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Welcome to A NEW TALE the creative world of Author, Stu Leventhal where anything is possible! Breaking rules of literature and smashing through, clambering over and crushing confinements of art theory and writing rules are not only allowed but are discussed openly and encouraged….
Creatives, Art Students, Authors, Teachers and Writers of all Genres Let's Study Innovative Language, Imagination, and Innovative Writing, Communication and Art.
     A NEW TALE... A Creative Writing PEP TALK!
           by Stu Leventhal
                  LITERATURE ON STEROIDS!

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 NEW BOOKS by STU LEVENTHAL

HIGH SEA is the new Adventure Detective Mystery by Stu Leventhal. Part one of the no holds barred, high intensity thriller, trilogy featuring Pacific Island Detective Henry Oaks as he pits his wits against evil on the High Seas!       NOW!      Available for purchase at Amazon Kindle!

    PAPERBACK
        WRITER

               By Stu Leventhal
Creative Writing is first and foremost an art form of personal expression. As with any type of art, one needs to learn the mechanics of the craft and then experiment until they find their own comfortable styles. In writing this is called finding one’s writing voice. A single author may have a few different voices, tones and rhythms they use for each writing genre they partake in as well as utilizing a few voices for each of the many different styles of writing that make up each literary genre. And thus there are many, many formats of creative writing already established as well as always in the process of being developed and re-developed. 

Many beginning writers hold themselves back because they put so much pressure on themselves to be able to produce text that is at the highest, professional level immediately. This is partly because writing has been associated with schooling in their psych since they were young and they have been judged and graded on many subjects often based on tests and homework assignments involving writing tasks.
It is easy to make the often invalid association between how well one writes about a subject with how knowledgeable they are on that subject or even to make the leap of assumption that a skilled writer has a higher IQ or is more intelligent than a poor writer. Which is why teachers, professors, parents, job counselors and life coaches all stress getting an education as such an important means for later securing, higher paying jobs and living comfortable future life styles. Certainly as a generality, white collar jobs require more writing skills than blue collar jobs.

With Creative Writing we look more at the artsy aspect of the craft of writing than the scholarly aspect. Yet, writers must still abide by the technical rules of diction, punctuation, spelling and grammar as they implore their imaginations to their own interpretations of what word art should and can be. Creative writers must know the rules of their art even if they often bend or ignore a rule or two.  

FORGET WHAT THEY TAUGHT YOU IN GRADE SCHOOL!

Good creative writing requires experimentation. Creative Writers must free themselves from the confines of conventional writing that they have been taught all their lives and encounter in every station of a modern life where writing has been
involved; from reading traffic signs to instruction manuals to text books to menus, to parking tickets, to bills, leases and tax forms. Disassociating one’s self from the schooling aspect of the craft of writing and allowing one’s consciousness to wander opens the doors to discovering the aesthetic beauty aspect of language and the art of communication.
 
Once free to roam one’s thoughts will take the writer to places one never knew they were capable of going or imagining. The writer will experience things and contemplate ideas that will expand their own sense of being as well as alter their interpretation of the world around them and how they look at things in that world. These are the ideas, imaginings, lands, times, people and happenings that great creative writers seek to tell the tales of. To write of such fantastic, non-casual, novel ideas and to explain unique, never before described concepts one must develop ones skills of depicting details in clear, concise, understandable language. Clear and concise communication is easiest achieved by sticking to the accepted rules of language and writing but since we are describing new concepts we may need to invent new rules or bend the old ones.

When a person opens up a water color, paint set for the first time they do so mainly to experience the fun aspect of attempting to create a painting. They have no aspirations of creating a museum quality Rembrandt straight out of the gate. But, new writers tend to expect themselves to be able to write and type as easily as they speak, shout commands or profess their undying love. This undue self-applied pressure restricts one’s creative process. Again, solid knowledge of a subject does not equate to having the ability to write coherently about that subject. The biggest rookie writers mistake is attempting to write perfect first sentences, perfect paragraphs and near perfect pages and short essays with our first drafts. We obsess on minute details which usually have nothing to do with fleshing out the whole creative project which still eludes us. These details that we toil and fret over keep us in a state of narrow mindedness as they exhaust us and they may not even make it into the finished project we are creating.

