This is a wonderful resource for writers of all genre.  There are places where fiction writers can sit and discuss their upcoming books, places for non-fiction writers to discuss the topics of the day, and a place where they can all hang out together.  There are links to various paying writing jobs, links to writing contests, and links to places about grants and awards.  If it’s got anything to do with writing, it can be found on this forum.

The gorgeous lady behind AWF is one of the very first writers I had the pleasure of meeting online, Michelle Devon.  She is an amazingly talented woman and has a killer sense of humor.  Michy (Michelle) refers to herself as a freelance writer, author, poet, and professional dreamer and I think that last one is something we can all relate to.

If you’ve been looking for a place to hang out with other writers who’ve been where you are, and are where you once were, this is the place to go.  Even if you’re tired of talking about writing and just want to hang out, there’s plenty of room at the Accentuate Writers Forum.

As you sit and try to come up with various story ideas, think about your real life.  Not the good parts where everything comes together as it should, but the parts that just totally suck.  Use them as fodder for your story lines.  So you didn’t get the promotion at work you wanted and it went to the guy who never seems to know what’s going on.  Use that as a base for a story.  Why does he always come out smelling like a rose?  Why did he get the promotion?  What are the forces behind his odd behavior?  Don’t stop to think about plot, just write and go for it.

This can be applied to just about any aspect of our lives.  We all know that sometimes, life just sucks.  But rather than hold it in or take it out on those around us, use it to your advantage.  Write out a story where you win and the rest of the world loses.  For a change you could be the one who gets the promotion, the guy/girl, and an award winning story in the end.

There have been hundreds of natural disaster movies coming out in the past 10 years.  With the year 2012 coming up fast, more and more fantastical ideas are coming to the forefront of fiction.  But as I sit here and watch how this hurricane is working its way up the coast, I can’t help but think how many different fictional stories could come out of this one real storm.

I live in tornado alley.  I’ve done the same thing watching the big storms that roll through here.  Though the reality of the storms is anything but fictional, the story ideas behind them can range from young adult fiction, to horror, to romance.  If it can be imagined with a tornado or hurricane in the mix, it can be written.

Though it’s true that fiction is all about making stuff up, there is a realistic quality to some of the best stories ever written.  And when adding the element of the elements, it’s best to be able to make them feel are real as possible.  It’s okay to make up a fictional storm, but at least make it so that the reader can feel the wind in their face.  The more realistic the storm, the more likely the reader is to tell their friends about your awesome story.

When I start out writing a story, I think about the characters first.  Who are they?  Why are they in the story?  What kind of people are they?  Once I’ve figured out the basics of them, I interview them.  Yes, I sit down and do a mock interview with my intended characters.  It helps me in shaping them into realistic figures that readers can believe in.  I don’t want a story filled with goodie-two-shoes, even if the story is about those types of people.  They have to have some flaws.  There has to be something about them that makes them human.  After all, none of us is perfect, so why should the characters in our books be so.

I do the same types of interviews for both the antagonist and the protagonist.  I also do this with all the lesser characters.  It’s how I get a more 3-dimentional feel for them.  It helps me come up with physical traits as well as psychological ones.  It even helps me create some emotional issues that may not even come out in the story.  But for me, knowing that those things are there, help me to create a story around the characters that are believeable.

What types of characters do you enjoy reading about?  Do you like the perfect never-done-wrong types or do you prefer your heroes to be a bit on the flawed side?  Do you want your villains to be a little bit sympathetic or should they be just down right hateful?  How do you create a character?

However, that being said, there is a trick to writing out the perfect murder.  It takes as much time and strategy in theory as it would in reality.  You’ve got to come up with something that will keep your readers wanting more without them going “yeah, right” and throwing your book away.  It’s got to be realistic, it’s got to be ingenious, but most of all, it’s got to be AWESOME!!

Think about some of the people in this world that just piss you off.  Now we all know you’d never actually do it (right???), but how would you go about getting rid of that annoying person?  Would you go the traditional route and leave the body in an abandoned warehouse or out in the woods?  Or how about something wicked like feeding the body to your pet falcon?  Hey, it’s fiction so go all out.  Why not have the body shipped to another planet or sacrificed to that weird dude next door so he won’t eat you?

Now please understand, I am NOT condoning physical violence.  But let’s face it, a really good book usually has some sort of violent tendency.  Even if the person’s death was an accident in the book, it’s still there and it adds a touch of realism to the entire story.  Maybe the main character has to solve the murder because they’re a detective or to prove their own innocence.  The need for violence can be as vast as the number of ways a person can die in the book.  The nice thing about going about things in this way is that you don’t have to worry about a real death sentence and you can get rid of a LOT of pent up anger.

