How to Write Fiction Based on Fact How to write fiction based on fact. Please welcome guest writer Sam Russell with a post about writing fiction based on fact. Let’s dispel a myth: you don’t have to write what you know. The first thing you need to know about writing fiction, whatever the genre, is that you must get your facts right. But how do you do it? You need two tools at your command before you begin: experience (personal, professional, or both) and the ability to research. Armed with these, you can then pick any number of methods from the following list to make your fiction come alive in a reader’s hands. Become aware of the world around you. Every writer has a different way of using personal experiences and research to their advantage. With so much out there and in yourself, you need not fear being dull. Look around and tell me: what real-life event or fact can you take and write into fiction? About Melissa DonovanMelissa Donovan is a website designer and copywriter.
Action Verbs: Creative Writing Tips on Choosing Powerful Verbs to Grab Attention Grab Readers' Attention withVivid Verbs, Powerful Verbs! These creative writing tips show how to harness the tremendous power in action verbs: Creative Writing Tips on Action Verbs #1: Vivid Verbs Are Powerful Verbs Verbs energize. The children wept when their dog died. Use vivid verbs, powerful verbs, to fizz up the action, paint word-pictures, and evoke feelings in your readers. Creative Writing Tips on Action Verbs #2: Active Verbs Grab Attention Use active verbs rather than passive. Kim broke the jar. The first example is strong, precise and concise; the second sounds insipid. The active verb in the first example charges the sentence with a vitality and directness that compels attention. Creative Writing Tips on Action Verbs #3: Active Verbs Add Vim and Vitality Active verbs get things done fast; passive verbs impede action. Jack fired the rocket. Use active verbs to quicken the pace. Creative Writing Tips on Action Verbs #4: Concise Verbs Are Strong Verbs
No me gustan, prefiero No me gustan las mujeres que pasan el día exhibiendo sus ropitas en anaqueles. A mi me gustan las que se desvisten en moteles, las que beben, las que bailan en lencería, las gimnastas, aquellas que se ríen sin importar tu poca gracia. Esas mismas. Las que tienen maestría en provocar una erección y se saben todas las mañas necesarias para realizar una memorable felación. No tendría ningún inconveniente en pagar porque me dejen mentirosamente amarlas. Celebraríamos un acto de solemne intercambio comercial. En agradecimiento te regalaría indiferencia post-cópula, palabras bellas de burdel, o poesía romántica vulgar. Luego de esto, al marcharte a seguir tu andar, me estancaría en un estado pasajero de alegría adolescente, hasta que el doliente se acordara de ti otro día y tuviera en billetes lo suficiente para reclamar tu visita, para que de esta forma podamos nuevamente compartir mi soledad de camas vacías con tus soledades de humos, de hombres y cantinas. Mi gusto es mas simple:
The Five Rules of Writing Flashbacks Tips for effectively writing flashbacks into your scenes. Please welcome author Stuart Horwitz with a guest post on writing flashbacks. “Flashback” is a term that we are all familiar with, even if its definition has grown a little vague. We sense that a flashback is something that happened before… but happened before what? Where we are now? In other words, what are we flashing back from? There are good reasons to leave the reading present: by flashing back we can deepen characterization, create suspense, or introduce other characters and events that will eventually matter a great deal to our outcome. To assist with this quandary, I offer the following five rules of writing flashbacks: The first rule of flashback is just that, when we flash back, we do so for a reason. For a great example of the reading present (or the viewing present, in this case) and some fabulous use of flashbacks, watch the film Slumdog Millionaire.
Expanded Power Revision Checklist Would you like to be a published poet? Would you like recognition for your work? Please check out the "Invalid Item" Part I of the Writers Workshop: Expanded Power Revision Checklist I first presented the content of this article at a writers workshop. and seeing a need amongst fellow writers for a more in-depth handling of these superb techniques, I decided to do some moderate reformatting to make this reader-friendly and suitable for posting. This article is a compilation of the techniques culled, distilled, and synthesized from the thirty-eight references listed at the end of this piece. Warning: Some of these techniques may not fit with what you may have thought was great writing. Although these techniques apply to both fiction and non-fiction, most of my examples utilize fiction because it is my favorite form. These techniques are not designed to teach someone how to write. Keep in mind that avoid and limit do not mean never. 1. Showing expresses action, while telling explains. 2. a.
How to write an excellent first chapter for your novel - Writing Tips From philosophy to literature to learning a new language, Humanities 360 is a veritable fountain of knowledge on everything you’d like to know about the humanities. Resources for every level of writing Here at Helium Publishing, we pride ourselves on knowing a thing or two about writing. We are, after all, one of the largest online writer communities. So where better to look for all of your writing needs? Feeling writer’s block creeping up? The grand world of poetry and literature There’s nothing quite like opening up a great piece of literature. Journeying across time and history If the old adage is true that history is bound to repeat itself, then find out what’s coming by boning up on what’s already happened. Learning new languages The intricacies of learning a new language can leave you tongue-tied, but in our Languages section, you can find out language learning tips, and discover the origins of new words you encounter.