For a writer to progress to new heights they must free themselves to play around with their craft, to follow hunches, to explore and see where their writings will lead them. This is the excitement of creative writing. Sure you will write yourself into a corner from which you have no idea how to write your way back out of. Yes, you will ramble on and on, with no idea of where a certain piece is going. And you will break some common writing rules that other writers, teachers and tutorials warned you about but you never took heed of until you wrote yourself right smack into the midst of them. Trial and error is how we learn and grow. Do not underestimate the power of your mind or how deep your well really is. Sometimes the solution to your writer’s block comes to you in a blink of an eye with no warning. Challenging ourselves with our writing is the addictive nature of what compels us to write and grow and write more and grow more. 

When we force ourselves to work on projects that fit inside a box or conform to the accepted definition of what a popular type of writing is supposed to be we place restrictions on our imaginations. Restrictive forms of literature are best tackled by experienced writers who are comfortable thinking within confinements of structure and are up for the added challenge of abiding by rules and regulations and accepted norms of the specific genre while still attempting to take the reader on a journey where no other author has taken them to yet. For the amateur creative writer and the new writer communicating their often complicated and garbled musings in a coherent way in which others can appreciate the workings of one’s inner mind is challenge enough to undertake without worrying about breaking the many often controversial rules of literature.
 
No one claims that great writing is easy. In fact most famous writers are on record saying writing is a pretty brutal task. Still, once the urge over takes us to express ourselves to the point of going on printed record, there is no other means of satisfying that thirst than by picking up a pen or typing down our thoughts. Writing quickly becomes a compulsion that builds and is never quite quenched.

Whether you seek to explore sci-fi, mystery fiction, historical documentary, sales and copywriting, poetry and lyrics, humor and satire and/or flash story telling, you will find some informative tips and a sympathetic ear hear at A NEW TALE DOT COM by Stu Leventhal.


Enjoy the tutorials and occasional celebrations of works of art of all kinds and do not feel shy about voicing your opinion about a subject or two or contributing a writing tip or some creative writing news. The internet has opened up a world of sharing that we all should take advantage of. Writers helping writers creates better writing!

Quality writing benefits all of mankind. There is no more noble an endeavor than creative writing!

 ***NEW MYSTERY***  by Stu Leventhal

Business Consultant, Author, Entrepreneur! Stu Leventhal Explains Modern Day Business Marketing and Management For Profit and Success! OWNERS! MANAGERS! BUSINESS CONSULTANTS! This is the info you've been waiting for! The Online and Offline Business Tutorial That Ends the Confusion!

When authors can not think of what to write next, listening to the inspirational thoughts words and advice of great historic writers, leaders and thinkers such as the ones highlighted in the above video can help one aspire to new heights. Enjoy these words of wit and soothing calm. Take a few deep breaths. Realize you are in good company, then pick up your pen and write!

To purchase the best affordable writing services online, click on the GHOST WRITER IMAGE Above! BLOGS, ARTICLES, MOVIE SCRIPTS! E-BOOKS are our specialty!

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LITERATURE OR NOT?

By Stuart Leventhal

I am often asked, “What makes Literature Literary?”

What catapults a story into stardom is quite a debatable topic. Why is an author and all his or her work deemed worthy of study by all the scribes to come? Why should a certain bit of writing be put on a
pedestal and displayed above the herd? Most of us agree that for a story to be
called literature it must be special. The disagreement comes when special is
attempted to be pinned down, isolated and defined. 

A great literary story is more than just a fantastically entertaining tale. And great treasured authors are much more than great story tellers. There are many engaging sportswriters whose columns readers wait with bated breath to read each morning. They can make a baseball game sound like the Battle of Troy. Their passages are quoted at water coolers, bus stops and in checkout lines all day long.

There are biographers who can make the life of the average ‘guy next door’ sound as important as Genghis Kahn’s. Yet, are their words destined to wear the literature badge?

We have all read humorists, satirists and comic skits that have made us laugh so hard we cry, sneeze and cannot catch our breath long enough to smile! But is that enough to be called literary? Must an author leave a piece of his or her heart and soul on every page? Write one’s words with blood instead of ink? 

Some literary  critics and scholars would like you to believe as much. Others claim the true test of literary greatness is whether the writing can stand the test of time. But that would mean hundreds of years would have to pass before a work could be knighted with the title of literature. If that is so then libraries and book stores across the globe are ignoring this long age criteria.

First we must recognize that with all the esteemed institutes of learning in all the corners of the vast world, there is no governing, all supreme institute stamping
official literature seals of authenticity on literary works. So, it seems the final word on whether a piece of writing is literature worthy or not remains with the individual’s discretion!

