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Articles about fiction writing (0-50 of 835)
- Nyc Cop Marc Morales: Swine Flu In Nyc
By: marciano guerrero | - After a whole shift riding that damn patrol car, I decided to walk -to keep the circulation flowing on my numb legs- from the Precinct to the Blues Bar & Grill, on Second Avenue.
Not only was the joint packed, but noisy as hell. It smelled of burnt chicken wings.
Not having much to do this glorious (high up in the 70s), Friday-afternoon, I told Saleem, the bartender, to run me a tab. I was on my third beer chaser when a huge guy -who was being loud and obnoxious- ...
Tags: fiction writing, h1n1, how to write a short story, marc morales, swine flue
- Edgar Allan Poe's Unity Of Impression - How To Write A Short Story
By: marciano guerrero | - When I sat down to write my mini story on "Alzheimer's" I pretty much had on mind Edgar Allan Poe's writing principle: Unity of impression. To bind the story together I used an object (a 100-burnt out light bulb) that would mirror and symbolize human life: that it eventually burns out.
Poe held that a good work has to be short enough to be read in one sitting. If it requires two sittings, the unity of impression and effect is damaged. That is why he was so critical of Milton's long ...
Tags: alzheimer's, edgar allan poe, fiction writing, fiction writing tips, writing short stories
- Writing For Dummies - How To Shuffle The Writing Desk
By: marciano guerrero | - People often ask me, "Where do you get your ideas for your stories and articles from?" My stock answer is from my daily activities, which include really humdrum, mundane acts that everyone performs.
My first act in the morning is to make a fresh pot of coffee. As I do this chore I find myself thinking about a myriad things that have happened in the past, things that I will handle during the day, or things that I may contemplate doing in the future. This is a delightful task. Since n ...
Tags: essay writing, fiction writing, tips for writing a novel, write short stories, writing short stories
- Are You Making These Mistakes In Your Fiction Writing?
By: Dana Rongione | - John tells Jane about a wonderful story idea he has. Jane tells John he should write a book about it. John does. It is immediately picked up by a major publishing house, and within a month, it is on the NY Times Bestseller list. John quits his job and lives off his royalties. The End.
Every writer in the room is saying, "Yeah, right. It doesn't happen like that." For most writers, no, it doesn't. However, you may see better results if you rid your writing of some tragic mi ...
Tags: fiction writing, writing mistakes, common mistakes in writing, writing fiction
- Is Your Fiction Work Worthy Of Being Read?
By: Dana Rongione | - There are many elements that go into making a work of fiction worthy of being read. While each part is essential, there are four elements that are vital in transforming your work from a boring jumble of words to a true work of art.
1.The idea - This is where every great work of fiction begins. Ideas can come from various places. Sometimes an idea will just pop into your head or wander in from your imagination, but more often, something in your life will trigger a story idea. A ...
Tags: fiction writing, fiction, writing, key elements in fiction, characters, setting, plot
- How To Cultivate The Craft Of Fiction Writing
By: George Hutton | - You know the feeling; you are sitting there, like you are now, looking at your computer screen, like you are now. Only instead of reading these words in front of you, you are trying to come up with your own. Attempting to string together that unique combination of words and sentences and paragraphs that will capture and move peoples emotions in such a way that they truly understand, on a personal level, what it is you are trying to express. So when people read your words they will have a "Wow... ...
Tags: thriller, bestseller, bestselling fiction, suspense thriller, George Hutton
- Writing - Understanding The Difference Between Voice And Tone
By: Robert L. Bacon | - One of the best ways to understand something is to provide different treatments of the subject. Thomas Mann's eight stories in the popular Vintage imprint with DEATH IN VENICE as the lead title is ideal to work from, since each story is written in a different voice. Yet his masterpiece, THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN, depicts his voice as a separate entity unto its own--and one could say this was Mann's true voice.
While the short stories in the DEATH IN VENICE Vintage compendium enable a ...
