Archive for March 2022
WHY I RETELL FAIRY TALES
Today’s readers expect a more fully developed, unobtrusive presentation that allows readers to immerse themselves into the story as if they were living it.
Read MoreHow to Make Dialogue Sound Real
Dialogue is a literary device that mimics real speech, according to Renni Browne and Dave King in Self-Editing for Fiction Writers; “. . . dialogue is an artificial creation that sounds natural when you read it.”[i] John Truby, in Anatomy of a Story, puts it a little differently: “Dialogue is not real talk: it is…
Read MoreUse and Abuse of Adverbs in Attribution Tags for Dialogue
“For some reason, placing adverbs after the word ‘said’ has both passionate advocates and detractors,” according to Nancy Kress, in Writer’s Digest (November 2005).[i] Opinions regarding the use of adverbs after dialogue tags may be divided into three categories: Prohibition Exceptions Alternatives PROHIBITION Linda Lee Maifair, in Talk About (Institute of Children’s Literature, 1991), refers…
Read MoreAdvancing Plot Through Action and Dialogue
Nothing advances plot as well as a good scene. During the process of creating a scene, an author may use a variety of fiction-writing modes, including a healthy dose of action, dialogue, or both. It’s possible to create a scene without action. Here’s an example of a segment from a fictional poker game. “You must…
Read MoreHow to Write Dialogue that Increases Conflict
A key ingredient of any scene is the character attempting to achieve a goal. If the scene is to be interesting, something must thwart, or attempt to thwart, the character’s intensions. Often the character’s effort is physical (as in trying to catch bank robbers), but the effort may also be verbal (as in the town…
Read MoreImmediacy Versus Distance
Writing with immediacy and intimacy are two keys to maximizing reader involvement and enjoyment of fiction. IMMEDIACY Narrative immediacyi is the quality of writing where events in a story seem to unfold as they are being told, helping the reader maintain the illusion that he’s experiencing the events of the story rather than reading or…
Read MoreRecollection as a Fiction-Writing Mode
Recollection is the fiction-writing mode whereby a character calls something to mind. Of the various fiction-writing modes, recollection is probably the most underrated. It is also the most likely to be challenged as meriting recognition as a distinct mode.
Read MoreNarration as a Fiction-Writing Mode
Narration in written fiction today has a different role than it played in the past. Compared to its use in early novels, narration has a much smaller part.
Read MoreExposition as a Fiction-Writing Mode
With appropriate respect, care, and craft, conscientious fiction-writers can transform exposition into something graceful and elegant.
Read MoreIntrospection as a Fiction-Writing Mode
Full and skillful use of introspection provides a great opportunity to enhance the reader’s experience.
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