Here are my criteria to be added to the debate as you wish.

For writing to be literature it must first be enormously popular with the masses as well as the scholars. Secondly, its story must transcend time, generation and age. A great story is still a great story which is quite an accomplishment by itself. But,
literature has to appeal to every age group, gender, have value for any culture
who reads it and be worthy of retelling decade after decade after decade. Now,
to write a tale that peasants enjoy retelling and the aristocracy also likes and recites plus the well-educated and the unschooled can both relate to! Women and men with all their differences both like this tale! The religious quote passages from the story as do the un-pious. Well heck, how can you call a story like that a great story? That, my friend, is no great story. That is LITERATURE!

"Poetry is eternal graffiti written in the heart of everyone." - Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Americus, Book 1

What is a Synonym?
A word you use when you can not spell the other one.

I went to a book store and asked the woman behind the counter where the 'Self Help' section was. She said. "If I told you that would defeat the whole purpose." - Brian Kiley

The true poem rests between the words - Vanna Bonta

                    This season's
          Featured Literary Style
     Flash Fiction     -     under 250 words!

Little quickie fiction is big, when it comes to Creative Writing Stories Online! With the continued progression of e-technologies, blogging, My Space, Twitter, the evolution of the cell phone and its ever expanding features and by products, Blackberries and text messaging the need for quality, brief, entertaining creative writing stories online have truly emerged. A word maximum of 250 words is a hard challenge for a mystery or science fiction writer but with today’s e’culture growing in importance, society’s attention spans are getting shorter and shorter.

Googling and clicking on and off twenty or more different web sites in a few minutes being the norm, writers must entertain with just a few paragraphs, win over the e’browsers right from the start and make every word count. Long winded, self-indulgence is not tolerated. Click, the computer savvy moves on.

Read almost purely for recreation and not bound by any rules of diction, flash fiction, tiny, short, entertaining stories under 250 words are a true evolving art form and their authors, Flashers are truly, gifted, special artists.

Think you got what it takes to be a flash fiction writer? Send us a little ditty, make us giggle, cry, sigh, sweat or get us to just pause and think, using 250 words or less! Writers get ready for the coming explosion of public interest in short, shorts of all kinds. Mysteries, science fiction, westerns, this market is going to be huge. Let us know what you think of this charming style.
       (Stu Leventhal salutes!) Flash fiction (250 words)

The neighborhood watch group
            By Stu Leventhal 

“Oh, so this is where it happened.” Gabe gazed through the wrought iron bars of the gate, at the creepy looking gothic pillars standing crookedly among the over grown weeds in the court yard.

“Yes, twenty years ago today.” Gabe’s partner Harry informed. “I was a Rookie like you are now kid, walking this same beat.”

“The last great battle of the street gangs. It’s hard to believe, two gangs could fight each other and every member of both die. Not one survivor? They say it was bloody?”

“The bloodiest.” Harry stuck the long skeleton key in the lock then twisted. The old gate creaked as it swung open. They stepped onto the yard. Across the way people came out of an alcove carrying glowing candles. “Shush!” Harry held his finger across his mouth then whispered. “Since this is going to be your beat, I thought you should know…” They watched the group carry their candles to the center of the pillars. “One candle for every member of the gangs that were slaughtered here.”

“Who are they?”

“My friends, the neighborhood watch group. The one’s really responsible for cleaning up this town. After the gangs came into the square, I locked the gates so no one could get back out. The gangs rumbled and did a lot of damage to each other. Then these neighbors came in and finished the tired, wounded gang members off.” He pressed the key into the rookie’s palm. "Congratulations, new watch group leader.”

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                  The Inventor
                 by Stuart Leventhal

“Why’s the door locked?”

“Beats me. Knock louder. Maybe the professor’s in his back room or the bathroom. His hearing ain’t great.”

POUND! POUND!

“I’d hate to have to wheel all this mail back to the post office.”

“Go check next door, maybe they know something.”

“But why would Professor Tuckerman commit suicide?” Asked the postman. “When everything’s starting to go so well for him.”

“If you’re referring to his new invention.” Informed the parking garage attendant. “They say, he wrote in his suicide note his machine never worked. It was a fake and he couldn’t bare to face everyone.”

But I saw it work, two nights ago. He extracted gold dust out of ordinary sea water.”

“If you really witnessed the gold machine work, the police are going to want to hear. Use my phone in the back.”

“Where’s the phone?”