That got me to thinking about how this could be used in a fictional sense and it just seemed obvious.  There are so many great moments that define every aspect of history, but what if they weren’t exactly true?  What if the truth behind the “facts” were even more grandiose, or on the other hand, extremely boring?

There is a school of thought that most of the legends that come from the ancient world are actually stories that are based in fact but embellished to make them sound better.  And throughout the years, especially in the days before writing and stories were past in an oral tradition, those stories grew into what we consider myths today.

Think about some of the coolest, or oddest, points in history and rewrite them.  But instead of trying to turn them into myths, create a “real” scenario behind them and see what you can come up with.  Who knows, a hundred years from now, someone might find your work and think it to be the “real” thing.

The trick is to keep up on some of the leading publications as to what’s been found and use that as your guide.  For example, a few years back, a gentleman in Staffordshire England found what in know  referred to as the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold items ever found…EVER!!!  And as cool as the reality of it all was, and is, the fictional ideas behind it can be astronomical.  For example, who were the people who made the items?  Why were they found buried in various places of one small area?  Who could the items have been made for, or who could they have been MEANT to end up with?  The possibilities are endless.

There are hundreds of sites online that discuss all the latest finds from all around the world.  Some have to do with ancient civilizations, some with the world before humans, and some look into various religions of different cultures.  If you have the desire to learn about it, it’s out there.  And if it’s out there to be learned, it can be used as fodder for a great story.

Think about your own favorite time in history.  This might be as recent as the Vietnam War or as far back as the battle of Kadesh.  Whenever the time is, use some of the facts to add some depth to your stories.  A little bit of fact can turn a good story into a great read.

The site is built on the WordPress platform and allows writers to join up (for free) and post their work for the rest of the site, and world, to see.  The others on the site offer constructive critiques and helpful insights into how to improve upon the story or where the author should go from there.  It is very important to note that all members must fill out an application in order to be allowed to publish on the site.

Each month, they offer a site-wide theme for the writers and one story will be chosen as that month best submission.  All stories must meet high quality standards and must be appropriate for all age groups.  Other stories will have the chance to be named Editor’s Choice.  It is important to remember to follow the site’s guidelines before submitting anything.  Like any good magazine, there are strict rules to adhere to.

There are also a host of writers’ resources and reading tools to be used by all members.  These include links to agents and publishers, how to improve writing skills, and ways to market your own writing.  They also encourage their members to follow each other on the various social media sites.  It’s a wonderful site to get involved with and to help take your writing to the next level.

Check out Fiction Writers’ Platform today and see if this isn’t the place to help you go from hoping to succeeding.

So, I thought tonight’s post should have to do with different places to find fictional ideas.  I know that giving out the addresses of my competition is probably a really bad idea, but finding the right idea isn’t about being competitive; it’s about helping each other keep our creative edge.    Here are a few place you might look when trying to come up with an idea to write about.

1.) The Prompt Writer–Yeah, I have to put my own site in the number one spot.  I have a ton of ideas on the site and they’re all free for the taking and to use as the writer sees fit.  It’s about writing, nothing more—nothing less.

2.) Creative Writing Prompts–This site was put together by the lady that gave me my first start online, Shery Arrieta-Russ.  She’s an amazing lady and one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met.

3.) Writer’s Digest–These people have created some of the best writing prompts to be found anywhere.  These are the ideas brought to you by the professionals in the field.

4.) The Write Source–This is kind of a cool little page as it’s more of a list of topics than prompts.  Also, it’s broken down into grade levels from 1st grade through 12th.  However, it can easily be turned into something that can be used for just about any type of writing.

5.) The Write Prompts–Just as the name says, this is a site filled with writing prompts.  They post one prompt a day, including visual prompts which is very cool.

Check them out and have some fun.  If nothing else, challenge yourself and see if you can’t come up with a great story.  Or better yet, see if you can’t create a few new prompts of your own.

So what can I post real fast about fiction?  How about all the cool fictional e-books you can download from Amazon.com for your Kindle.  Even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can download the reader for free right onto your home computer.  There are hundreds of free e-books out there.  And no, not all of them are great reads.  But most of them are pretty good reads and a lot of them are also quick reads.  Amazon is allowing some authors to publish their short novellas and/or novelettes in .mobi form for their Kindle readers.  It’s kind of nice to be able to lay down and read a quick story before bed.

Okay, that’s my quickie post for the night.  Thank you Penny for saving me for the month.  You’re the bomb.  And anyone out there who’s got a Kindle, check out some of the freebies from Amazon.com.  Even when only reading some good stories, every once in a while you’ll come across a great read that will surprise even the most die-hard fiction fan.