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So You Wanna Be a Writer? by WordCount, literature

Literature

So You Wanna Be a Writer?

Many writers profess their desire to be novelists or poets, and sometimes even journalists, but very few--indeed, even those sitting with Creative Writing degrees, know what other options are out there for someone gifted with words. Your old Alma Mater wasn't lying when they said you could do "anything" with an English Literature degree, but they may have been leaving out much of the story. For writers, especially those trying to break into the publishing business, the world is a daunting (and often depressing) place. Securing a literary agent is almost necessary in today's oversaturated market and, while many publishers are still looking

Punctuating Dialogue: A Guide by WordCount, literature

Literature

Punctuating Dialogue: A Guide

Standard Punctuation: Dialogue Sometimes we read dialogue so often, punctuated in so many different ways, that we either forget what we've learned (if that was anything memorable to begin with) or we rely on instinct to guide us. A common example of this can be seen in the opening dialogue of darksouldream's piece, Bobby: ‘No,’ replied Cindy `I think his sister Becky is staying with her, but she keeps muttering about parents out living children. The doctors been keeping her pretty sedated.’ Most Americans will cringe at this. Why? Well, double quotation marks are the more acceptable usage (th

Write Better: Read More by WordCount, literature

Literature

Write Better: Read More

We didn't believe it, either, but you really can learn a lot from reading a book! If you've ever wanted some worthwhile advice from someone other than your high school English teacher, this is the place to look. The authors below are experts in their fields, well-respected and admired by accomplished writers from all over the world, and we're bringing you a list of their most prized and collectively-effective books. (Tried-and-tested by our worthy administrators, no less!) So what're you waiting for? Learn how to make every word count! Reading Resource List for the Aspiring Writer General Prose:

Romantic and Erotic Miss-Cats by WordCount, literature

Literature

Romantic and Erotic Miss-Cats

Understanding dA's Prose Categories: Romantic & Erotic Fiction Keep in mind, when submitting literature, that the category really does make a difference. Properly-categorized literature can result in better readers who are more inclined to like what you're offering because you're giving them exactly what they are looking for. Consequently, this also helps lessen the number of derogatory comments you might get based on someone's mistaken expectation of your work, style, or subject matter. The experience for a reader who runs into a miss-categorized text is similar to someone walking into the "Science Fiction a

Wrath of the Grammar Nazi by WordCount, literature

Literature

Wrath of the Grammar Nazi

In favor of avoiding parallel structure debates (misplaced modifiers, ahh!) and a general crusade against passive voice, WordCount is offering a list of common "pet peeves" to satisfy the punctuation junkie in all of you. Please understand that this list is by no means exhaustive, nor is it original, but it warrants saying from time to time. Nothing in here is meant to insult you, all rules can be broken, and there are always exceptions. One should also note that rules about comma usage and "the dash" differ from place to place and country to country, but this list falls back on Oxford's guide to style (because we all n

Giving Prose Visual Appeal by WordCount, literature

Literature

Giving Prose Visual Appeal

Anyone who's spent any time reading text on a computer screen can tell you that things such as font, spacing, formatting, and size all play a role in how well a text is received. Often times people make comments that disregard the importance of formatting a text. What these people fail to realize is that many people find it difficult to read certain things, not because they're lazy, old, or uncool, but because they have vision problems that prevent them from digesting entire blocks of text with no clear paragraph breaks or focusing on more than a line or two of bold/italic writing. In fact, even people with 20

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Write Better: Read More by WordCount, literature

Literature

Write Better: Read More

Giving Prose Visual Appeal by WordCount, literature

Literature

Giving Prose Visual Appeal

Wrath of the Grammar Nazi by WordCount, literature

Literature

Wrath of the Grammar Nazi

Punctuating Dialogue: A Guide by WordCount, literature

Literature

Punctuating Dialogue: A Guide

So You Wanna Be a Writer? by WordCount, literature

Literature

So You Wanna Be a Writer?

Romantic and Erotic Miss-Cats by WordCount, literature

Literature

Romantic and Erotic Miss-Cats

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The Tinder and The Flame by otterski, literature

Literature

The Tinder and The Flame

There once was a flame who loved a bit of tinder. The tinder didn’t know that flame loved her. On one especially dark night, the flame summoned all of his strength and approached the tinder, alight in a glorious blaze. Before the flame had a chance to spread his radiance, the tinder spoke out. The tinder said, “The weather is much too warm and you are far too great a flame. What use could anyone have for so hot a flame?” But the flame needed the tinder, for without the tinder the flame could never burn his brightest. And so the flame waited. The weather grew colder and the flame began to wither. He grew smaller and smaller,

The Chewing Turned Chattering by Senoy, literature

Insomnia by Verticae, literature

Literature

Insomnia

Dreams. Nightmares. Unforgettable nights of longing for the things so far away. For the things that scare me. Pleasant tales of love, overthrown by stories of hell itself - all unfolding around my bed. My red sheets are the bloodstains on the gray wall one night, a bouquet of roses the next. What are dreams? Imaginary places of make-believe happiness, as if some form of natural prozac? Realms where fantasy is pushed beyond the borders of our very imagination? I can't tell. I don't want to. My dreams are chapters of the book of my life, they're the red ribbon on the edge of the next page. Never managed to do much reading with my eyes open. W