“Sorry.” The attendant pulled a gun. “We’re the only people who know the professor’s machine actually works.”

“You killed the professor?”

“A guy can do a lot with a machine that makes gold out of water.” He aimed the gun.

“Wait!...My partner knows I’m here.”

“I’ll tell him something.”

SMASH!…”Police! Drop the gun!”

“Huh! How?…”

The postman lifted his shirt then pointed to a device on his belt. “Professor Tuckerman designed these for us back during that rash of mailman robberies. It’s a homing beeper hooked up to the police station with a transmitter. The cops heard everything we said.”

“You’re under arrest!”

e readers, writers, short story and poetry fans, don't forget to blog about anewtale.com's photos! This shot was taken in Philadelphia Pennsylvania!

                       Golden Eggs
                     By Stuart Leventhal

Scott parted the weeds so Mira could see the goose frolicking in the water. “Every night.” He whispered. “The King’s guards take her out to the mote to enjoy a quick swim then it’s back down to the castle’s basement where she works laying golden eggs for the king.”

“You really believe she lays golden eggs?”

“Would all these guards be watching a regular goose?”

“And, you got a good plan this time?”

“You create a diversion to lure the guards away. While I lure the bird in the other direction using a smelly floating dead fish tied to a long string. I toss a net over her and we’re rich.”

“This don’t involve me taking my clothes off again?”

“Well, how else are we going to lead men away from their posts?”

“Oh Scott!”

One week later, Scott and Mira were locked in the top room of the north tower of the castle. Through the tiny window they heard the king’s speech. “The thieves have been caught. And, I’ve instructed our wizard to turn them both into Geese.” He pointed at two Geese swimming in the mote.

“Liar!” Mira screamed. “We’re up here! There never was a Goose that could lay golden eggs!”

“They can’t hear you Dear. But I’ve thought of a plan to get us out of here. We’ll expose the King and his Wizard for the frauds they are.”

“I hope it doesn’t involve me getting naked again.” Scott stared at her. “Oh Scott!”

*Learn how to write songs like this one!

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                       Family   (300 words)
                     By Stu Leventhal

“Bastards! The Judge promised we wouldn’t be split!” I, eleven years old, yelled.

“No couple will take all three of ya!” The hunchback, head of the orphanage shouted back.

“It’s better for ya brother if he goes wid da rich folk.” Added Milton the toothless overseer.

“No!”

“It’s a done deal!” I was dragged kicking and screaming to the attic. Through barred windows I watched the tall skinny nicely dressed man count out some paper currency into Toothless’s hand, then they loaded little Peter, age six into the fancy carriage.

“Someday we’ll be a family again!” I vowed then cried.

One month earlier, me, Peter and our sister Emily, age nine stood in the back of the courtroom holding hands as the judge sentenced our parents. “For your parts acted in the robbery and murder of a mail courier, I sentence thee both to the gallows…Any last requests?”

“Your Honer, please don’t separate my children!” Begged Mom. “Don’t send them to separate homes!” Pa begged for a glass of whiskey. The Judge informed. “I’ll grant both wishes.” But what happened?

Sis and I, too old for adoption, slaved for three years in a laundry factory washin and mendin clothes, dawn to dusk. The night Sis died of pneumonia, I broke into the file room, took the address of my brother’s stepparents then fled.

Plotting, I cased the mansion for a week. I poisoned the guard dogs, jumped the fence then broke the basement window. I climbed through. I crept up the stairs, saw the panda bear poster pinned to what had to be my little brother’s bedroom door. I reached for the doorknob.

I was in my brother’s bedroom, standing beside his bed. “Wake up little Pete! I’ve come to rescue you!”

“Who are you!?” Pete didn’t recognize me. “And who’s Pete?…Help!!!….Help!!!”

        CREATIVE WRITING

     By Stuart Leventhal    

Creative writing is writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature. Typically identified by an emphasis on inventive, narrative, craft technique, unique character development or an innovative new use of a long established literary device or through creatively manufacturing a totally new literary device. Due to the looseness of the definition, it is possible for any innovative text or cleverly composed prose or poetry to be considered creative writing. Both fictional and non-fictional works fall into the category, including any format; novels, biographies, short stories, music lyrics, and poems. Likewise, artistic pieces from every Literary genre have been categorized as creative writing; mysteries, westerns, science fiction, inspirational fiction. Audience age of the writing work is no barrier; children’s stories, teenage theme works, adult literature have all been given the honor of being tagged creative writing. Long winded epic tales as well as the newly popular flash fiction stories of under 250 words have been badged creative fiction.

