writing again in no time.

What is your best strategy to counteract writer’s block? Share in the comments!

6 Wonderful Tips on How to Catch Up on Emails After a Vacation

Inbox dread is real.

The last time I took a vacation, I almost didn’t want to leave for fear of what my inbox would look like when I got back. (Hint: it wasn’t pretty.) There’s nothing more groan-inducing on your first day back at work than opening your email client to see you have 1,487 emails waiting.

I’ve worked in jobs where getting a flurry of daily email was the norm, which meant that being away for a week resulted in a digital avalanche. Here’s how I prepared and then dug out.

1 Set up an out-of-office message before you leave.

Having a vacation auto-responder won’t cut down on the number of people who contact you, but it will cut down on the number of follow-ups they send. It’s also good form to let people know when you’re not able to answer them.

Your out-of-office message can be simple. Just let people know you’re unavailable, when you’ll return, and who they should contact with any urgent needs while you’re gone. If you’d like to have a little more fun with your message, here are some options.

Here’s a tip: Some people include a vacation clause in their out-of-office message to warn people that they may miss messages due to an overflowing inbox upon their return. Here’s an example:

I expect my inbox to be bursting at the seams when I return. I’ll do my best to get back to you, but if I should happen to miss your message, please do me the courtesy of following up after [date].

2 Weed out the advertising and other unnecessary stuff first.

When I return to my Gmail inbox to find a gazillion emails waiting, the first thing I do is weed out the junk mail. Advertising, of course, is the first to go. But when you’re trying to get back to inbox zero, even the newsletters you’ve subscribed to can get in your way.

Gmail’s tabs system is handy. When my email messages are already pre-sorted, I can go through the social and promotions tabs quickly and eliminate most of those emails right off the bat by selecting them all, skimming the subject lines to make sure nothing looks important, and then hitting archive or delete.

3 Use filters for high-priority senders.

There are likely a few people on your contact list whose emails you don’t want to miss. I have a Gmail folder called Priority Senders where I store important messages that need more immediate action.

You can use filters to have messages auto-sort to this folder, which is what I do when I’m out of my office for a while. Then, when I get back, I know what to tackle first.

Here’s a tip: If you’d rather not set up filters for your priority senders, you can simply sort your inbox by sender. This will help you quickly identify the messages you’ve received from people you need to respond to ASAP and separate them from the rest of your inbox clutter.

You can also filter retroactively by moving messages to the Priority Senders folder for safekeeping while you sort the rest of your inbox.

4 Make a catch-up folder.

Now that you’ve sorted your high priority email into a separate folder, you can deal with the rest . . . by putting it off. At least temporarily.

Staring at an overflowing inbox on your first day back in the office can bring on enough stress to undo the relaxing effects of your vacation. An empty inbox, however, is bliss! This solution may feel like cheating, but trust me, it’s a great way to alleviate the strain of having hundreds of emails to process and no time to process them.

Create a catch-up folder. It’s as simple as that. You can name it whatever you like, from “Email to Process” to “Abandon all hope ye who enter here.” Then, simply Select All and move your vacation email into the catch-up folder. It’ll be out of sight, and instead of feeling like your inbox is a bottomless pit from which you’ll never emerge, you’ll be able to venture into your virtual storage room and sort through those less important emails whenever you have time to spare.

Here’s a tip: Consider putting the inbox zero method into effect before you leave for vacation. Practicing this efficient sorting technique requires a little setup, but once it’s in place it will make your email life infinitely easier.

Odds are good that if you’ve already sorted high priority email messages, nothing in your catch-up folder will be of critical importance. If you’ve accidentally missed something significant (hey, it happens to the best of us) you’re sure to get a follow-up email, at which time you can deal with the issue. If any email remains in your catch-up folder after a month, it’s probably safe to delete or archive it.

5 Practice “last in, first out.”

By now, your inbox should be looking slightly less overwhelming. It’s time to deal with the higher priority messages. Taking a “last in, first out” approach can help.

Some of the email you’ve received has already sorted itself out while you were away. When you read the most recent email first, you can quickly figure out what needs immediate attention and what you can filter into your catch-up folder for later. So start digging into the most recent emails you’ve received, and remember . . .

6 Resist the urge to delay responses.

Once you’ve identified important emails, answer them. Like, now.

We’ve all been there. You’re staring at an email that absolutely needs a response, except that you lack the psychic energy to deal with it in the moment. The temptation to put off those types of emails is intense. Resist! Bothersome emails grow into more powerful monsters the longer you ignore them. When you start going through your urgent emails, make yourself a promise that you’ll deal with each one as you open it. You’ll thank yourself in the long run.