Show, Don't (Just) Tell (Dennis G. Jerz, Seton Hill University) Fantasy: Getting Started By Sandra C. Durham © 2003, Sandra C. Durham his is a newcomer’s guide on how to get started in the genre of fantasy writing, from one newcomer to another. The majority of what is discussed here has come from the Forward Motion community as well as from occasional meanderings on the Web based on pointers given by members of that writers' community. Writing fantasy, whether in the form of short stories or novels, does not necessarily follow a set pattern or formula. Contemporary and Urban Fantasy – Stories taking place in the real world, but with an element of magic or fantasy. The best approach to writing in any genre is to know your field. Once you have your book collection, read them carefully. A next logical step in progressing as a new fantasy writer might be to pick up a few good books on the subject. How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy by Orson Scott Card The Writer’s Complete Fantasy Reference, from Writers Digest Books. Books referenced :
How to Hook Your Readers on June 14th, 2010 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill and last modified on November 8, 2010 Remember the musical number from Gypsy, “Gotta Get a Gimmick”? The strippers advised Gypsy Rose Lee that to be successful, she’d need a gimmick, something eye-catching that would grab the attention of audience members. Writers likewise need attention-attracting elements to steer the focus of their readers to the story in their hands (and keep it there). Books compete with TV, computers, movies, hand-held devices and who-knows-what-else for attention. So, how do you entice your reader to stay with your book? You hook her, engage her with an incident from the life of your lead character. No, you don’t need to shoot someone or blow up a building and have your lead save someone from burning to death (even though those scenes work for action movies), but you do need to make the reader pay attention. Consider events from your own life. That’s the same kind of incident you want to start with to open your novel. Fun.
5 situations where it's better to tell than show in your fiction Good stuff; thanks for the article, and I agree with most of it. I think I disagree, though, at least partly, with your point near the end about the emotional/psychological stuff; I think that a lot of the time that's exactly what "show, don't tell" is meant to be all about. For example, if your character is tired, you can say "She was tired." Or you can indicate indirectly, through her actions and her dialogue and other people's reactions to her, that she's tired. The latter is often a lot more effective in conveying the idea that she's tired. Of course, sometimes writers don't show well, and readers are left puzzled. Anyway. @elysdir: Yeah, I think the emotional, psychological stuff is definitely a place where telling can very easily get more heavy-handed.
How to Write a Good Story Beginning on August 11th, 2010 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill and last modified on April 11, 2012 Your first chapter, your opening scene, your very first words are an invitation to readers. Have you made your invitation inviting? That is, is it tempting or attractive or irresistible? Once a reader has glanced at your opening, will he or she find the story impossible to put down? That’s one aim of your story opening, to issue a hard-to-resist invitation to your fictional world. Books compete with movies and other books and games and the Internet and families and lovers—why wouldn’t you give your opening the strongest chance to snare a reader’s attention? What can be found in a compelling opening? MurderBetrayalConflictJealousyDeathGuiltThe unexpectedConfusionA new worldFearSurpriseUpheavalThe unusual What isn’t compelling? RoutineBlissPointless talkBack storyCliched characters Consider your first scene and first words your invitation to readers. Give them a reason to begin your story. Leave a Reply
Fantasy world Many fantasy worlds draw heavily on real world history, geography and sociology, and also on mythology and folklore. Plot function[edit] The setting of a fantasy work is often of great importance to the plot and characters of the story. Even when the land itself is not in danger, it is often used symbolically, for thematic purposes, and to underscore moods.[5] History[edit] Early fantasy worlds appeared as fantasy lands, part of the same planet but separated by geographical barriers. Although medieval peasants who seldom if ever traveled far from their villages could not conclusively say that it was impossible that, for example, an ogre could live a day's travel away, distant continents were necessary from the Renaissance onwards for such fantastic speculation to be plausible, until finally, further exploration rendered all such terrestrial fantasy lands implausible.[7] Common elements[edit] Constructed worlds[edit] Examples[edit] Fairytale and comic fantasy[edit] The retreat of magic[edit]
Where Should a Second Chapter Start? on October 12th, 2010 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill and last modified on October 12, 2010 We’ve all read advice about the first chapter—how and where to begin a story; what makes for strong openings, depending on the genre; what not to include in the first paragraph or page of chapter one; what to include in a novel’s opening. We understand that a good opening chapter sets the tone and introduces lead characters and gets the plot rolling. We know almost as much about the final chapter, the final paragraph, and the final words. About how to finish a story so that it’s complete and satisfying and induces the reader to want more. Yet, where’s the advice for chapter two? What do we do to move from that compelling first chapter—the one that’s seen more rewrites than all other pages combined and multiplied by 10—and into the meat of the story? We certainly want to continue the tone we’ve established. Sure there are. Where should a second chapter start? 1. 2.
How to Avoid Plot Cliches: Tips for Writers on Increasing Their Chances of Publication | Suite101.com Nobody ever said plotting was easy. And because it's not easy, an alarming number of writers settle for so-called 'plot cliches'. Although the cliched situations that follow can appear in any story, some are more likely to be seen in a particular genre. For example, romance writer Francesca Hawley's blog has an amusing post on Heroines Too Stupid to Live. Number 3 on her list of plot cliches is "I shall allow a minor misunderstanding to become a major issue, when a simple conversation would have cleared matters up on page 10." While this plot cliche is by no means exclusive to romance novels, it does appear rather a lot! For those who enjoy fantasy (or any writer who just likes a good laugh) Peter Anspach's "The Top 100 Things I'd Do if I Ever Became an Evil Overlord" shows the dumb mistakes that allow the villain to be killed or captured. What is a Plot Cliche? Four Examples of Plot Cliches How Can Writers Avoid Cliched Plots?