In the academic world, colleges and universities usually offer creative writing courses narrowing down their definition to mean decisively fiction and poetry classes. The instruction focuses on writing a story in an original style, as opposed to imitating pre-existing genres such as armchair crime stories or gothic horror. The creative writing courses teach the story writer to have an open attitude towards breaking down the traditional boundaries between established genres and not being scared to combine two or more existing genres in the same piece.  Writing best new fiction for the TV screen and movie stage arena has become extremely lucrative. Hollywood producers are constantly seeking additional creative writers who specialize in writing the best new fiction that is both fresh and ground breaking. Screenwriting, playwriting, radio scripts are all industries always on the lookout for discovering the next big creative writing sensation. 

Creative writing can technically be considered any writing of originality whether contemporary or traditional, virtually any written literature that is expressed in a novel form that’s never been done quite the same before.

Teaching students to compose work based on the long established rules of language and literature helps develop the needed skills of their writing craft. Creative writing focuses on developing new and original means for the students to view their self-expression and then portray their unique views to the rest of the world.

Now is the best, most exciting time in the enchanting history of literature for the truly creative story writer. With the emergence of the internet, the world is truly at its most permissive and open-minded stage ever. Just about anything goes on the world wide web now a days. A creative writer can ply his/her trade without concerns of being edited, stifled, restricted or banned. There’s a place and a need for creative writing of all kinds like never before. For the first time in the glorious history of the world of writing, the creative writer has truely been untethered to explore and experiment whole heartedly. Innovativeness of the creative writer is being celebrated in the digital world. Unique minds with startling, different imaginations are in high demand, saught after by marketing corporations, the entertainment industries as well as being honored by the general public

Creative writing has grown so much in popularity that Creative Writing programs of study are now even being made available to authors, story writers, poets, song lyricists and advertising and marketing copy experts who seek to pursue their Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing. There’s even a PhD. Program for die-hard creative writers.

For the amateur, part time, recreational creative writer attempting to bridge the gap between their academic studies and their artistic pursuits, there are numerous courses in fiction and poetry usually starting with short stories and simple poems. High schools and grade schools offer creative writing literature classes and numerous workshops to strengthen creative ones' writing skills and techniques. Adults can attend social, writing colonies and there are even creative writing conventions.

"A Professional Writer is an amateur who didn't quit." - Richard Bach

What's another word for synonym? - click to LEARN COMEDY WRITING

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  FREE QUOTES ON CREATIVE WRITING PROJECTS!

           Writers on writing 

 "I want to write books that unlock the traffic jam in everybody's head."    John Updike


 "Write to be understood, speak to be heard, read to grow..."                                Lawrence Clark Powell
 

 "The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say. But what we are unable to say."     Anais Nin

 "Why do writers write? Because it isn't there."
Thomas Berger

 "Writing is the best way to talk, without being  inturupted."   Jules Renard

"You can make anything by writing."  C.S. Lewis

"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug." Mark Twain 

Quote of the Day

My father must have had some elementary education, for he could read and write and keep accounts inaccurately. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

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Writing A Story, Writing Fiction, Creative Writing Ideas
    by Stuart Leventhal

Sure, recently the internet has allowed a lot of self-proclaimed, creative writing experts to dominate the field of online literature. And yes, a lot of the esteemed professional creative writers have given up trying to fight the growing trend to publish any blah, blah, quickly typed, unpolished, rushed prose as long as it contains the words their client wishes to rank high for with the search engines. Plagiarism issues have been raised concerning the unchecked use of new writing technologies and software that takes a well humanly written article or short story then spins 50 to 100 versions (usually of poor grammatical quality and terrible flow of thought) by rearranging the original author’s words and sentences adding a few generic passages packed with a webmaster’s keywords. Still, even with all the advancements, nothing in this world satisfies, like reading a few perfectly put together sentences constructed by a real, creative, story writer who's not afraid to bare his/her soul. Advanced language separates the human race from all other species of the world. That is why none of the other arts compare when measuring the impact and awe man feels when encountering a new, well-crafted piece of creative writing. For man knows, in writing lies man’s legacy.

