Tag: fiction writing

Writing Powerful True Short StoriesWriting Powerful True Short Stories

Writing a short story is easy, but writing a powerful short story is difficult. In fact, extremely difficult. Add the word “true” to the whole thing and you might as well have a story which is impossible to write… but if you do write it well, then you have a winner.

True short stories can be awesome to read and they can be boring to read. The difference is clear, and you need to make your ones in the first category. You need to make them powerful ones.

But how do you write a powerful true short story? (more…)

Writing Tip: Finding the Balance of Narrative and DialogueWriting Tip: Finding the Balance of Narrative and Dialogue

In the world of fiction writing, there are many things to explore. Subplots, conflict, POV, characters, you name it. But have you heard of narrative and dialogue? If you’ve got a story, you’ve got to narrate it. If you’ve got a set of characters, they have to converse, i.e., talk. Talking in fiction writing is known as dialogue, and narrating or describing anything is known as narrative.

Now where’s the problem in that?

Too much of a good thing is usually a bad thing, and it applies here. Some writers use narrative a lot. Their characters aren’t talkers. It’s just page after page of narrative, how they did this, their journey, their perils, the people they met, the surroundings, and so on. All description. At which point your story looks like an essay which no one wants to read, rather than an amazing novel.

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Why Hunting for Plots is WorthlessWhy Hunting for Plots is Worthless

Plots are limited, and that’s a fact. If you think you can make up a unique plot all by yourself, think again. I’m not saying that it isn’t possible – maybe you can do it — but it’s as difficult as climbing Mt. Everest without oxygen.

Why is this so? Because there have been writers for centuries and centuries, and every plot you think of has already been done, been written or been told in one form or another. The details may be different – the characters may be different, and the setting may be different. But the plot will be similar; the issue of plagiarization will rise.

It’s a big claim to make. Is your writing original? Maybe you struggle with plots. Maybe you can’t seem to find a suitable plot.

Maybe it doesn’t fit.

Maybe it seems like it’s been done before, and many times.

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Tips and Tricks to Improve Your Creative WritingTips and Tricks to Improve Your Creative Writing

Started out at creative writing but have no idea what to do next? Don’t worry; it’s very simple to improve your creative writing and grow it to the next level. Everyone has some tips and tricks in his/her sleeve; some work and some don’t. In this post, you will learn:

  1. 1. Why reading up on grammar, spelling and punctuation is the sign of a good writer
    2. The myth of proof reading and editing, and how to debunk it
    3. Why your first draft won’t be up to scratch, and why revising works
    4. And why getting rid of flowery prose, adverbs and unnecessary adjectives is good

So, without any further ado, here we go!

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Fiction Writing 101: The Elements of StoriesFiction Writing 101: The Elements of Stories

Which is one of the most popular forms of creative writing?

You guessed it: fiction writing. Novels are written every month and every year. The vast majority don’t see the light of day (a fancy expression meaning getting published). Some do. Some become bestsellers. Some don’t even sell a few copies.

Why?

What makes the difference between writing a really good story that people read with pleasure and a boring one that makes readers throw it across the room?
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