At some point all writers are new writers. Here are some sure-fire fiction writing techniques that might not seem right, that are counterintuitive. These are big techniques new writers often get wrong because at first glance they don't make sense. Here's a list of these methods, and how to avoid getting them wrong. Support the show Buy the master class....
How we dress our character will show--that is, to reveal--much about our characters to the reader. Clothing is evidence of our character's personality, and a strong tool for us writers. Also, Jack Bickham has solid advice on how to end our chapters. Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes—is available ...
Huge rewards for fiction readers are a character's emotions; love, fear, gratitude, respect, loathing, and many others. Here are techniques on how to create emotions in our characters that will be intensely rewarding for readers. Also: an example of the rule of exceptions regarding likeable characters.. Support the show Buy the master class....
In the last episode we talked about major dialogue techniques. Here are smaller ones--but still important techniques--that'll make our dialogue shine. And: how does the best-selling novelist Jonathan Franzen work? We'll find out. Support the show Buy the master class.
Dialogue in fiction is fun to write and fun to read. Here are seven techniques that'll help make our dialogue shine. Also, why should we create a character readers hate? Because those characters can be riveting, and are a strong element in the story. Here are some famous examples from novels, not main villains, but rather secondary characters who make readers groan when they appear on the page. Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, character...
Let's talk about stupid writing, And: how to get our story going without over-explanation and back-story. How John Updike and Frank Baum wrote. And an encounter with Aphrodite in English 101. Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars. If you wan...
Here is a list of the fourteen biggest mistakes we can make when creating our scene, and how to avoid them. Also, we'll talk about how to avoid the dull tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock metronome beat when writing sentences. And: showing rather than telling about a character's personality. Support the show Buy the master class....
Adding a close friend for our story's protagonist offers many benefits. Here are some thoughts on buddies. And: how did novelists Willa Cather and Nathaniel Hawthorne work? Plus, techniques for avoiding interior monologue when our character is alone in the scene. And: should we write the story that's loudest in our head or should we aim for the market? Support the show Buy the master class....
Bland settings works against the story, and riveting settings propel the story forward. Here are techniques for creating powerful settings that will engage the reader. Also, the Wall Street Journal's interview of best-selling Ken Follett is fascinating, and here is some of it. Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—a...
Here are thoughts on how to avoid early mistakes in our writing, those blunders we might make before we write the first sentence of our story. Also, a couple of wonderful quotation about writing. And: new technology tools to help us writers. Support the show Buy the master class.
Action is the most interesting element in most novels, and a fight is action. Here are some techniques for writing a fight scene. Also, here's an almost sure-fire way to prime the pump of our plotting, a way to invent more plot for our story. And: thoughts about naming our characters. Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full...
The first sentence of our story should suggest to the reader, "Come on in and listen." A good first sentence propels the reader into the story, and here are some ways to write them. Also: Stephen King's twenty important techniques for writing. Support the show Buy the master class.
Why should we keep a tie-up later list? How to create one and their importance are mentioned. And Angelou, King, and Tolstoy. Also: should we plan a sequel? Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars. If you want structured, concise guidance, cli...
Listening to characters speak is a great pleasure for readers. It's as if the reader is a character in the scene, listening in, eavesdropping. Here are the three most important dialogue writing techniques I can think of. Also; how can we make our third-person narrator as intimate with the reader as a first-person narrator? Some thoughts are offered on how to get the reader close to the third-person character. And: Mark Twain's daily writing habits. Support the show Buy the master class....
Humorous characters are fun to read about and fun to write about. Here are some thoughts on why funny characters are important in our stories, and some techniques for creating funny characters. Also: Charles Dickens' daily work schedule. Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a on...
Here are ways to show with action and dialogue what our character is thinking so we can avoid visiting the character's mind for interior monologue, usually the least interesting element of a story. And we visit Somerset Maugham, Truman Capote, and Herman Melville. Support the show Buy the master class.
Do we need courage to write our first novel? If so, where do we find it? Also, writing the physical description of our hero in a first-person novel can be tricky. Here are thoughts on how we might do so. Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars...
Here's a list of the most important techniques we should think about when plotting and writing our novel or short story. Also, more on making our settings work for our story. And, how we can show rather than tell about love. Support the show Buy the master class.
Did soon-to-be famous writers know as they drafted their novels that they were creating magic for readers? Maybe. Maybe not. And how can we choose the strong word instead the the weak, so that our sentence shines? Also, here are thoughts on how long our chapters should be, and how to make sure they are not too long and not too short. Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each...
Young adult fiction is a vast market, and many wonderful writers create YA novels. Here are some thoughts on YA, some techniques we might keep in mind as we put together a story meant for teenagers. Also, what is the balance between not enough detail and too much detail in our scenes? I'll set out a formula. Support the show Buy the master class....
A distinctive voice can add a charming or compelling aspect to a story. What is voice? And do we need a distinctive voice? Maybe not, maybe so. Here are thoughts about a voice for our stories. Also mentioned are ideas and techniques regarding flashbacks. Support the show Buy the master class.
The words on our page should be a clear window to our story. How can we do that? Here are eleven techniques to make our sentences forceful and clear. Also, some comments on the story arc. What is a story arc? Is the concept useful? Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time...
A literary agent or a publisher may ask for a synopsis of our novel, a three to five-page summary. Here are techniques on how to write one. Also, can artificial intelligence write fiction? We'll find out. Plus, ridding our sentences of filters to get the reader closer to the scene. Support the show Buy the master class....
New writers tend to put too much summary into their stories. I'll talk about how to avoid that mistake, making sure that most of our novels are scenes. Why is this so important? Scenes are much more engaging for the reader than are summaries. Also, here's how to show--rather than tell--about our characters' aches and pains. And here's a list of the twelve best novels of all time. Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, sc...
A great pleasure in our fiction reading is coming across a dastardly villain, someone so bad and so well-described we will never forget him or her. Hannibal Lecter. Nurse Ratched. Huckleberry Finn's father Pap. How can writers create such a villain? Here are techniques, in particular regarding the physical description of the villain. Also discussed is how we can get unstuck in our plotting or writing. Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, ch...
Here are two errors we might make when describing our setting. First, using a dull setting. And, second, making the setting inert, that is, not having the setting contribute to the story. Here are techniques to avoid both mistakes. Plus, we'll look at how other novelists get to work each day, how they manage to sit themselves down and start writing. Support the show Buy the master class....
Once we have completed our novel, it may be time to obtain the services of a literary agent. Here are thoughts on how to find good ones, and how to write a query asking them to look at your manuscript Support the show Buy the master class.
Blue is bluer when placed next to yellow. Here are techniques on the use of contrast to make our scenes and characters more vivid. Also, we can learn how to describe characters--and we can be inspired--by reading how the masters create their characters. Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes—is availa...
Here are some thoughts about how we can write our story in the first-person, some techniques that will capture the reader. Also, usually the fewer the adverbs and adjectives, the stronger the writing. Here's how we can reduce the number of modifiers in our fiction. And here's a list of the six funniest novels of all time. Support the show Buy the master class....
One of the best ways to learn the craft of fiction is to read the works of great writers, those novelists who know how to offer the reader unforgettable images of new places and new people. Here are examples of character and setting descriptions from skilled writers. Listening to them, we'll be inspired to create vivid and enchanting descriptions Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and mu...
