Free or very cheap material on creative literature and storywriting

[Logseman]

While I've made already some bits of fiction, I intend to make something more valuable and potentially marketable in the future. I have some plots stored in my head, but I believe I need to learn how to write them as to feel content with the outcome. With the constraints of a hunger student's budget, I'd like to know what free works about creative literature and storywriting are out there.

[alvico]

Originally Posted by Logseman

While I've made already some bits of fiction, I intend to make something more valuable and potentially marketable in the future. I have some plots stored in my head, but I believe I need to learn how to write them as to feel content with the outcome. With the constraints of a hunger student's budget, I'd like to know what free works about creative literature and storywriting are out there.

Goodness, there's so much out there, I wouldn't know where to start.

Try Googling "creative writing" and you'll see what I mean, let alone just "writing."

One site that's worth checking out is www.writersdigest.com.

All the best with your writing.

[DaringNovelist]

You need more than you can get for free online - although you will find quite a lot to get you started. And, of course, the more stories you read, and the more you write, the more naturally writing stories will come to you.

Your best bet is to check your library for everything you can find. It sounds like you are not a native English speaker, so I don't know if good writing books as plentiful where you are as they are where I am - but librarians everywhere are very good at helping you find things.

Camille
****
The Whore of Freedom, a romantic adventure for $1.99
Link to Kindle edition: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003EYVYRM/
Link to Smashwords edition: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/11786

[altworld]

I'm going to give you the best advice I ever got about creative writing.

Are you read for this?

Just write...

After all just because the market is groaning under Vampire/Boy Wizard clone books doesn't mean what you are writing is not going to be the next big thing. You are after all telling your own unique story, even if there is no such thing as an original story anymore.

Looking up creative writing sites, staring at other peoples work is not going to get your story written. Do what makes you happy and you will find your own voice. Structure is something you will learn and develop into your style.

A brand new dark urban fantasy novel - The Tether None Good by Nick Davis

[Logseman]

I appreciate everyone's feeback

Thankfully it's not topics what I lack. I am lucky to have an imagination vivid enough to get inflamed with some plot ideas. It's more about the craft, the style. I can tell the story, but I need to show it instead. And as you all know, the whole point of writing fiction goes around showing and not telling.

[dadioflex]

Edit.

[Logseman]

Originally Posted by dadioflex

Do you specifically want to write English literature? It doesn't appear to be your first language. And I mean, obviously doesn't appear to be your first language.

I'd also forget any ideas about making money from writing. It isn't going to happen in the short term, and probably never will.

Anyway. This was the best article I ever read on novel writing:

http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/art/snowflake.php

Parts of the site are charged for and I can't comment on those, but that particular article helped me immensely.

I didn't think that my English was so poor (my mother tongue is Spanish btw). I guess I'll have to work harder on it

While I play with the idea of writing in English one day (and if things go as they should, I'll end up doing it as a university professor), my idea is to write in Spanish at the moment.

I don't intend to win money. In the 21st century you won't get money for writing, but (if any) for your work being interesting. My goal is making my work interesting to read, and let Tao work: if money has to come, it will. If money is not to come, it will not. No one can counter the Tao.

[altworld]

Originally Posted by Logseman

I appreciate everyone's feeback

Thankfully it's not topics what I lack. I am lucky to have an imagination vivid enough to get inflamed with some plot ideas. It's more about the craft, the style. I can tell the story, but I need to show it instead. And as you all know, the whole point of writing fiction goes around showing and not telling.

Sounds like your halfway there already. I suggest putting your head down and writing out your first story. Getting the first draft out is important from there you can go back in cut, shift around, structure and fill it out.

To me once you get into telling/showing your story everything starts to have a life of its own characters do odd things, go off plot, new characters arrive and then you spend a good while trying to carrol your story back into line.

Just Write...

[dadioflex]

Edit.

[altworld]

Originally Posted by dadioflex

I suspect reality could counter the Tao.

Your English is much better than my Spanish.

"Just write" isn't the best of advice, in my opinion. There are thousands of people out there just writing. Wattpad is full of people just writing. Without some sort of critical analysis they continue to "just write" garbage. Don't get me wrong, it gets a lot easier to write garbage but it doesn't get any better. "Just read", as I'm sure I saw somebody suggest, is a far better suggestion. Read loads, write a bit. Compare your writing with what you've read. If you don't seethe with jealousy at other people's work, I doubt you'll ever get better.

NB - I've been on a bit of a downer recently so take my advice with a pinch of salt.

From my understanding the OP is trying to find the space, the structure or just the sheer courage to get started. The hardest thing to do is put pen to paper or fingers on a keyboard and to start telling the story that is bouncing around in your head.

You can procrastinate forever, or just get stuck in. There is not one, not one author from us Indies to say... Neil Gaiman... Who will tell you that there first draft is the one they will run with. What they will tell you its was a relief to get the story out before they start hacking at it to get a better structure.

I know I felt this way...

I procrastinated, scared that no one will read what I wrote, that I would get ridiculed for my story, that I had to follow someone elses structure and style for it to be readable. Then I was given the simple advice of 'Just write'

Its not the best advice... But it helped me lay down my first story. The Tether None Good may be garbage after dozens of edits/rewrites and feedback from friends I have to let it go, because now there is nothing else I can do with it until fresh eyes see it or a Professional Book Editor reads it.

On the subject of garbage I personally think the Twilight series are garbage, with one dimensional shallow characters, poor pacing, but one person's garbage is another treasure... And look how well Twilight did, eh?

So I will end with this other perhaps pointless piece of advice... Its your story, your universe your creating and if you want up to be down, right to be left then that is okay in your universe.

Now... Just Write

[Logseman]

Originally Posted by dadioflex

I suspect reality could counter the Tao.

Hardly, as the Tao is reality. The Tao is the flow of things, the Tao is what happens. Some describe it as a river, some describe it as a path, the believers in a deity will label it as the "will of God". But however you name it, Tao is the events which happen whether we like it or not, the unavoidable things which are a "given" for us.