Tag Archive for fiction

Will writing nonfiction help your fiction writing skills?

Absolutely… to a certain extent. Fiction emphasizes creativity and imagination in order to construct believable characters, dialogue and plot. Nonfiction prepares you to write other elements of the novel, such as, narrative, description, or scene, and to blend them together seamlessly into a story. Nonfiction writing also prepares you for novel writing when you want to add layers or to increase the depth of your scenes.

However, if you pour too much of your nonfiction skills into your novel, it will take control of your fiction elements. I am guilty of making this mistake. Here are some symptoms to look out for when nonfiction writing has invaded your novel: Read more

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How to determine what fiction genre you’re interested to write

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In my previous post I wrote about Creating a story for your fiction where I mentioned how you can determine what fiction or novel you’re interested to write based on your favorite movies.

In this post, I would like to expand upon that post by exploring how your favorite novels could be used to help determine what type of fiction genre you write.
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Writer’s Block: Does it really exist?

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Do you believe in writer’s block?

I heard of a writer who after having the first novel published couldn’t write for years afterwards. No matter how hard the writer tried there was no second manuscript in sight.

If that is an accurate description of what writer’s block is about, then it’s pretty severe and scary thing for a budding writer like me to know.

Right now writing is not a problem for me at all.

But wait!
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Outline vs. No Outline

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I read about this debate all over the place – in the forums or in “how to” books for writers.

So what exactly is an outline? It’s defined as a statement or summary of the chief facts about something.

Now if you’re already a writer and you know your preferences, you either outline your novel first before you write or you’re a seat-of-the-pants type of writer – based on intuition or experience – rather than a plan.

If you’re a first time writer and want to write your first novel you should continue reading. Then you can decide for yourself if you’d like to outline first or you prefer to just go a head and start writing.

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Turning ideas into fiction

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After completing my short story a couple of months ago, I managed to write another short fictional piece (750 words) and a short memoir (1,500 words). Between editing my manuscripts, I became overwhelmed with ideas coming down like rain. I felt practically pelted – so to speak.

So, amid rewriting I’ve stopped, grabbed my note pad and started to jot them down furiously. Now I have a couple of dozen ideas ready to be turned into fiction – or do I? Well, it happens that these ideas are, you know, just ideas – I couldn’t turn them into fiction.

I wondered why that is? After analyzing the situation for a while I think I knew the reasons. Here they are:

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Getting the facts in fiction

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What an irony. You thought that you don’t need to use facts in fiction. If you think fiction is just that – pure fiction – think again. Even though you write a short story or novel, research is an important part in creating believable characters and settings.

Making a plausible character is important for your reader to identify with and relate to. If say your protagonist’s occupation is a lawyer, you do need to get an accurate description about the life and ways of a lawyer. The more accurate your protagonist portrays it, the more credible he/she is in your reader’s eyes. So, if someone tells you writing fiction is easy because you can create everything in your mind without doing any research firsthand, you have received wrong advice.

Setting is another element in your fiction that requires accurate facts – unless you are writing science fiction that needs you to create an entirely different world. But even science fiction needs extensive research about some areas in science. Your characters need to be in a believable setting to interest the reader since they read your fiction to get an experience and to be entertained as well.
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The writer’s mantra: show it, don’t tell.

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When you think you have had enough information to help you begin writing your first fictional piece or memoir, you will scratch your head when I tell you there is yet another technique you need to master. And I experienced it first hand when beginning to write. Writing is not as easy as I thought it would be. This is because the same question keeps repeating itself through my head: how to make and keep the reader glued to their seat from start to finish?

If you plan to be an apprentice writer and writing your fictional piece just for yourself or as an exercise – that is fine. But when you write with the intent to send your manuscript to the editor, you better get ready for the arrival of the rejection slip. No, seriously. The editor is your first and the most critical reader you will confront. You need to impress him/her with your best writing.
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How to maintain reader interest to the end for your fiction

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Authors write fiction with goals in mind: they want the reader to read and learn something from their character’s experience. Additionally, the reader expects the story to be entertaining as well. It all sounds fairly easy and straightforward as it makes writing fiction interesting, but it is not. Any writer who’s published or attempted to write a short story or novel understands – writing fiction is easy; writing fiction that maintains the reader’s interest throughout is not.

So how do you present your story to hook the reader from beginning to end? Your ability as a writer is now challenged and you need to equip yourself with several plot devices. These devices help you to captivate your reader’s interest in your story. One type of plot device is suspense. Suspense is when the reader has to wait and worry about what will happen next to the main character(s).
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How to create 3D protagonist for your fiction

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In my previous blog, How to create believable characters for your fiction, I stated how important it is for you to give your characters a personality. This is true especially for your main characters since their role in your fiction is primary and they should be developed to be round and dynamic.

In order for your plot to move forward, your characters that drive the plot must be rounded. A round character is necessary for your protagonist. You need to create him or her with a detailed background, their behavior, temperament, strengths, and weaknesses and how he makes the action to purse his or her goals. By giving detailed information and background for your protagonist, your readers feel they know him or her and are able to understand why he or she makes decisions in the way they do. Another round character is your antagonist. Since most of the time your protagonist will be interacting with the antagonist, it is important that the villain needs to be tagged as round character as well.
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The plot thickens: types of conflicts to make your fiction a page turner

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Conflict in fiction propels your plot forward. Without conflict – faced by the characters – your fiction is nothing but a summary about life amongst your characters. With conflict you make them come alive striving for what they yearn for and will do anything to achieve their goals. In order to make it interesting to the reader, your characters must face conflicts and the ending is either they get what they are looking for or they fail.

In my previous blog How to build conflict for your main characters, I gave an example about Anita, the main character in my short story, Antara Dua Kota (Between Two Cities) facing a conflict over whether to stay for the Summer in Paris or return to her home country. What type of conflict do you think she is facing?
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