Everyone has stories, be it about high school, first love, a triumph at sports or a personal self- realization moment. To create true art of any kind, you have to expose your guts. A want-a-be story writer needs encouragement. Sometimes we're shy or ashamed to share our story or worried how we'll be perceived after we bare our souls. As a new story writer, one needs to except, deep down that you will be taking a risk every time you press your pen to paper. Stop trying to figure out ways to hold back when writing a story. Don’t disguise the true meaning behind your creative writing. Let your emotions fly! Get prepared to lay yourself naked before your public. Your first book or short story contract is floating just underneath the surface of the lake, waiting for you to lean over the side of the boat to fish it out. Story writer, poet, lyricist; Just don’t lean too far.

“Write what you like to read.” Advises Fran Rice, an Anewtale.com Editor, Poet and Creative Writing Author. “If you like reading mysteries, you’ll like writing a story involving mystery much more than a historic love story. Likewise, if you dig reading romantic, short stories, why choose a fiction tale about mountain climbing as your first subject matter? Unless, it’s about a mountain climber falling hopelessly in and out of love with a woman who’s afraid of heights.”

The best writing comes from your own experiences, yearnings and emotions. But, you say, some of us are private individuals, what then? Your readers will see through anything less than giving them everything; blood, sweat and tears. They sense immediately, when you try to pawn off contrived emotions. But luckily, story writer, there are ways to open up and pour everything into your art while still keeping one's dignity and holding on to a secret moment or two to treasure for yourself. Write fiction!

Change the setting to three hundred years in the future and write a sci-fi. Keep your readers guessing which character is the real you. The best advice for new and experienced writers is still and always will be, write about what you know. If you're like me, a very private person then maybe fiction is the way to go. This way you can pour all of your emotions into your tale without admitting to the world you had a crush on the girl who sat in front of you in tenth grade history class.

In other art forms, such as clarinet playing, there are ways to open up and pour everything into your music while still keeping one's dignity and sense of privacy. But your true fans can see the anguish in your face as you blow out the strained and contorted high notes that are your trademark. This is what keeps them coming back to hear more. And they trust you, any night of the week, not to disappoint them. Writing a story or especially when writing fiction, the story writer gets to let all his/her frustrations out. But, you can’t really hide all your demented pathologies behind the cloak that it’s all just a made up story, a fantasy and your imagination ran away with itself. If you did a good job, you left a piece of your soul on that page! Non-fiction creative writing is even harder to draw blood with your prose and still stay objective. To become a really great story writer, like any artist one has to get used to and come to terms with wearing one’s heart out on one’s sleeve. It is part of the price we scribes pay to enjoy our craft.

The most important rule of literature is that there is no rules of literature, just guide lines. All the so called rules of writing fiction and nonfiction are constantly being revised and updated. A lot of the rules of literature and creative writing were developed by publishers, bookstores and libraries to be able to categorize writing works because they need to have some kind of order and structure to be able to smoothly run their businesses and keep track of trends. Writings that are similar need to be grouped together for practicality purposes. For teaching, education and analyzing purposes the groupings must be well defined. But then, we create the debates on who’s definitions do we use to define the groupings and the members of each group. When a new novel comes out, who decides whether it is a romance, a sci-fi, or a mystery? Certainly there are plenty of books and short stories that have elements of all three genres. The boundaries of genre are meant to be crossed. Thus, the definitions of creative writing are meant to be stretched and molded to the story writer’s means. The rules can be overlooked and when necessary, totally ignored. Write your stories, using whatever methods, creative writing style or means that work. Concentrate on communicating your message to your reader, clearly and concisely. Leave the problem of categorizing your creative writing topics and creative writing ideas to the rest of us.             

So, how do I start my short story, book or creative writing project?

Authors start their stories in numerous ways. Some, simply jump right in the pool and start writing whatever is on their mind at the time.  They know they are going to edit and revise it all later, so why procrastinate. Other authors pride themselves on painstakingly crafting the perfect first sentence of their creative writing project. They strive to build a sentence that’s strong enough it will carry them and their readers through the next few opening paragraphs and maybe even the whole first chapter. To get an idea at how diverse, the beginnings of books are, just go to any shelf in a bookstore and read the first few lines of book after book on a single shelf, in any category. You’ll probably find no two starts alike. Most authors pride themselves on coming up with genius, cute little ways to jump start their short stories and novels. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” The English novelist, Charles Dickens’s (1812-1870) opening to “A Tale of Two Cities.” is arguably the most famous and most quoted opening line in literary history. Yet, almost every teacher of writing will advise you not to open your story by using author narrative. It’s boring they say and self-indulgent! I tend to agree most of the time. My favorite way to start any short story or novel has always been, right in the heat of action. Let’s engage our  reader right from the very first words and get his heart pumping right out of the gate. But, if you think you have an author’s narrative voice that can rival the great Charles Dickens, go for it! Go for it! Go for it!

