EFI LOO PUBLISHING
Publishing is what we do. Fulfilling dreams is why we're here.
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EFI LOO U
Welcome to homeroom!
At the heart of our core values is the belief that in order for one to succeed, they must first help others become successful. That's why we believe knowledge is a commodity that should be shared, not harbored.
Welcome to Efi Loo U. A place designed with you in mind. Whether you're an aspiring writer, or one already published, you're busy and you're hungry to know more. More of what it takes to help exercise your writing skills.
Here at Efi Loo U, you can grab quick writing tips on the go, discover insider secrets to story structure, and find recommended reading resources to help you along your writer's journey.
Don't forget to visit our, Cafe Blog, where you can discover in depth articles on writing, meet guest authors and bloggers, and view videos. Who knows, you may even get a glimpse of Efi Loo in action!
Efi Loo U: We put the "You" in understanding.
NEVER GIVE UP!
How to maneuver through the halls at Efi Loo U:
Below are links to quickly take you to class. Keep an eye out for Professor Efi Loo for she never leaves her students without guidance. When spotting her, if you click her paw, she will gladly bring you back to homeroom to choose your next class. However, if you prefer to wander the halls, feel free. There's plenty to see!
Professsor Efi Loo's #1 writing tip:
Tips on Self-Editing
Tips on Dialogue
The Seven Basic Concepts
Tips on Story Structure
The ROTG Zone:
References on the Go!
The Spilt Ink:
Five Fears to let go of
The Spilt Ink: Five fears to let go of in order to succeed . . .
There is nothing wrong with striving for perfection; however, the pursuit of it, and the perception of it, is a deadly combination. It's best to strive for quality. Make it the best you can and then put it out there. Otherwise, your story will never see the light of day.
Instead of viewing rejection as a negative thing, change your perspective of it to a positive one. What one person may view negatively, another will view it in a positive light. Remember the old cliché, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure? Just because someone may say, no, it doesn’t mean it isn’t any good. Write it, believe in it, and put it out there!
Have you ever looked back on your life and laughed at a time when you didn’t tackle something out of the fear of failure only to find out later in life you had the ability all along? The past is a great compass for the present. Fear it, take it on, and conquer it. Without fear, you’ll never learn to grow.
Of all the writer fears, the fear of finishing is the most common. Many struggle with the thought of what will happen when they finally finish writing their story. Let that thought go, you’re a writer, you have many more tales to tell. Sometimes putting a story to rest gives birth to a new one.
Having the fear of failure can hold you back from pursuing your dreams, having the fear of success can kill your dreams. You’ve written a story, you know it’s well written and you know it will succeed, stop worrying about how you’re going to be able to handle it and let history be the teller of your story.
Fear
of
Perfection:
Fear
of
Rejection:
Fear
of
Failure:
Fear
of
Finishing:
Fear
of
Success:
Read more at our, Cafe Blog!
(Coming Soon: The Spilt Ink: An Efi Loo Publishing Newsletter!)
Back to homeroom!
Did You Know?
Being a writer is a lot like being
a fisherman? Both require a good hook in order to catch a winner!
The Editor's Corner:
Quick tips for self-editing.
Updated monthly.
Efi Loo U Express
It's imortant when writing to take off your self-editor hat and tuck it away somewhere out of site so that you give your full attention to the story you want to tell. (Sometimes it helps to find a fun, quirky hat to actually wear when you're editing!) When you've finished writing, and you're ready to edit, take your self-editor hat out from its hiding place, (literally or metaphorically), and put it on your head. Don't forget to turn off your author mode!
Did you remember to include the five senses? It's important for your readers to not only see what your characters see, but to also hear, smell, feel and taste what they're experiencing. Make your characters come alive!
Remember to look out for unintentional word repeats. Is there another way of saying what you're intending, or should it be eliminated all together?
Quick tip of the month!
Active verb (active voice): The subject is performing an action.
Passive verb (passive voice): The subject receives the action.
All Aboard!
Dream...
Write...
Live...
Do it!
Back to homeroom!
Writers come from all walks of life, and they come in different sizes, shapes, colors, and ages. But they all share one thing in common . . . they dream. We aim to help fill those dreams with information to help them become reality.
Welcome to the Efi Loo U Express! Here we offer quick tips, helpful hints and recommendations on reading materials to help quench your thirst for knowledge. Thank you for visiting us, and we hope you come back real soon!
For more in depth information on writing, be sure to visit our Cafe Blog.
Share. Learn. Grow.
Did You Know?
That Edgar Allan Poe's muse was a large black cat whom he referred to as Catterina, Catter and Kate.
Did You Know?
That the core element of all drama is . . . conflict!
They said it best...
"'The secret to getting ahead is getting started.'"
Mark Twain
The Seven Basic Conflicts At a Glance!
Man against man
Man against nature
Man against himself
Man against God
Man against society
Man caught in the middle
Man and woman
Helpful
Tips
on
Did You Know?
Often times when a story is written using the man against nature conflict, one to two other conflicts are woven in as subplots. For example: Think of the movies Jaws, Twister and Armageddon.
Dialogue
They said it best...
Efi Loo
"Meow."
Back to homeroom!