With a little forethought and some organization, you can keep your inbox avalanche from burying you. Now, leave your office email alone until you return, and go enjoy that vacation. You’ve earned it!

Not-So-Sweet 16 Game 6: Total Tardiness vs. The Interrupter

It’s better late than . . . wait, wait, wait. See how annoying that was?

Delaying meetings because of careless tardiness is never fun, but interrupting your coworkers is likely to make you pretty unpopular as well. But which is the most frustrating? Vote below, and leave your stories of rudeness in the comments.

Total Tardiness

Having to stall a meeting or punt other tasks because you’re waiting on another person is the pits. Tardiness, especially the chronic kind, degrades meeting quality and comes off as just plain rude to others.

The Interrupter

This person may have great energy, but they can’t seem to let others finish their thoughts. As soon as someone begins to present a new idea, the interrupter is right there to add their perspective.

Why Grammar Still Matters in Today’s Digital Age

Guest post by Matt Banner

Today’s digital age has brought back the craft of writing, but at a cost. With the rising popularity of hashtags, tweets, emoticons, and shorthand phrases like the ever-present “LOL,” it seems like good grammar has gone out the window. At the end of the day, does grammar still matter in this digital age?

For the foreseeable future, the answer is yes. While you can’t take ten steps on the Internet these days without running into a typo-ridden blog post or a social media post that looks like Freddy Krueger took his clawed hands to the language, there’s still a place for those who hold grammar in high regard.

6 Reasons Every Writer Should Adhere to Proper Grammar

Let’s take a look at six compelling reasons for using proper grammar, despite the rising tide of haphazard content flooding the Internet. No perfect blog post is complete without a healthy dose of pristine writing, so keep these reasons in mind.

1 Credibility and Reputation

We all seek to create an online persona that is respected by the community. To find success in that endeavor, we must build a reputation for accuracy and credibility. Unfortunately, poor grammar and spelling errors are not trademarks of a credible writer.

These types of issues reflect ignorance and carelessness and suggest the writer didn’t truly care about the quality of the post. In short, mistakes reflect poorly on your brand. If you want the respect and adoration of your readers, provide them with high-quality and polished content free of grammatical errors.

2 Maintain Professionalism

Nowhere in the list of grammar rules is there one that prohibits having fun with your writing. That being said, lazy writing and sloppy grammar are detrimental to any sense of professionalism you’re seeking to establish.

It doesn’t matter if your content is being read by your mother or by a corporate CEO—it should always be professional and well written.

3 Respect For Your Readers

At the end of the day, quality grammar is a sign of respect. It allows your writing to clearly and concisely deliver your message. Without it, you’re not respecting the time or the intelligence of your readers. Besides, if you’re sending it to someone who intends to publish it, your errors will simply slow down the process.

4 Clear Understanding

Proper grammar ensures that your message is delivered properly to the reader. A host of typos and grammatical errors will do nothing but cloud the ultimate purpose of your writing.

5 Convenience for Everyone Involved

Great content will inspire people to share it. If you neglect proper grammar, many people will be less inclined to share what you have to offer. They will feel embarrassed to share it because it might reflect poorly on their own reputation.

People will be more inclined to share your content if it’s well written and free of errors.

6Long-Term Posterity

Unless you take it down yourself, your writing can theoretically appear anywhere on the Internet. Once published, it will stay there for all to see. Do you want people to remember your post for its excellent content, or should they use it as a warning to those who dare to ignore the power of grammar?

Final Thoughts

While it may seem like the English language is slowly devolving, there are still plenty of people who cherish the time and effort spent on a well-crafted article or post. Grammar may not be as popular as Twitter, but it still deserves a place in the digital age. How do you keep good grammar alive? Let us know in the comments below!

Who cares about her education? Our Scholarship Giveaway Winner, of course!

On April 7, 2015 Grammarly partnered with Niche.com to launch the Grammarly $1000 Scholarship Giveaway. We know how difficult finding money for college can be which is why, this time around, we did away with the essay requirements — college is tough enough without the added stress of explaining why you need money to continue your studies. We get it.

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To all of the participants in our scholarship giveaway: Thank you!

The Grammarly team is impressed with the number of students who were interested in this scholarship giveaway. Here at Grammarly we are excited to see so many people passionate about investing in their education, and we want to continue helping to support your dreams! Keep your eyes peeled for more scholarship opportunities from Grammarly in the future.

