The Not-So-Humble Rondeau by HaveTales-WillTell, literature
Literature
The Not-So-Humble Rondeau
Part One: Whence the rondeau?
The word rondeau means 'little circle' in French, and refers to the way these poems start and end with the same phrase. As a form of poetry and music, they've been around in some form since the 13th century; they've only managed to cross over into English verse sometime within the last two hundred and fifty years.
The term was originally applied to a form of courtly music noted for its strict two-rhyme scheme, as well as for using repetition most often of the entire first two lines as a refrain. A wide variety of fixed-verse constructions were originally classed as rondeaux; to this day, many of t
Advice for Writers of Prose by TheBrassGlass, literature
Literature
Advice for Writers of Prose
The Elements of Writing Scenes in Prose
What is a scene? A scene is a term that encompasses not only a situation, but what activity occurs and the setting in which it takes place, the people or animals that are involved, and the nonphysical atmosphere or attributes that correspond. As it is in drama, so it is in other forms of literature.
Think of a scene this way: it is something that MUST take place, either to propel the plot, to develop or reveal character, or to establish a certain mood or setting. If the scene is superfluous (that is, "fluff" or unnecessary), then you do not need to write it or include it in the finished piece. Althoug
Writing Paranormal Characters by simplyprose, literature
Literature
Writing Paranormal Characters
As a writer of prose, you may at some point to want to write about a character or characters which are paranormal. We could perhaps debate over the exact definition of the word paranormal, and some may prefer supernatural - a word more closely associated with magic, whereas paranormal tends to be taken to mean something outside the realms of science (though of course, it is not as clear-cut as that, and you may like to think that I am wrong in saying this).
For the purposes of this guide, both paranormal and supernatural refer to conscious beings, not found in the animal kingdom, t
Side by Side - Your Characters by ashcro85-writing, literature
Literature
Side by Side - Your Characters
Sometimes the best place to learn more about your characters is from your characters themselves. It is important, however, to make sure you have a concrete launching point before you do this. You cant just say create a character with brown hair and call him Bob and expect this method to work.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to jump into one of your story projects and hold a conversation with a character other than your main character. It does not have to be in good proper form, it just has to be a conversation that helps you grasp the character better.
Example: Thief of the Crown - Me vs. Topper
A: Excuse me, I'm l
***Tips For the Novice (and otherwise) - Editing***
The blanket statement, "Editing/revision harms poetry," is simply wrong. It's akin to a photographer claiming that focusing the lens ruins the emotion of the photograph. It is the details, and the appropriate attention paid to them, that separate a photograph from a snapshot. Imagine a film maker slapping every frame he shot up on the screen without editing for continuity, for pacing, for effect. What a disaster. That is not to say that editing can't be destructive - there is such a thing as poor editing, just as there is poor writing. But done correctly, done well, it is one of the m
The Art of Refining Prose by ProsePlease, literature
Literature
The Art of Refining Prose
The Art of Refining Prose
Many writers dread the editing process. Not only does it delay the showcase of prose, it can seem a tedious and painstaking task. Often, editing is more time-consuming than the initial writing and consequently, it is either ignored altogether or briefly indulged. This is a great shame. Sincere editing not only proves a pleasurable experience but invaluable to prose, as this is a wonderful opportunity to buff, polish and tighten the impact of one's writing.
Some might argue that editing is not only unnecessary, but detrimental to the raw concept of ones inspiration. The answer to this is simple: se
Grammar Workshop--ThePrettySin by FictionWorkshop, literature
Literature
Grammar Workshop--ThePrettySin
Here are some helpful hints to improve the grammar, and thus the flow, of your writing.
Its, Its
Its-Contraction of it is or it has
Example: Its Tuesday today.
Its-Possessive adjective/pronoun of it
Example: The beast roared angrily. Its claws glinted in the moonlight as it stepped closer.
Your, Youre
Your-The possessive form of you
Example: Is that your bag?
Youre-Contraction of you are or you were
Example: Youre going to the ballgame, right?
Latest Updates
Welcome to LitterBugs (https://www.deviantart.com/litterbugs).
The purpose of this group is to create a more interactive project of self-improvement for Literature.
We aim to merge several small initiatives to provide critique, workshops, advice (technical and process based), interviews and mentorship to provide a general one-stop-shop for improving your writing skills.
We are aware that there are many writers groups on DeviantART (We've linked to some of our favourites at the bottom of our page!) but we felt that bringing some of the smaller well meaning groups together into one home would help provide a better community service.
We are NOT a rival general