Tags: writing a novel, tone, voice, creative writing, writing a book, fiction writing, writer, write,
- One Secret That Will Drastically Improve Your Writing Skills
By: George Hutton | - There is one skill that separates those that only wish to write successful, bestselling novels, and those that actually follow through and make this dream come true. If you go to the bookstore and look in the "How To" section, you'll find plenty of books on how to write bestselling novels. There is no shortage of advice on how to create a believable characters, a fascinating plot that will grab readers as they feel compelled to read this story, even advice on how to design your own book cover. ...
Tags: fiction, writing, bestseller, zapotec, George Hutton, crime thriller
- Write A Novel - How To Get Published
By: Robert L. Bacon | - To write a novel that will be appealing to a major royalty publisher involves more than just talent and hard work. It requires creating a plan from the outset and the discipline to follow it.
Everybody Has a Story Worth Telling
If you have begun reading this article, there's a good possibility you have either been told this, heard this, or feel this way for your own reason(s). And while it may not be irrational to believe that each of us has a story worth publishi ...
Tags: write a novel, write, writer, writing, write a book, fiction writing, writing fiction, novel writing
- Why Writing Sex Stories Is Hard
By: Gray Mattox | - Writing sex stories is hard. We sex fiction writers have to handle issues that other writers don't have to worry about, such as coming up with non-repetitive words for genitalia, making dialogue actually sound sexy, and scraping the bottom of our imagination for scenarios we haven't used. But this article isn't about erotic writing techniques; it is about something much more elemental.
When you're starting a sex story, your mindset going in either works for you, or against you. ...
Tags: writing, erotica, sex stories, sex fiction, fan fiction, adult
- A Guide To Effective Promotional Plans
By: Donald Mitchell | - A true good read is surely an act of innovative creation in which we, the readers, become conspirators.
--Malcolm Bradbury
We decided to put our knowledge of breakthrough processes to good use to ensure that our latest book would reach best-seller reading levels. At the time of its publication, sales of 50,000 copies normally constituted a best seller. Based on Peter Drucker's information, about 5,000 people would read some part of those 50,000 copies. About 500 peo ...
Tags: article marketing, non-fiction writing, marketing, public relations, readers, competitive advantage
- Three Steps To Making You A Better Writer
By: Sebastian Marders | - Much has been said about how creative writing helps in the development of well being. Much has been written about the importance and role of creative writing - the personal, social, and political aspects that can be found in it. But how can one really become an effective and efficient practitioner of the craft?
For aspiring and neophyte writers, creative writing is not impossible to master. Just having the passion and determination to come up with a good piece could give go a long ...
Tags: writing, fiction, non-fiction, writing tips
- The Six Thinking Hats
By: Suzanne Harrison | - It's summertime in Australia and summertime in Australia means one thing cricket! And if there ever was a mental sport, it's cricket. I was watching a test match last week and one of Australia's greatest ever players, and captains, passed the comment that once you get to state level cricket (the step beneath playing for the national team) the game is played almost entirely in the mind. That is, a player's success or failure depends less on his physical talent with the ...
Tags: creative writing, creative writing courses, novel writing, fiction writing, writing life, writing inspiration, online creative writing school
- The 7 Habits Of Highly Successful Authors
By: Suzanne Harrison | - The more I read how the successful authors do it, the more I realise that, like successful people in all walks of life, they all do things in common that contribute enormously to their success. So how can we learn from successful authors to ensure our own success in 2008 and beyond?
We can start by adopting what I call The 7 Habits of Highly Successful Authors. Adopt these 7 habits and you just may find that 2008 is the year you break through your own writing barriers!
Tags: creative writing, creative writing courses, novel writing, fiction writing, writing life, writing inspiration, creative writing school, online creative writi
- The Truth About The Writing Life
By: Suzanne Harrison | - When you are a writer, you cannot separate your writing from your life. Writers cannot not write, so writing for you is like breathing. It is so natural you don't even think about it. I think it's a shame that so many writers treat their writing as anything from "special time" to the last thing on their to-do list. Writing is life. And so the principles of life, or the truth about life, are also the principles of, or the truth about, the writing life.
I recently re-read a favourit ...