Do You Understand the True Bard or the False? Some Shakespeare Etymologies

Guest post by Annie Martirosyan

There are a number of words in Shakespeare’s plays and poems which are deceptive to modern ears. They may seem familiar words but, in fact, camouflage a quite different meaning lost to modern English. In Linguistics, these words are called False Friends. A False Friend is a word which has kept its form but has strayed from its original sense (or was a completely different word) so that the modern English word is false when compared to the original sense or word. Shakespeare likes to extend the wordplay further by often deliberately using words in their older senses. Here are some False Friends to keep an eye on:

Bootless Now: without large shoes Shakespeare’s use/meaning: useless, making no better Historically, there were boot (1) and boot (2). Boot (1) as shoes dates back to the 13th century. Boots (2) is an older usage that first occurs in Beowulf in the sense of remedy, improvement, advantage. In Shakespeare, we encounter boots (2). So, when in Sonnet 29, the poet troubles ‘deaf heaven with [his] bootless cries’ or the Fairy tells us how Puck ‘bootless make[s] the breathless housewife churn (Midsummer Night’s Dream, II.i.37), we should read bootless as useless, in vain.

Doubt Now: hesitate Shakespeare’s use/meaning: not only hesitate, but also be afraid of, dread Usage of doubt in the sense that is predominant in Shakespeare’s works can be traced back to as early as 1200s. However, the meaning of hesitate was there in the ultimate Latin source dubitāre and related to dubious, hence the influence on the English loan word. In some Shakespearean contexts, these two close senses can be interpreted as contrary to each other. For example, when Bastard says, ‘Conduct me to the King; I doubt he will be dead or ere I come” (King John, V.vi.43-4), he fears the King will be dead before he arrives.

Excrement Now: waste matter discharged from the body Shakespeare’s use/meaning: broadly applying to any substances pushed from the body Now, that’s a naughty one! The word excrement is registered from 1533 in the sense we know today. But Shakespeare, the king of filthy puns, uses it in a completely new sense. Before you give vent to your imagination, when Armado brags regarding the King’s liking to ‘with his royal finger thus dally with my excrement’ (Love’s Labour’s Lost, V.i.98), he is referring to his growth of hair. Sounds filthier? Armado himself clarifies it in his next line, ‘my mustachio’ (V.i.99).

Happily Now: joyously, gaily Shakespeare’s use/meaning: primarily, perhaps Happy is first recorded in Chaucer’s House of Fame in the sense of fortunate, lucky, from the English hap — chance, fortune. The modern sense, again, derives from Chaucer (The Canterbury Tales). In most of Shakespearean contexts, we need to be aware of the sense of “hap” in happily, as Shakespeare uses it synonymously with “haply”. When Queen Margaret says to York that had he been the Regent in France, instead of Somerset, York’s fortune ‘might happily have proved far worse than his’ (Henry VI, Part 2, III.i.306), she is not being mean. Not yet.

Lover Now: someone you are in a sexual relationship with, usually illicitly Shakespeare’s use/meaning: friend Lover as friend precedes the modern meaning by a little over 100 years, with both dating back to the Middle English period. Shakespeare, however, punster that he is, uses lover almost exclusively in the old sense. If you do not know what he means, some Shakespearean situations can sound pretty awkward, to say the least. Lorenzo, for example, fervently puts a plug in for Antonio to Portia as ‘a lover of my lord your husband’ (The Merchant of Venice, III.iv.7). He means friend, whatever you make of Antonio. . .

Friend Now: a person you know well, love and regard Shakespeare’s use/meaning: primarily, lover Friend is an Old English word which appears in texts as early as Beowulf; it derives from the Proto-Germanic frijōjanan and is cognate with the verb to free. It started with the sense we know today, with a slightly extended application to someone we hold in regard or a relative. This generalized sense, too, is encountered in Shakespeare and creates a pun or two… Now that you know what Shakespeare has in mind, you are clued in when Lady Capulet tells Juliet to stop crying, ‘So shall you feel the loss, but not the friend / Which you weep for’, and Juliet replies that she is weeping for her beloved — not the relative, ‘Feeling so the loss, I cannot choose but ever weep the friend’ (Romeo & Juliet, III.v.74-7).

Merely Now: only Shakespeare’s use/meaning: primarily, completely, utterly Mere appears in English in late 1300s and ultimately derives from Latin merus — pure, clear. Shakespeare uses mere(ly) largely in its now obsolete sense of entire(ly) (1443) which a little over a century later was overtaken by the modern sense. The two senses can be quite conflicting in Shakespeare, unless you take into account the context. It is the old sense we should read in Rosalind’s famous ‘Love is merely madness’ (As You Like It, III.ii.383) or in Portia’s firm ‘He [Shylock] shall have merely justice and his bond’ (The Merchant of Venice, IV.i.336).

