Today's free resource for writers is a web based program called WordCounter.
Like one of the functions of SmartEdit, WordCounter provides a list of repetitive words in a document. However, unlike SmartEdit where there are so many lists to capture your attention, WordCounter specifically tracks repetitive words. You can modify it to exclude small words like "the" and "it" as well as specify the number of words to list by 25, 50, 100, and 200.
It is a pretty handy tool if you aren't interested in downloading a program. I have ran my MS through this program a few times. As a word of caution, I encountered a server time out when I tried to run my entire MS. It works much better with smaller sections of text so I stick to single chapter analysis.
Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS
Showing posts with label writing resources. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing resources. Show all posts
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Free College Level Courses for Writers?
No way! Right? Wrong!
Coursera and a growing list of other companies are making college level courses available for free. Colleges from around the world getting involved and their professors are making classes web-friendly for students everywhere. Are you creating a complicated religious system in your work in progress? Consider taking a history course on the ancient Greeks from Wesleyan University or a course on Greek and Roman mythology from UPenn. Need a refresher on basic writing skills? Writing Composition 1 from Duke is available for your current needs. Or, Crafting an Effective Writer from Mt. San Jacinto College could help you too (this one starts May 13th).
All participants that meet a certain standard (ie. do all the work as presented on the course syllabus sufficiently- you know, like real college courses) get a certificate of completion. Don't count on being able to use the courses from Coursera or any of the growing number of companies like it to pad your transcript. But your resume? Definitely that.
Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS
Coursera and a growing list of other companies are making college level courses available for free. Colleges from around the world getting involved and their professors are making classes web-friendly for students everywhere. Are you creating a complicated religious system in your work in progress? Consider taking a history course on the ancient Greeks from Wesleyan University or a course on Greek and Roman mythology from UPenn. Need a refresher on basic writing skills? Writing Composition 1 from Duke is available for your current needs. Or, Crafting an Effective Writer from Mt. San Jacinto College could help you too (this one starts May 13th).
All participants that meet a certain standard (ie. do all the work as presented on the course syllabus sufficiently- you know, like real college courses) get a certificate of completion. Don't count on being able to use the courses from Coursera or any of the growing number of companies like it to pad your transcript. But your resume? Definitely that.
Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Free Resources for Writers #1
This is the first post of many regarding free resources for writers available online. Today's post has only one link and I'll tell you why. This link directs you to the complete 2012 lecture series from Brandon Sanderson's college class on science fiction and fantasy creative writing from Brigham Young University. Brandon Sanderson is the writer that finished Robert Jordan's WHEEL OF TIME series after Jordan's death. He is the author of the MISTBORN series, the ALCATRAZ series, and has been credited for creating Sanderson's Laws of Magic (in relation to magic systems in stories).
This series of videos is long. Not just a few hours long. It took me days to get through all the videos. They range from 10 or so minutes to over an hour long and there are nearly 80 videos. The background commentary by the students is sometimes hard or impossible to hear/understand but Brandon does well to answer so that the question is understood. The 9th series of videos were especially useful to me as I was in world building mode when I found them.
Want even more cool free stuff? When you go to the site, check the page for the 2013 interactive web class coming June 1, 2013. It is free and as far as I know, there is no limit on enrollment so share the information with your friends! I will definitely be signing up.
Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS
This series of videos is long. Not just a few hours long. It took me days to get through all the videos. They range from 10 or so minutes to over an hour long and there are nearly 80 videos. The background commentary by the students is sometimes hard or impossible to hear/understand but Brandon does well to answer so that the question is understood. The 9th series of videos were especially useful to me as I was in world building mode when I found them.
Want even more cool free stuff? When you go to the site, check the page for the 2013 interactive web class coming June 1, 2013. It is free and as far as I know, there is no limit on enrollment so share the information with your friends! I will definitely be signing up.
Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS
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