Tags: creative writing, creative writing courses, novel writing, fiction writing, writing life, writing inspiration, creative writing school, online creative writi
- Science Fiction Writing - Ten Cliches To Avoid
By: William Meikle | - Science Fiction has become so much part of our culture that icons from it are all around us, in film, TV, computer games and music. Adoption into the mainstream makes science fiction both easy to sell, and hard to write without seeming tired and cliched. Here are ten situations you should steer away from, and some variations to consider if you're determined to proceed.
The Never-Ending Spacecraft Flying Overhead
It starts with just a small piece of hardware c ...
Tags: Science Fiction, SF, Sci-Fi, writing, writer, Science Fiction Writer, Science Fiction writing, help, advice, tips
- Crime Writing - Ten Cliches To Avoid
By: William Meikle | - Crime fiction is big business at the moment, but there are certain situations that have been overplayed so much that they have become genre cliches and everybody knows what to expect next. Here are ten cliches you should try to avoid and thoughts on how to subvert the cliches if you do decide to use them.
Cops and Doctors
You can find this perennial favourite in both crime and historical fiction. You'll see it in ER, NYPD Blue and in cross -genre shows like th ...
Tags: crime fiction, crime writing, fiction, writing, writer, help, advice, tips
- How To Make Your Book Unique
By: Joan Clout-Kruse | - Do you remember as a little kid trying to stand out and show off in front of your family and friends? Maybe you danced or sang a song. Played an instrument. Then as teenagers you dressed outlandishly. Maybe even had colored your hair orange--and it wasn't even Halloween! We did lots of unique and different things to stand out and get attention.
Be a contrarian. Be different.
We need to do the same thing with the books we want to write. Do you want to stand out in a ...
Tags: book writing, business writing, non-fiction writing, entrepreneur
- Agents And Publishers - Who Do I Approach First?
By: Steve Dempster | - You may well think that the choice of approaching an agent or publisher is academic before you have even finished your book but nothing is further from the truth. This short article discusses the pros and cons of agents and publishers - and which one you should go for.
A decision that many writers put off for as long as possible seems to be the one where they decide if they want to get an agent or go directly to a publisher. One school of thought says that having an agent is defin ...
Tags: novel writing, novel writer, novel writers, fiction writer, fiction writing
- Novel Writing: Five Secrets Of Success
By: Steve Dempster | - Have you ever wondered, as you sit at your keyboard, if there are any secrets to successful novel writing? Well there are - and here are five of them. Remember these secrets and your novel writing will improve overnight!
To call the points below 'secrets' is perhaps to invest them with too great an air of mystery, yet it seems that so many words of advice are looked on as 'secrets' nowadays that I thought 'what the heck? Go with the flow - call them secrets. Why not?'
Tags: novel writing, novel writer, novel writers, fiction writer, fiction writing
- The Seven Deadly Sins For Non-fiction Writing
By: Gail Richards | - Even the most compelling writing and subject can fail if you let the small irritations get in the way of that connection with your reader. Make your writing worth reading and take it from good to great by avoiding these seven pitfalls.
1. Poor organization. If your reader can't follow your line of reasoning or organization, they will eventually give up. The writer may not have created a beginning, middle, and end that readers get hooked on and want to take to the end. As a wr ...
Tags: Non-Fiction, Writing, Organization, Writer, Passive voice, Vocabulary, book, grammar, misspellings, incorrect abbreviations, capitalization, trite phr
- If Failure Is A Dirty Word - It Pays To Know How To Clean It Up!
By: Steve Dempster | - The flip side of the success coin is failure. In our culture, failure has almost become a taboo subject - and yet failure simply means lack of success. Learning from failure to gain the success you want isn't magic - it's called planning. In writing this is crucial, so let's have a look at some pointers.
Planning is the key to success in many walks of life and in most careers and writing is no exception. If you are planning who to write for, have the correct target market, write ...
Tags: novel writing, novel writer, novel writers, fiction writer, fiction writing
- The Backstory, Or: Just Where The Heck Does It All Start?
By: Steve Dempster | - If you have decided to write a novel, the story that exists within it extends way beyond the book itself. This 'backstory' is what helps give your book depth: here are a few points to keep in mind about the 'past' of the book you're writing.