Dialog is an easy and great way to jump right into a new tale. I don't recommend a long winded drawn out conversation where you don't identify the people talking except through the words they exchange with one another. But I certainly don't have the audacity to say it can't be done. The only rule usually applied to the start of a story is to make sure you catch the reader's attention and make them yearn for more. Strong dialog definitely has that power.

Granted, you need to come up with something that sets your short story apart from all the other short stories piling up in a magazine publisher or fiction editor’s in-bin. They receive so many short stories you have to write something that’s going to make their eyes open wide with marvel, their mouths drop open in surprise, their breathing stop for a second or better yet, a tear flow uncontrollably out of the corner of their pompous eye.

The first thing that may pop into your mind is shock literature. Give them something, so way out there that they can’t ignore it or forget your pen name. While this may get their attention and get you noticed, you’ll quickly be forgotten unless you can follow up with your audience and deliver some real quality content too. Surprise us, Story Writer, by all means but don’t just shock us for shocks sake.

There’s a whole school of writers who believe you should never start a new writing project by trying to write the beginning or opening of your story first. They know from experience that by the time you finish writing a three hundred page novel or even a twenty five page short story, things will have changed in your new tale to render those first few pages obsolete. Due to the importance of the opening words of a story, an experienced story writer plans to write the first few pages or at least the first few paragraphs last, after the whole work is finished. This type of story writer starts his/her creative writing projects by making an outline of the whole story. They claim an outline helps keep their creative writing topics and ideas organized and focused.

I, myself, like to free form (creative writing at its purest) Just write! And, I’ll usually start any new piece in 5,6 or even 8 or 9 different ways, all at the same time. I use as many different styles and start by just writing whatever comes to mind until I run out of steam. The, I lay that notebook down, pick up a new notebook and free form in a whole different manner, using completely different styles or techniques. Once I have some volume created, I’ll take all the different versions and try to put the best of each start together. Sometimes, I have to change the tense or just add a few words or sentences to join two starting pieces. Sometimes, I find, to my delight that I’ve created parts that can be utilized in the middle and endings of my story too. And, of course, some of these early free form, writings will be so out there, they won’t fit with any of the other stuff. That’s okay. I won’t throw out any of them! Maybe when I get time, I’ll use one or two to start a whole new tale.

EDITOR’S NOTE:
Ah...at long last! Welcome fellow starving artists. When we wretched authors first decide to put pen to paper, we revolutionaries wish to startle the world with our wit. Full of vim and vigor, we aim to chastise the world’s leaders and reduce the wealthy and affluent to guilt ridden wretches, who will voluntarily donate all their ill-gotten riches to charity then dedicate the rest of their lives, repenting at a secluded monastery. We've all been to the libraries filled with rooms and shelves stuffed with books that no one person could ever possibly hope to read even a fraction of. We glance at the names and forgotten titles of the creative writers who came before us and their books no one remembers. We see the library card that tells us, this hard back hasn't been signed out in 18 years. Yet we still have the audacity to feel we have something to add to this mountain of neglected reading, something to say that's not been said yet. It all starts as fun, doesn’t it? That first poem, short story, song lyric we shyly show our parents, best friends or lover. "What do you think?" We ask nonchalantly, hoping they don't see our heart is out on our sleeve. "I love it." Is the universal reply. They always want to encourage us, no matter how bad the piece is. We see that look they give us that no one can disguise. They're seeing us through different eyes. They're realizing there's more to us, quite possibly parts of us they'll never get to know. It's a flash of envy and worry and awe. Writing is all of these things.

There are no guarantees. We dream of someday being a famous, rich story writer and then we'll sell the movie rights and be even richer! As we write, we realize what we're giving up, for this creative writing craft that has addicted us. We no longer write for the pay check. We don't write for the praise or title; story writer, author, poet, lyricist, that people have given to us. Critics are ignored. We write, picturing readers reading our words. Sometimes we picture a teenage boy reading one of our short stories or Kindle novels and we want to make him believe and approve and be satisfied when he lays our book aside. Other times we'll picture an older retired man reading night after night, our novel at his bedside. We strive to please all of them even the young woman who may stumble upon our creative writing twenty five years after we're dead, forty years after we wrote it. Logic tells us we can't please them all. Still we must try. Win or lose, we are a story writer and we must go on writing. The criticism hurts. The rejections hurt. I wouldn't wish this affliction on my worst enemy. Unfortunately, it's an infliction I share with most of my friends and almost all of the people I admire. Welcome, Story Writer, Good luck and keep writing, for there is no, more noble of a profession.

