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. … Productivity and speed are key issues for intermediate writers. If you can’t get your butt in the chair and […]
How to Study Fiction, Part 3: Productivity and Speed, Part 1 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. … UPDATE: I’m rearranging some of the pieces in the list below, both to move things around and to add
(Please note: This post was originally guest-posted on Shannon Lawrence’s The Warrior Muse blog for Women in Horror Month. I’m reposting it here so I don’t LOSE IT!!!) The sci-fi writer Zenna Henderson died in 1983, which was years before I was given the short story collection The Anything Box by my cousins, and devoured it with
New series! I’ve been studying fiction with a scalpel and a jeweler’s lens for a few years now, and I’ve found it immensely helpful. I’m going to cheat a little and use most of a post that I typed up for the pacing series, which you can find here. The issues are the same 🙂
How to Study Fiction, Part 1: Welcome to Intermediate Writing! 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. … True Grit is a Western adventure story first published in 1968. Readers who are looking for a tale of the good guys
Think Like a Librarian: True Grit, by Charles Portis Read More »
I’m working on a series on pacing. You can see other posts in the series here. … There’s still a lot more to cover on pacing, but now you’ve been introduced to the idea that pacing can work on pretty much every level (even high levels, as in the beginnings examples), so I’ll wrap things up
I’m working on a series on pacing. You can see other posts in the series here. … Do you need a prologue? Are you allowed to have one? Beginning writers are often advised to avoid prologues. In fact, they’re often advised to avoid a lot of things that annoy editors and agents when handled badly. But
Pacing, Part 15: Prologues (with Agatha Christie) Read More »
I’m working on a series on pacing. You can see other posts in the series here. … Beginnings don’t have to start with summary; they can start with demonstration. The demonstration should involve the setting more than it does anything else. You might pull off extremely minor actions or dialogue, but try just using setting first. It’s
I’m working on a series on pacing. You can see other posts in the series here. … In the beginning of every story is a beginning. This seems obvious, but it’s one of the hallmarks of an early writer to leave it off entirely and to start in what the writer thinks is in media res, or “in
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 Prisoner of Zenda is an adventure story from 1894. Unlike a lot of the fiction written in that time period and
Think Like a Librarian: The Prisoner of Zenda, by Anthony Hope Read More »