A novel may encompass any period of time, from an hour or two to many centuries. Yet this span of time, no matter how great, is finite; it has a beginning and an end that coincide with the start and finish of your book. Yet we all know that ti ...
Tags: novel writing, novel writer, novel writers, fiction writer, fiction writing
- Three Key Points To Consider Before You Write That Book!
By: Steve Dempster | - According to recent surveys, over 70% of people questioned said they would like to write a book. This article touches on three key points that just might help them - and you - do just that!
First key point: willpower. Although 70% of people questioned may well have said they would like to write a book, figures aren't available for the number who actually did anything about it. It's an unfortunate truth that wanting to do something and actually doing it are very often a long way ap ...
Tags: novel writing, novel writer, novel writers, fiction writer, fiction writing
- Novel Writing - It's All In The Preparation!
By: Steve Dempster | - Despite all the competition, most new and aspiring authors want to write a novel. This article take s a quick look at some points to consider before you put pen to paper!
In the past I have written a good many articles extolling the virtues of writing that time-honoured writing form - the short story. Yet it seems that virtually everyone who has ever entertained the slightest yearning to be a writer wants to write a book - otherwise known as a novel.
Novel writing i ...
Tags: novel writing, novel writer, novel writers, fiction writer, fiction writing
- The Quickest, Surest Path To Fiction Writing Success
By: David Silva | - There is a path to fiction writing success that is quick and sure, even obvious. It's a path that's simple to explain. In fact, I'm going to explain it in this short article. And when I'm finished, most of you who read this will nod and say to yourselves, "I knew that." Then you'll move on without giving it another thought. And you won't do it.
And that will be a shame.
As with any profession, writing good fiction requires a learning curve. It begins with the very b ...
Tags: fiction writing, writing success, writers
- Why Write A Novel? Here Are Three Good Reasons Not To!
By: Steve Dempster | - For many aspiring writers, the novel is the chosen path to publication. Yet with so few achieving this goal, why not consider some other pathways to success? This article lists three reasons why not to write a novel and gives some alternatives!
1. Novels take a long time to write.
On average, a novelist will spend a year on researching and writing their novel. Don't forget that this is full-time work too! Any novel is a major undertaking in writing terms and for a ...
Tags: fiction writing, factual writing, short story writing, writing dialogue, writing advice, short stories
- How To Get New Ideas For You Non-fiction Story?
By: Kawekied | - Imagine the next time you join a discussion about non-fiction writing. When you start sharing the fascinating non-fiction writing facts that it is never easy to write non-fiction story, and your friends will be absolutely amazed on what you have told them. The best time to learn about non-fiction writing is before you're in the thick of things. Wise readers will keep reading to earn some valuable non-fiction writing experience while it's still free. As an author, we are all know that there is a ...
Tags: non-fiction, idea for non-fiction, writing non-fiction
- Is There A Book In You? Ten Points That Will Help You Decide
By: Steve Dempster | - The desire to have a book with your name on the cover seems universal - yet how many would-be writers really know if they have what it takes to succeed? Here are ten points that every beginner should consider.
Writing a book - and getting it published - is an ambition that is not hard to understand. Breaking into the ranks of published writers means that others, experts in the business, have decided that your talent is worth investing in. A book is a permanent thing: years from no ...
Tags: fiction writing, factual writing, short story writing, writing dialogue, writing advice, short stories
- Thriller Fiction : Know Basic Principle Of A Good Thriller
By: Tatiya T. | - As simple as the initial questions are what make thriller fiction become more attractive to readers and how to make thriller really thrilling? What is mechanism of thriller fiction writing and how does it work? Which factor of common element that I should pick up for my writing? And end up with a kind of question like how to write a successful thriller fiction?
The answer is really rely on human psychology and biology, which about how people think and how they behave as well as me ...
Tags: Thriller Fiction, Writing Technic, Writing Skill, Thriller Story, Attractive Writing, Basic Writing, Thriller Writing
- Historical Fiction, The Way Forward Unique And Effective Writing
By: Tatiya T. | - For those of you who love to write historical fiction, this article may be useful for you to develop writing skills as well as to improve quality of your writing piece.
