This is part of a series on how to study fiction, mainly directed at writers who have read all the beginning writing books and are like, “What now?!?” The rest of the series is here. You may also want to check out the series on pacing, here, which I’m eventually going to fold into this series […]
How to Study Fiction, Part 10: Scenes, Part 1 Read More »
I’m trying to look at books the way a librarian might, in order to help get me better at thinking from a reader’s point of view. Here are the other posts in the series. … By Source (WP:NFCC#4), Fair use, Link The Stanley Parable is a video game, not a book.
Think Like a Librarian: The Stanley Parable, by Davey Wreden and William Pugh Read More »
I don’t have much time this week to blog (a deadline is a week earlier than I thought it was!!!), but I’ll get back to the study series as soon as I can. … Failure is life’s way of telling you that you need to change. Not necessarily that you need to completely dump
Reminder re: Failure Read More »
This is part of a series on how to study fiction, mainly directed at writers who have read all the beginning writing books and are like, “What now?!?” The rest of the series is here. … Techniques to help handle reading issues (post-reading!): You’ve read the book. Now what? I’ll go into more depth about
How to Study Fiction, Part 9: Reading, Part 3 Read More »
I’m trying to look at books the way a librarian might, in order to help get me better at thinking from a reader’s point of view. Here are the other posts in the series. … I’m just going to say it. Sometimes works of pure genius don’t get
Think Like A Librarian: Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison Read More »
How do you surprise your readers? I use two methods: Wilhelm’s Law and the Agatha Christie Technique. Wilhelm’s Law: throw away your first three ideas. What this means: Your first idea is generally the most obvious one. It’s been done. Your second idea is generally a response to the first. Because most stories have been
The Art of Surprise Read More »
This is part of a series on how to study fiction, mainly directed at writers who have read all the beginning writing books and are like, “What now?!?” The rest of the series is here. … Techniques to help handle reading issues: First, what to read. You have a number of options. Read deeply, that is,
How to Study Fiction, Part 8: Reading, Part 2 Read More »
I’m trying to look at books the way a librarian might, in order to help get me better at thinking from a reader’s point of view. Here are the other posts in the series. … The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is a short novel set in the period
Think Like a Librarian – The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, by Muriel Spark Read More »
This is part of a series on how to study fiction, mainly directed at writers who have read all the beginning writing books and are like, “What now?!?” The rest of the series is here. … What to read, how to read, and how to start studying it. Every professional writer seems to have the
How to Study Fiction, Part 7: Reading, Part 1 Read More »
Here’s a game I came up with. Asking one person is interesting enough, but asking at least five is essential to the point of the game. … It’s a dark and stormy night and you’re on a road going somewhere that you don’t want to go, but have to be. How are you traveling? Where