Sad Now: unhappy, upset Shakespeare’s use/meaning: serious; indifferent; sorrowful Sad dates back to the early Middle Ages in the sense of sated or tired and developed the more intense sense of sorrowful shortly afterwards. It was a short step from here to the sense of serious, through semantic associations. These senses are lost to modern English. What we should keep in mind is that sad in Shakespeare’s plays and poems has a more emphatic meaning than we assume. It is not for want of a better word that Richard II calls his jailer a ‘sad dog’ (V.v.70), i.e. indifferent, blank-faced. The sense of seriousness lies in the expression ‘in good sadness’, as in Baptista’s ‘Now, in good sadness, son Petruchio / I think thou hast the veriest shrew of all’ (The Taming of the Shrew, V.ii.63-4). And for the sense of intense upset, look out for Queen Margaret’s sharp tongue: ‘Farewell, York’s wife, and Queen of sad mischance! / These English woes shall make me smile in France’ (Richard III, Iv.iv.114-5).

Wink Now: briefly close the eyes to signal a meaning Shakespeare’s use/meaning: primarily, close the eyes Wink in the sense of close one’s eyes appears in around 1200s. Interestingly, the modern meaning — which is absent in Shakespeare — is first recorded about 1100. Shakespeare uses wink mainly to mean close eyes or sleep, the latter surviving in the modern idiom ‘to take forty winks.’ It is not difficult to guess what the enamored Goddess means: ‘Art thou ashamed to kiss? then wink again, / And I will wink; so shall the day seem night’ (Venus & Adonis, 121-2).

Learn Now: gain knowledge, information Shakespeare’s use/meaning: teach, inform This is one of the oldest English words of Germanic origin and was initially used in the sense we understand today. Learn is a fascinating example of a conflicting semantic development. The modern meaning is absent from the canon but the syntax of the sentence is usually a good cue for the reverse meaning of learn in Shakespearean contexts, as when Claudio thanks Don Pedro: ‘Sweet Prince, you learn me noble thankfulness’ (Much Ado about Nothing, Iv.i.28). And, unlike the spirit of this article, here is Caliban venting at Prospero: ‘[…] The red plague rid you / For learning me your language!’ (The Tempest, I.ii.364-5.1).

The list is not, of course, exhaustive. There are some hundred or so False Friends in Shakespeare. Reading Shakespeare with any medium size etymological dictionary (e.g., Chambers) or a good Shakespeare glossary (e.g., Shakespeare’s Words) at hand, would be no bootless task but befriend you with Shakespearean False Friends, merely!

Looking for more Shakespearean fun? Celebrate the Bard’s birthday with us by checking out our Shakespearean English quiz!

 

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About the Author Annie Martirosyan is a linguist and Shakespeare researcher, with a PhD in Philology. She has taught English language at university level and is a freelance translator, editor and reviewer. Annie has passion galore for Shakespeare, Dostoevsky, languages, words, words, words, literature, English churches and cathedrals, philosophy, etymology, folklore, British history and every single book of David Crystal who is her lifelong inspiration. She still reads fairy tales before bed.

Epistolary Novels, Finding Your Theme, and the Science of Good Writing

Can letter writing teach you how to write a novel? Can your socks help you identify a theme? What do neuroscientists have to say about writing? Find the answers by checking out these links to our favorite stories from around the web this week. Have something you’d like to see us cover here? Let us know in the comment section!

Our Favorite Stories:

1. Why Writing a Book Through Letters Is Beautiful and Wild (The Guardian)
2. Theme and the Power of Socks (The Writer)
3. 6 Scientific Tips to Improve Your Writing (Futurity)

Staff Book Picks of the Week:

The Marvels (Fiction) Brian Selznick

“Filled with mystery, vibrant characters, surprise twists, and heartrending beauty, and featuring Selznick’s most arresting art to date, The Marvels is a moving tribute to the power of story.”

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear (Nonfiction) Elizabeth Gilbert

“Balancing between soulful spirituality and cheerful pragmatism, Gilbert encourages us to uncover the “strange jewels” that are hidden within each of us. Whether we are looking to write a book, make art, find new ways to address challenges in our work,  embark on a dream long deferred, or simply infuse our everyday lives with more mindfulness and passion, Big Magic cracks open a world of wonder and joy.”

Author & Illustrator Birthdays

George R. R. Martin — September 20, 1948

Stephen King — September 21, 1947

F. Scott Fitzgerald — September 24, 1896

Shel Silverstein — September 25, 1930

Andrea Davis Pinkney — September 25, 1963