Characterization

It’s the romantic characters of a novel that we live with, breathe in, fantasize and admire. Thus characterization is very important part of romantic novel writing. Infuse life into your characters, make them real, throbbing with energy. Even if the characters are like ‘dream come true’, make them appear real and close to life. Build them carefully, pouring your heart into it. Their thinking, nature, appearance, talks – everything has to reflect in your story. Make characters so real and romantic, that your readers fall in love with them.

Get inspired from reality

Real people should be your inspiration. If your characters belong to countryside, go and interact with the people there. It will help you in weaving characters, close to reality. If your character is a complete romantic person, talk to a romantic person in reality. Spend time together, watch him or her, and find out his or her story. The more you mix up with people in reality, better your characters shape up.

Make a perfect ambience

Get into detail of situations. If your hero falls in love with a coffee shop waitress, create such situation. Create an ideal coffee shop in your novel. Describe everything – from aroma of coffee to the story of corner table – always occupied by couples. Since romance will bloom in the setting, make it appear real. A love story can bloom even in a cemetery. Love stories need not always sound like a fairy tale.

Build climax slowly

Make your readers wait patiently for the right moment. Don’t give them the scoop of ice cream so easily. Let it come slowly, teasing the reader bit by bit. Build drama, conflict, climax, suspense. Don’t let the steamy scene come so easily. Don’t let the story rush. Remember, true love doesn’t unveil overnight. Let it bloom slowly yet steadily.

Finish with an impact behind

Sign off your story with grace. Finish with a deep impact behind. Make ending so impactful that it stays in your readers’ heart forever, burning with passion. Good novel readers swear by and give example of that love, everywhere.

Go for it!

What I am going to teach you here is not going to even be described by these phrases. This is so exciting. I am going to tell you about three unconventional places to look for writing ideas. You will not find many people talking about these places. These are hidden idea sources.

Letters to the editor column

This is unexpected, isn’t it? You do not happen to read “letter to the editor” column in a magazine or the newspaper; at least, not with a purpose to find topics to write about. Despite the fact that each single word in this column is written by real people who actively seek answer to their questions.

Of how many people do you know, who reads an article in newspaper or magazine, and then pick up pen and paper, or go to their e-mail accounts to write a letter to the magazine, just to voice their opinion of the article?

There are not many people who do so, and those who do may very well go online to find the answer. From the letters, see which problem you can address, and right an informative article on that.

Eavesdropping in public

I know overhearing anyone’s personal conversation is not right, but what about those that people conduct in subways, metros, buses, parks, and restaurants, and that not to in low voice? That is not crime, as they already want people to take notice of what they are talking about.

Cash in on this opportunity. Pay close attention to what people are talking in a public place. You will get an idea about the problems people faces in their lives, and you will also get some ideas to develop in an article that will address real problem of real people.

Old magazine

Refurbishing old articles to meet the need of today’s generation is an awesome way to get more readers. Go through the pile of 10 or 20 years old magazine and see if you can find something that is still relevant today. Take that topic, do the research, and let your creative self flow. You will get a good article at the end of the process.

Be honest. Have you read about any of these sources anywhere else? Seriously, I want to know that because I happen to believe that it is only me who takes notice of these sources for article ideas. Please do me a favor, lift your finger from mouse, and hit keys on the keyword and post a comment below.

It has raised many eyebrows, many frowning parental concerns and unstoppable controversies. Well, just like everything else it also has both bright and dark side. Chatting has actually united the entire world as one community, anyone can be talked to, and anyone can be known. Physical, racial, age, regional – all distances have been blurred with the advent of Internet chatting. People meet on chat rooms, text-chat, voice-chat, video-chat, share photographs, become best friends from good friends, fall in love and even get married. Wow! It was incredible few decades back. That’s the real power of Internet chatting.

On the other hand Internet chatting according to many has complicated our lives further, making our communications virtual, fake and is nothing but an illusion. It is a ‘make belief’ medium. People have turned into unsocial bunch; by shutting the door, sitting at home and chatting with internet buddies, rather than going out and making friends in real. This chatting captivated generation prefers to be a couch potato, hold a drink in hand and chat about all the stuffs they hesitate to do in real. People often exploit this medium, peek into others profiles and defame them with wrong intentions, talk objectionable things openly, abuse or comment on others, lie and create even false or misleading image of self. As a result people have lost faith, trust, and dependability on each other.

Chatting has actually saved time from meeting face-to-face, it has united those buddies who lost connection while pacing up with life, it has zeroed down the physical distance, has enabled people remaining in touch throughout, has helped people to exchange views, ideas and knowledge. On the other hand it has attracted many notorious people who take advantage of anonymous identity on Internet and indulge into wrong affairs, which they are scared of doing in reality.

Commenting on Internet chatting’s credibility – whether it’s a blessing or a curse is like chasing a fish in the ocean. There are a lot more of it; waiting to be unveiled in coming days. Let’s just wait and experience it!

If you have not believed this so far then start believing in it, as nothing is truer then the above statement is. And it will become more evident when you will read the best-kept secret twitter tips for job search in this series.

Twitter, as we all know by now, is a 140-word marketing nuclear bomb. It is also referred as virtual water cooler where people talk about things that matters to them. Twitter is not just a micro-blogging tool, but it is a search engine in its own right that has the strength to overpower Google. Twitter can be used in many ways, but we will focus on using it as a job search tool. All the tips in this and subsequent posts are geared towards that only.

For a novice, twitter may look useless, but so did search engines in their initial days.

Easy-to-remember username

Username is your twitter name, and this is the first thing that a person finds about anyone on twitter. This is akin to the first part of your e-mail ID — everything before @, and you will not want your username to spoil the party. Hence, do not use your nickname or any other silly things in there. While saying that I did not mean to say that your nickname is silly, all I meant was that your username should look classy. Cheesy stuffs do not cut it. Your twitter name should also be easy to remember.

Real name for real people

Use your real first and last names in the designated space. Do not use any cool-but-idiotic-sounding words in place of the first and the last name. It will hurt your image, and create hindrance in getting a job. A person without real name does not sound like a person, at least not on the Internet.

Real picture

I know how badly you wanted to look like Brad Pitt, but the fact is you are not him then why to use his picture as your profile picture? Believe me it will not impress your employer, and most of all they will come to know it is not Brad Pitt who is applying for the job. Take my suggestion and pull that picture down, and instead use your own picture, preferably in business attire.

In the twitter profile, nothing but close-up of your own picture should be there.

Start fixing your profile now and when you are done send me your twitter URL. That’s all for today, will meet tomorrow with some more tips.