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GRAMMAR AND COMPOSITION 101

                                 By Stuart Leventhal

We are all authors in one way or another. Whether it is filling out a job application or answering the questions on a medical history form during a doctor’s visit. Everyone needs to be able to communicate well to be able to live a fulfilling life. We all wish to be successful; have many friends, achieve our dreams, love others, contribute to the wellbeing of mankind and have some fun along the way. In our modern world this requires talking, speaking and expressing yourself to others of our species.

There is a lot of advice floating around out there, especially for children and young adults. The best advice I know of for being able to live a complete and satisfying life is to invest in learning how to communicate efficiently with your fellow human beings. There is no more valuable skill for a person to hone than the craft of clear and concise articulation. Poor social language skills can be an embarrassment. First impressions do make a difference. The better speaker and writer you become the more barriers you can break through when chasing your dreams and the more doors of opportunity you can open and take advantage of.

Everyone agrees that knowledge is power. All scholarly subjects are becoming more and more advanced which means they are more complex making them more difficult to study and master. Not gaining command of one’s language; understanding words and word usage will present a serious hindrance to how much one can ever hope to learn and comprehend in our modern world no matter what the subject matter.

Enhancing one’s language and communication skills will make it easier to excel at each and every field of study there is; the sciences, the arts, mathematics, history, religion, philosophy, medicine, sports… If one truly wishes to experience one’s passions to their fullest, whatever those passions are, you will be able to experience them further by enhancing your skills of reading, writing, diction, grammar, spelling, vocabulary and communication. Being able to communicate better helps all of us!

*Keeping that theory in mind, you will find that many pages and posts on the A NEW TALE Website will include a special English Grammar and Composition lesson of the day. It is my hope that these random lessons will help you become a better writer and more effective communicator!

GRAMMAR AND COMPOSITION LESSON OF THE DAY:

Let’s start at the beginning today. The simplest parts of any language are its words. Words are generally classified or categorized by the way they are used in phrases and sentences. There are basically eight different ways words can be put to use. Teachers refer to the eight types or classes of words as the ‘eight parts of speech’. But you should be made aware that some words can be used in more than one way and thus can belong to more than one category! Below are the ‘eight parts of speech’ and a brief description of each:

1. Noun – A noun is a word used to designate a person, place, thing or idea.
   
   Examples: Mary, Paris, tree, car.
   
   
2. Pronoun – A pronoun is a word used in place of nouns.
   
   Examples: She, he, it, them.
   
   
3. Adjective – An adjective is a word that is used to modify or more thoroughly describe a noun or pronoun.
   
   Examples: Green, tall, beautiful, that, several.
   
   
4. Verb – A verb is a word that depicts action.
   
   Examples: run, play, fall, read.
   
   
5. Adverb – An adverb is a word that is used to modify or further describe and clarify a verb, adjective or another adjective.
   
   Examples: extremely, very, quickly, softly, carefully, fast.
   
   
6. Preposition – A preposition is a word that is used to link nouns and pronouns to other words. Prepositions show the relationship between the nouns or pronouns and the other words.
   
   Examples: above, across, between, inside, near, on, towards.
   
   
7. Conjunction – A conjunction is a word that is used to join words and groups of words together.
   
   Examples: And, or, but, if.
   
   
8. Interjection – An interjection is a word used to represent or express emotion.
   
   Examples: Oh! Wow! Congratulations! Yuck! Duh! Oops!
   
   *Remember, many words can be used in sentences and phrases in different ways, making the same word representative of a totally different ‘part of speech. For example: The word ‘water’ can be used as a noun or a verb.
   
   Water as a noun - ‘She filled the vase up with cold water.’
   
   Water as a verb – ‘Dave watered the flowers.’
    
   The word ‘Love’ can be used as a noun, a verb an adjective or an interjection!
   
   Noun – Love can get very complicated.
   
   Verb – Jill loves Jack.
   
   Adjective – That is my favorite love song
   
   Interjection – Love!
    
   

*Thus, it is ultimately how we use our words that determine their ‘part of speech’.

Why is abbreviation such a long word? -
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