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Favorite Online Writing Resources

While doing Nanowrimo, one does need to spend some time procrastinating. So I am finally polishing my list of writing resources.

  • TV Tropes is the best inspiration, it also warns you of the worst pitfalls and clichés.
  • I write in English, I often have to look up words in the dictionary.
  • English has all these beautiful words meaning comparable, similar or even identical things. I love the Thesaurus. Also very useful for colors
  • My favorite writing podcast, just 15 minutes long
  • Just books.
  • Writing Tips and more writing tips.
  • Writers Helping Writers. Wonderful resource with the Emotion Thesaurus and many more.
  • Names and more names.
  • Are your characters all scared of the same something? Fear not.
  • Ask Google anything.
  • The IMDB is a treasure trove of actor’s pictures (as is Google image search), I – like many others – tend to use actors as faces for characters, at least during the outlining phase
  • The single great know-it-all, it may not always be deep enough for a scientist, but for a writer the wikipedia is perfect (and so obvious I nearly forgot to list it)
  • And currently (until end of November 2014): Nano Storybundle (includes awesome Shadows Beneath)

Books on Writing that I can recommend. The list might be longer, if only I read more books on writing.

Most important tools I am using:

  • Scrivener – writing suite for PC or MAC
  • WriteOMeter – a tomato timer for writers
  • Evernote – to keep my research
  • Still looking for a good mobile writing tool for my tablet

Of course the inter-webs are full of great resources you can use in your writing. These are just some of the things that I use the most …

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Weekly Words to Read

Here’s an article on what often happens to strong female characters when they have finally made it into the movie/book.

A round-up of English words you are likely to misuse – consider the nauseous enormity …

I found The Last Billboard – once a month someone can post a message that will be displayed on this non-digital billboard. How cool is that.

Finally part 8 of the Outlander series Written in My Own Heart’s Blood is here and Diana Gabaldon posted a link to the Outlander family tree, for those with ebook editions (like myself) that can’t view it properly. Thank you!

A funny weather story found via npr books – my very favorite tumblr on books.

And I am still looking forward to July 1st when the sequel to Blood Song will finally be published. There is a sample for The Tower Lord on the author’s website.

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Insight Outside

Or is it inside out? That’s sushi.

Work is not sushi – most of the time – however it is giving me interesting insights. Nothing I can post of course. Haha. Had you there for a second, didn’t I?

There’s some insight for you.

I am learning new things every day. Mostly from mistakes – not all of them mine. And then there’s King Henry – a classic so to speak.

Most important: communication, transparency, traceability … (I could write a post about jira at this point, or I could just make sushi from my work, just give me a sharp knife, there’s enough raw fish for everyone)

And most important: don’t post on your blog late @ night when you cannot sleep.

PS: I preordered Season 2 tonight. Season 3 is starting soon.

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Schlechtes Gewissen?

Ich stieg im 2. Stock in den Fahrstuhl um in den Keller zu fahren.
Ich dachte: “Für 3 Stockwerke, das lohnt ja kaum!”
Im 1. Stock stieg jemand zu, der ins Erdgeschoss wollte.

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Scope

For you it is drama. Something to fuss about.

For me it is just another moskito bite I am trying to ignore.

You are like the child crying for help without cause. One day … nobody will come running.

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Social Networks

One thing I really hate about social networks is that all the people I know are on different ones. …

So surprise, I just got back from the US and made a facebook account. I resisted for a while since I already have an unused myspace page, a neglected xing account and a studivz account for fun.

There are quite a few people on facebook I know though.

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Is it friday?

wasting timeThis is what happens when somebody accidentally adds the complete company to some mailinglist and writes a “Test” mail to that list.

All in all it was about 60+ mails that everybody received until the wave of office spam was stopped. Of course it took a technical intervention to achieve this, once the trolls are out it is hard to stop them.

I am guessing that there are some more mails going out to those who are still on that list now.