Confrontation by tubaterry, literature

Literature

Confrontation

A corpulent man lumbers down wide marble steps, his finely-tailored business suit in tatters around him. The building was hit an hour ago, he was lucky to escape its crumbling ediface. The cuts and bruises would heal in time, but as the bits and pieces of his hallowed government fluttered to the ground like a macabre snowfall, he demanded retribution. The lone fighter emerges from his observation position, assault rifle in hand. The last shreds of his makeshift camoflague swing freely from his clothing. Some call him a freedom fighter, others a terrorist. Maybe he's a visionary, shedding light on the corruption around him, or maybe he'

Sleeping Beauty by ladygekko, literature

Literature

Sleeping Beauty

Sleeping Beauty I can see him coming even through my closed eyelids. He gets closer and closer to the bed, panting like an animal from the hundred steps, and I can smell the sweat and dirt come off him in waves that make my nostrils flare. But I stay perfectly still, keep my eyes sealed shut. He comes to me, and his dirty fingers explore me, spreading his filth all over my clean body. How can he? He doesn't notice at all where my hand rests. Over me he breathes hard and pulses, and I hate him for it. The first was to supposed to be the perfect one, the pure. I wanted him to be so... perfect. But he wasn't. He scratched my face with

Kiss of an angel by Mithgariel, literature

Literature

Kiss of an angel

She smiles as he walks in. It has been years, it seems. She has missed him, she feels now. Now that he is here. He looks dashing as ever. She loves to see him move. Such beauty, almost unearthly. Such elegance. He has always had style of most eloquent kind. As he stands at the door she begins to wonder why she has always felt like this about him. Angel. Her Angel. But no, he belongs to no one. No woman can never truly have him. So many have tried. And failed. He just walks by, breaks their hearts and walks on. He cannot be blamed. He is innocent he is blameless. He would be the most beautiful example of elven race and yet he is not an elf. He

Living with A.D.D. by EverRoxas, literature

Literature

Living with A.D.D.

Living with Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.) Although I was nineteen before I was actually diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.), I knew that something was preventing me from performing as well as I could on standardized tests and in essays. Yes, those two areas were where I struggled most and still struggle most in my life. I never scored very high on those standardized tests, but did well enough to escape much notice from those in education. I also did not do too well on any sort of essays or long papers, but did well enough there to avoid much notice. I never knew that I had something that was affecting my educational

Chicken Banana Theory by Durkee341, literature

Literature

Chicken Banana Theory

Chicken Banana Theory A man walks down the street and encounters another man. This other man believes he is a chicken, and promptly approaches the first man to inform him of this amid a series of chicken-noises. The first man acknowledges this, and hurries past. Later, the first man is walking back along this same path and encounters the same man, though this time, the other man no longer believes that he is a chicken, but rather a banana. This is an illogical transition– one cannot logically explain it by tracking the events that led to this mental transfiguration from chicken to banana. You cannot, for example, say that the man woke u

Cheating by Dhes-of-Yuggoth, literature

Literature

Cheating

"So he says to me, he says, I mean like he was God's gift, he says, ‘That's the way it goes, brother, sometimes you lose, sometimes you cheat.’ -- I mean, can you beat that?" I watched Dingo as he paced the filthy motel floorboards, agitated as he often was when I saw him, and I idly wondered if the place had ever been carpeted, as a way of distracting myself from the torrent of his incoherency. He sorely tried my patience on nights like this after his cousin’s monthly visits had come to an end, as it always remained to me to pick up the pieces of Dingo’s shattered sense of understanding. His cousin, Trey, was a gutter ph

Creepy Bus Guy by Yukinoko, literature

Literature

Creepy Bus Guy

(Lights up. We see a young woman, Gigi, sitting on a bus seat, staring straight ahead. From stage left enters a strange looking man in his early twenties named Jeff; he pauses in front of Gigi, who tenses as he quickly gazes at her, before he walks behind her and takes the seat directly behind her. Jeff watches the frozen and stiff Gigi for a minute, nothing is said between them; Jeff turns his head to look out the window.) Jeff: It’s raining. (Gigi stares straight ahead, nodding very slightly in agreement. She’s completely un-nerved by the situation) Jeff: One minute out there and we’d be soaked. Gigi: (tensely) Yeah…

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Sep 30, 2008

Great Prose Exposed: Feature #14

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:pumpkin: Welcome to WordCount (https://www.deviantart.com/wordcount)'s Feature #14! Halloween may be weeks away yet, but that doesn't mean we can't start the celebration early, especially when we have 17 new pieces to brighten up the season. If you're new to the WordCount (https://www.deviantart.com/wordcount) project and want to know what it's all about, head over to our WordCount FAQ to get all your questions answered. While you're at it, check out our Call For Applications and see if you're interested in joining the crew! Did we mention that we're looking for Occult & Spiritual and Horror & Mystery staff members? What better time to apply? If your thirst for prose isn't quenched by all that, we present

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WordCount

Sep 30, 2008

Great Prose Exposed: WordCount Feature #14

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WordCount

Sep 29, 2008

Calling All Prose Soldiers

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It's That Time Again! :new: How could we forget? Everybody please welcome dimerization (https://www.deviantart.com/dimerization) to our staff! She will be heading up our Science Fiction section. Welcome to WordCount (https://www.deviantart.com/wordcount)! :wave: -END EDIT- Once again, WordCount (https://www.deviantart.com/wordcount) is entering a new staff cycle, and we would like to place an open call for applications! Currently, we have openings in three Fiction categories and all Nonfiction categories. While we understand that fictional prose tends to be more popular, it's about time that nonfiction had some fair representation! Of course, if you're interested in any of the open categories, don't hesitate to send an application our way.