Quotes inside quotes involve both single and double quotation marks, often with the ending punctuation between the two at the end of the sentence.
However you structure the scene, be sure that there's an internal story need for the dialogue to be communicated.
It's important to understand that it's not the words characters say or the way in which they say them that makes them talk differently, it's the thoughts behind the expression of those words. It's not the way the character talks; it's the way they think.
They said it best...
"'In bad writing, characters use dialogue to ask for what they want. In good writing, characters use dialogue as the tool to get what they want.'"
David Mamet
Sometimes the most powerful way a character can respond to a conversation is not to respond at all!
Dialogue is a great way to introduce a lot of information with using only a few words. Be careful, though, not to fill page after page with dialogue. There must be a balance between exposition and dialogue.
Dialogue is also another great tool to use for pacing.
It's important to remember which point of view you're telling your story in when using dialogue. If you have a character tell another character something that they already know, you're in trouble.
They said it best...
"'There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.'"
Ernest Hemingway
Back to homeroom!
They said it best...
"'Keep the faith... one word at a time.'"
T.K. Millin
Did You Know?
Whether you're writing for print, electronic books or film, and regardless if you're a panster or an outliner, a story follows a natural pattern.
W
Countdown . . .
to five quick tips every writer should have hanging on their writer's office walls, taped to their computer and memorized!
Did You Know?
A story is a series of events that take place in chronological order.
A plot is a series of events that have been deliberatly arranged to reveal their dramatic, thematic and emotional importance.
Tweet...tweet...
You don't say!
SCENE
Goal
Conflict
Disaster
SEQUEL
Emotion
Thought
Decision
Action
Read more at our, Cafe Blog!
Efi Loo reveals what a birdie once tweeted her!
ACT 1
Hook
Backstory
Trigger
ACT 2
Crisis
Struggle
Epiphany
ACT 3
Plan
Climax
Ending
Are you curious about how to put these quick tips into action? Be sure to visit our, Cafe Blog, where you'll find engaging articles to help you apply these tips, and more!
For your convenience, we have provided you with transportation.
Back to homeroom!
Pull up your boots, roll up your sleeves, you're about to enter the ROTG Zone... References On The Go!
For your convenience, each recommended reference has a
Reference on the Go link. Simply click the link and you will be
instantly able to further your studies!
*Efi Loo Publishing, Inc., is in no way associated with the following
publications.
Editing... Grammar...
Word Smithing...
Writing Fiction...
Story Structure... Creative Writing...
Brown, Renni, & King, Dave (2004); Self-Editing for Fiction Writers. New York, NY: Collins.
Truly one of the best self-help books on editing that every writer should have on their bookshelf.
Fowler, H. Ramsey, & Aaron, Jane E. (2012); The Little, Brown Handbook. New Jersey: Pearson
A must have for writers of all levels.
Kipfer, Barbara Ann (2005); Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus in Dictionary Form. New York, NY: Bantam Dell
Even though all computers come with some form of built-in thesaurus, this handy guide provides a broader reference to help enhance a writer's creativity.
Cappon, Rene J.(2003); The Associated Press Guide to Punctuation. MA: Basic Books
Although geared toward journalism, this quick-handy book provides insightful tips for the usuage of punctuation.
Ackerman, Angela, & Puglisi, Becca (2012); The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression. thebookshelfmuse.blogspot.com
Easy to use, this thesaurus is chock-full of body language and action clues to help aid writers with the art of showing, not telling.
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Burroway, Janet (2000); Writing Fiction - A Guide to Narrative Craft. Longman.
Full of insightful information from a writer's point of view, this guide to narrative craft is a book a writer can reference at any time, no matter if they're just starting out or if they've been writing for many years.
Maass, Donald (2009); The Fire in Fiction - Passion, purpose, and techniques to make your novel great. Ohio: Writer's Digest Books.
Every chapter in this book features techniques, practical tools and exercises you can practice and apply to enrich your writing.
Bell, James Scott (2011); Elements of Fiction Writing - Conflict & suspense. Ohio: Writer's Digest Books.
A must read for any writer looking to amp up the suspense in their story, create stronger tension in their dialogue or wanting to know how to engage their readers from the first to the last word.
Bernhardt, William (2013); Perfecting Plot - Charting the hero's journey. Red Sneaker Press
From page one to page one hundred, this book helps explain how to match character to plot, the difference between coincidence and surprise and how to enrich a story through layered conflict.
Kercheval, Jesse Lee (1997); Building Fiction - How to Develop Plot and Structure. Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press.
New writers, and seasoned writers alike, can find discerning advice and creative exercises to help strengthen their creative writing skills.
Weiland, K.M. (2011); Outlining Your Novel - Map Your Way to Success. PenForASwordPublishing
From developing plot ideas to structuring scenes and discovering characters, this engaging book will remove any fear a writer has regarding outlining and replace it with enthusiasm.
Kress, Nancy(2005); Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint - Techniques and exercises for crafting dynamic characters and effective viewpoints. Ohio: Writer's Digest Books.
Any writer struggling to understand the concepts behind creating main characters that readers won’t forget or how to write in multiple-third-person point of view without creating a story no one can follow, then this book is a must read.
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