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21 Tips For Creative Writing

1.) Start the story with a hook

2.) Determine conflict and resolution before writing the plot

3.) Determine narrator/Point of View/Person (first person/I, third person/ he or she)

4.) Tense (Present, Past)

5.) Start scene late or close to action

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6.) Establish important characters and setting in less than 500 words

7.) Show actions, describe action concisely

8.) Sensory detail

9.) Start sentence clearly and end gracefully (try to end sentence with a noun)

10.) Get to know the character through thoughts and dialogue/receive pieces of information about the plot

11.) Carefully choose active verbs and potential nouns

12.) End scene early

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13.) Use metaphors, personification, similes, human expression, onomatopoeia, interjections, slang (in dialogue/italicize), chiasmus

14.) Use colors and their various shades

15.) Expand vocabulary/use different words accurately

16.) Free modifiers: presumptive, summative

17.) Carry out/follow through with character development/personality traits/tone/accent (use corks-flaws and gradual method of change)

18.) Establish physical characteristics/visual of character in the very beginning (character development, short and concise)

19.) Use tropes, think about movies, books with that trope/cliche of a basic plot. Think of how to change it in several ways (plot/snowflake method of plotting too)

20.) Determine major genre and sub genre (consider a subplot)

21.) Establish what’s important to the main character in the beginning. Let the reader know what the story will be about in the first chapter

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Race to the Top of the Race

Privilege Makes It Difficult to Accept Other Races Into The Family

It seems Black culture is sold out. It’s all about how much money you can make, how many followers you have, and how you influence others to worship you. The z generations don’t see anything wrong with this. They jump on board with it, but as a product of the x-generation, I feel like my heart is being split open into two pieces.

As long as the money is flowing, they sell themselves short just to have privilege, just to have the fortune and fame. To have what is considered the best in this country.

Follow Me Black Culture
Image by ijmaki from Pixabay

I have an earlier blog titled, The N-Word Has Cashed Out, that explains this phenomenon in broader terms. However, my point is that today’s pop culture is all about selling yourself out, to make it look like you have it all. For all women embracing black culture in this society, it’s all about fake: hair extensions, butt & breast implants, lip plumping, nose jobs, teeth fixing, skin lightening/bronzing/color, right down to dialect of how we speak. It’s all about being the coolest person in Black culture. This can also include a ticket of acceptance into other people’s cultures — if you’re popular enough.

However, for us older Black folk, this leap into the popular mixed-up culture was at one time a ‘preference’ bandwagon. When a Black person has the privilege of acceptance into another race, it becomes a competition for us all to have it too.

It’s a thing in this world to floss and flaunt the ideals of success around like a trophy. Whether that looks like a woman, money, a diamond ring (wedding ring), gold chain, nice car, or the name you’ve branded for yourself in this social society. That’s all today’s Black American culture seems to be about to me; a race to get ahead of the race.

Black America Racing To The Top of The Race
Image by Felix Lichtenfeld from Pixabay

P.S. This might also be why you’re non-Black friend thinks it’s okay to call their friends, ‘niggas’, (there’s no -er at the end or maybe their Black — insert gender here — friend gave them permission).

When cultures mix and mingle. They make subcultures of another kind, of another division. This has become embedded into our American families and you can see it in the common Black family at the reunions. We have groups of family members who sit together because “they” mostly identify with each other in regards to ethnicity, skin color, hair type. We end up having a rainbow of colors and like a double-edged sword, these privileges can divide us too.

Race To The Top of The Race
Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay

I can’t help but hope that I will get the same privilege as my fellow brother. How badly, I yearn to run to the top of the race, to have the cream of the crop in this country. Will I be able to create a subculture within my family and carry them around with pride? As a woman, that may mean that I have to give up what I’m so familiar with, what I come from and create something new for the future.

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