Most of the time when I hear a new writer announce that his piece is “literary fiction,” that is a short-hand cue for me to expect no structure, lots of similes, metaphors, self-indulgent flashbacks and no overall conflict other than a main character’s really pretentious angst. Most of the time, it smacks of self-therapy thinly guised as a story
Tag: character
Mar 21 2010
Editing–Meet the Novel Killer
If you are writing a novel, you need to leave any kind of edit for once you have finished the entire first draft. Breathe. Get a paper bag. You will be okay. Just trust me.
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Mar 12 2010
Welcome to Hell–Surviving Fiction
The author must first have a hook that makes the reader want more, and then create a protagonist who possesses a story-worthy problem that makes us desire to spend the next 80-100,000 words giving a crap…without tipping over in the TDTL category (Too Dumb to Live). On top of that, there is pace, tone, POV, characterization, etc.
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Mar 03 2010
Writing a Novel–Plot or Character? Which Comes First? Part II
There are only so many plots, no matter what anyone says. As an editor for many years, I always have new writers who feel like they have written something entirely new. Um…no. Sorry. Nothing new
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Feb 23 2010
Writing a Novel–Plot or Character? Which Comes First?
So what book (movie) do you want to write? Write it down and REMEMBER IT. It is very easy to listen to feedback and edit, edit, edit and then lose the original story you wanted to write in the first place.
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International Association of Professional Writers & Editors
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