As we all know among people who are historical fiction writers that writing kind of this work requires a lot of time and massive effort as well as creativity to combine the historical fact with the story to make the perfect casting as well as endearing and dislikeable characters.
The benefit of writi ...
Tags: Historical Fiction, Writing Skill, Writing Method, Success Writing
- Fiction Writing: 3 Crucial Points For Your Main Character
By: Steve Dempster | - The main or lead character in any story is a lynchpin and has very definite qualities. Miss one of these and your story may well grind to a halt! This article takes a look at three crucial aspects of the main character.
The main character in any work of fiction is the one around which the entire story revolves. He or she must possess certain values or abilities if your story is to work, yet many aspiring writers miss one or more of these vital points and become frustrated when the ...
Tags: fiction writing, factual writing, short story writing, writing dialogue, writing advice, short stories
- Short Story Writing: Don't Waste Your Words On Wasted Words!
By: Steve Dempster | - The short story market often demands tight word counts from the writer. Here are some tips on how to keep that word count under control!
Short stories written specifically for inclusion in weekly or monthly magazines are a lucrative source of income for any writer. The pay rate per word is often high and the returns are good for the length of time devoted to any one story.
Yet this market has its own disciplines and one cardinal rule that aspiring writers must obey ...
Tags: fiction writing, factual writing, short story writing, writing dialogue, writing advice, short stories
- Writing: Fact Or Fiction?
By: Steve Dempster | - Nearly everyone who wants to be a writer looks at the fiction market as being the way to go - but another, vast market exists. What is it? Let's find out.
The minute you mention that you're a writer you nearly always get the same reaction. It goes something like this: 'Do you write crime thrillers/science fiction/romance/spy stories etc .etc. etc.' I was pleasantly surprised recently when someone I met at a writer's circle said 'I don't write fiction.' We had a very interesting co ...
Tags: fiction writing, factual writing, short story writing, writing dialogue, writing advice
- Fiction Writing: Short Story Subjects That Sell
By: Steve Dempster | - When writing for women's magazines it's important to know the themes that work - and those that don't. Here we take a look at popular magazine themes.
First off, here's a question. What kind of stories do you think are printed in women's magazines? If you don't read them, chances are that you'll say 'romance'. Well, you would only be half-right. Romance still figures highly within their pages but these days it's not the traditional stuff.
Years ago the mainstay of t ...
Tags: fiction writing, short story writing, writing dialogue, writing advice
- Fiction Editing - Story Sense And Logic
By: Steve Dempster | - Your story, be it novel, short story or novelette, is finished. Or is it? Before you send it to a publisher, check firstly that your story makes sense!
Maybe you read my article about The Final Draft. Well, before you reach that stage there's this one to go through. It can be hard and you need to be tough with yourself, castings an editor's eye - not that of a writer - over your work. So what is there to look for when editing and how do you go about it?
The first th ...
Tags: fiction writing, short story writing, writing dialogue, writing advice
- Fiction Writing: Getting Your Events In Order
By: Steve Dempster | - In fiction writing, events occur in strict chronological order. If you would like to know what this means, please read on!
In previous articles I've used my fictional tongue-in-cheek character Detective Jake Bullett to help me along. Jake's tough and gets into a lot of scrapes where things happen quickly. Let's see what a sample could be like:
'Jake lashed out and the gunman fell over, taking Jake with him. At the same time Sally screamed 'Look out, Jake!' and Jake ...
Tags: fiction writing, short story, novel writing, writing advice, writing style
- Article Writing: How Do You Write For Quality?
By: Steve Dempster | - Article directories receive hundreds of articles daily - but why do some articles perform better than others? In this article we examine some of the reasons.
Article writing, for a competent writer, is a fairly easy discipline. The task is to write an informative and interesting piece of work in the range of some 400-1200 words. Yet many articles that I, as an article directory editor, have seen are just not up to the mark. Why is that? Let's leave aside for the moment the ones th ...
