Cate Russell-Cole: Artios Communications is an independent publisher and training provider, offering journalism services and local or Internet based training in areas such as fiction writing, autobiography / memoir writing and creativity.
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Creating and Resolving Conflict in Fiction
This book dissects conflict into its component parts; looks at how it works and helps you generate conflict plot-lines and themes which will add richness and realism to your work. The principles apply to any kind of fiction, regardless of the length, characters or genre. It is written by a writing teacher who also has a background in counselling.
Topics covered include:
- A Word of Encouragement for Writers
- The Most Important Thing About Conflict
- How to Fuel Conflicts and Misunderstandings
- What Character Traits Go With What Type of Person?
- Human Behaviour Is All About Patterns
- Using Power Dynamics
- Not Too Easy To Swallow: Avoiding Nauseating Resolutions
- Making or Breaking Character Relationships
- Secrecy and the Death of Trust
- When Do Good Guys Morph Into Foes?
For a sample chapter of the book, please click here.
Creating and Resolving Conflict in Fiction is the first book in the Four Dimensional Characterisation Series. The series has been written to give writers an insight into the aspects of psychology that are the most invaluable for fiction writers. It will assist you in creating personality traits and behaviour patterns which make your characters realistic, unique and believable. This book in the series is focussed on conflict in any kind of relationship. Available from Amazon Kindle.
Building Emotionally Realistic Characters
Whether you are writing fiction, memoir, poetry, short stories, plays, screenplays or music, the ability of your work to touch others depends on how they relate to the messages you are conveying. What they see and hear must be something they have encountered and can relate to easily; or it must be shared in another way they can grasp. Often that is done through the only common element every human being has: knowing what emotions feel like.
You can read a story about events which have never happened to you, but still laugh or cry over what is occurring with the characters. Why? Because you know what it is to experience pain, joy, fear, rejection, envy, fatigue, laughter, grief, ecstasy or doubt too. This is the magic that makes stories work. The tricky part, is conjuring up the right spell or your reader will not be fooled.
This e-book is a full of the incantations you need to bring your characters to life in a way that is emotionally realistic. There are no short cuts to “happily ever after” endings, which leave your plot line hollow and sounding fake. The book contains introductory level psychology which will give you an insight into how emotions and events weave us together into a whole or hurting person.
Topics include: change, motivation, healing emotional trauma, post traumatic growth, grief, shock, super-egos and inferiority, escapism, fatal flaws, phobias, shame, violence, character types, suicide prevention, schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder. This is the second book in the Four Dimensional Characterisation Series.
Unleashing Your Creative Spirit
“Thanks, I enjoyed opening up to my creativity interesting that when I started looking into my own creativity I found a dearth of information and help just kind of flowed to me”
“Very enjoyable course; inspiring and motivating.”
This e-book will help you turn your dreams into reality! It explores the process and practical aspects of creativity; and has been written for artists, writers, musicians, dancers, gardeners, cooks, craft lovers: anyone trying to tap into their creative potential. It looks at the mental processing behind creativity; philosophies that drive how we think about and assess our creative worth; creative character traits; historical role models; an extensive bibliography and web link list and more. The content is practical, not just analytical. It will give you ideas on how to move forward in your creative life.
Topics covered include:
- Capturing the Muse
- Quieting the Internal Censor
- Building A Creative Space
- Working With Failure
- Finding Direction
- Techniques To Use
Available for download from Amazon Kindle.
Phoenix Rising: Conquering the Stresses of the Writer’s Life
I’ve worked with writers both as an autobiography teacher and as a mentor. In 2011 I began a blog project to equip, encourage and share resources with writers of all genres; and which addresses the challenges and frustrations of writers in the digital age. This book contains the best of those articles. It has been written for all genres of writers and all forms of publication.
Chapters Include:
- Measuring the Value of Your Work in a Digital Age
- Healing Creative Injuries
- Creative Dark Matter: Clear Out What’s Holding You Down
- Bomb Proofing Your Writer’s Ego
- Handling Criticism
- Moving Ahead in Small Steps: Why Revolutions Rarely Work
- Fat Free, Guilt Free Blogging Goals
- Escaping Mental Quicksand: Your “Time of Readiness”
- Is Your Writing Life Stuck Under Your Mouse?
- Balancing the Blogging Load
- Writers and Depression: Debunking the Stereotypes
- Writers Should Be Bathed in Blue: Boosting Your Productivity
- Which Wins? Creative Pleasure or Word Count?
- Petwrification: A Health Warning for All Writers
For a single chapter sample of the book, please click here.
I chose the image and title of the phoenix rising from the ashes in response to the battles writers face. I personally relate to the need to choose to rise upwards: away from the fire and into a clear sky to start again. If your creative energy is low, your word count flagging or the downsides of being a writer are taking away your joy, I hope this book will give you new strength and hope with which to spread your wings and find new freedom.
Phoenix Rising: Conquering the Stresses of the Writer’s Life, is available from Amazon Kindle.
Prayer Journal Workshop
Prayer Journal Workshop has been designed to encourage you to start and maintain your own prayer journal: a way of praying on paper. The workshop content is a mixture of inspiration, how-to and practical exercises. It is suitable for any age group, from fourteen years upwards. It is specifically Christian and is available through Amazon Kindle.
For a sample page from the book, please click here.
Whether you want to write a journal or an autobiography, the Write Your Life Story E-Course will give you a structure for what you want to write; many ideas to get you started and enthusiastic; and an understanding of new techniques to bring back memories and write a vibrant story.
By the end of the course you will have:
• Constructed a time line of your life’s events as a starting point for writing;
• Chosen a title;
• Planned what resources you need such as cost and research;
• Used memory trigger techniques and mind mapping;
• Decided which parts of your life you do and don’t want to write about;
• Knowledge about which biography writing pitfalls to avoid;
• Used basic fiction writing techniques to add colour and depth to your work;
• Have a list of resources for inspiration and further information;
• Organised your work so nothing is lost.
If you would like a sample of what the E-course is like, please visit this link: http://www.virtual-desk.com.au/WYLS%20eCourse%20Week%201.pdf ”Write Your Life Story ” is only available from Cate. For more information on the course and the form to order both versions, please visit this link. Course ordering has been suspended until January 7th, 2013 while I am on leave.
You are also most welcome to become a part of the Write Your Life Story Facebook Community. Its aim is to inspire you to write and improve as a writer, by regularly sharing resources and helpful ‘how-to’ posts on Facebook. We have six contributors who share on all aspects of writing, not just journals and memoir. The page address is: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Write-Your-Life-Story/173393852705651?sk=app_190322544333196
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me through my web site.