Tags: fiction writing, short story writing, writing dialogue, writing advice
- Viewpoint Writing 2: How To Use Your Character's 'voice'
By: Steve Dempster | - There are some simple rules to remember when writing form a character's viewpoint, yet many forget them. Here's a rundown of some to remember . . .
No matter what language you speak, regional accents and dialect always give away your origin - unless of course you have had voice coaching. In the UK accent differences can be very subtle - for example, I can tell if someone is from my home town or a town just ten miles away. You can probably do this too.
When 'buildi ...
Tags: fiction writing, short story, viewpoint writing, fiction, fiction writer
- New Writers: Please Take Note!
By: Steve Dempster | - Have you ever wondered how some writers seem to have plenty of ideas to work with and others very few? Well, here perhaps is one reason why . . .
If you have ever listened to anyone say something along the lines of 'I had this most amazing dream last night - but I can't just remember what it was about' you may start to guess where I'm coming from.
Firstly, it's not about writing about dreams! I just used that as an example of the nature of memory. Sometimes your mem ...
Tags: fiction, fiction writing, short story, writing, story planning
- Dialogue In Writing: Some Points You Should Consider
By: Steve Dempster | - In short story writing, dialogue is very important for a number of reasons. I've listed a few below, not in order of importance - all are important - but to give a 'points to ponder' rundown. So - what about dialogue, then?
Dialogue can be defined as the interaction between two characters on a vocal level. Good dialogue can and should convey mood, information and move the story along.
It is important within a story specifically written for printing in, say, women's ...
Tags: fiction writing, short story writing, writing dialogue, writing advice
- Viewpoint Writing 1: Seeing Through Your Character's Eyes
By: Steve Dempster | - Of the many different writing styles, viewpoint writing is probably the one that works best for aspiring writers - but what is it?
Viewpoint writing is used extensively in modern novels, especially ones that contain fast-paced action. As its name suggests, it's written from the active character's viewpoint, telling the reader what the character sees, how they feel, what they know, and so on. We'll look here at seeing through your character's eyes.
Maybe you think t ...
Tags: fiction writing, short story, novel writing, writing advice, writing style
- Short Stories - Dead In The Water Or Alive And Kicking?
By: Steve Dempster | - The short story genre is one that is thriving - but only in certain places. Where are they?
A short story can be roughly defined as any work of fiction below about 12,000 words. A greater wordcount tends to move the story into the realms of the 'Novella' or Novelette', a niche in the writing field that falls between the short story and the full-blown novel.
For many years the short story was a thriving branch of fiction but took a downturn during the middle section ...
Tags: short stories, novels, science fiction, fantasy fiction, womens magazines, fiction writing
- Non-fiction Salesmanship
By: Scott Lindsay | - The research you have conducted has been exhausting, yet the first draft of your non-fiction work is complete and you are in the midst of revisions and personal editing. Your plan is to send it on to a publisher soon.
Are you really finished with the work at that point?
You can take satisfaction in the fact that one of the harder elements of your experience in writing is over, but there are many details yet to attend to. You will need to write a cover letter and pro ...
Tags: non-fiction, writing, christian writing, writing
- Good Fiction Is Credible Fiction
By: Eric Penz | - So you want to write a good story? The kind of fiction that resonates with its readers; the kind that lasts longer on the shelf than the milk at your grocer; the kind that keeps people up at night like a narcotic? Well, then heres a little advice my fifth grade teacher, Ms. Pendergast, gave me: do your homework. But you dont like research, you say. Thats why you write fiction and not non-fiction, you say. With fiction you can just make everything up. You dont need to do any research. ...
Tags: fiction, novels, writing fiction, writing a novel, researching a novel
- Character Transformation In Fiction
By: Hugh Rosen | - Much of good to great fiction is characterized by character transformation. Usually this occurs in the protagonist, although it may involve more than one person. One might add that much of creative living is similarly played out as the individual is transformed from one type of person to another.
In either narrative, fiction or real life, the protagonist is effected by personal epiphanies, the influence of another, an openness to new experiences, the consequences of having commit ...
Tags: novels, authors, fiction, writing fiction, any rand, fountainhead
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