Tag: how to write fiction

Creating a Story-Worthy Problem That Will Captivate an Audience

The story-worthy problem is the beating heart of all superlative fiction. Unfortunately, creating this central core can often be overlooked. This is particularly true for writers relying on school training. English teachers didn’t mind we used twenty-five metaphors on one page because their goal was to teach us how to properly use a metaphor…not how …

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Enemy Without a Face: When Dealing With a Different Sort of ‘Villain’

plot twist, writing tips, Kristen Lamb, plot twist as literary device, writing fiction

The enemy without a face is probably the hardest sort for a new writer to wrap his around. For the record, humans don’t do so great with existentialism.

Ideas Collide: Powerful Storms are the Center of All Great Stories

Every story begins with ideas. Alas, stories can only be created when at least two vastly different ideas collide. The place where they meet is the BOOM, much like the weather. Storms erupt because two very different bodies of air meet…and don’t get along.

Voice: What is Writing ‘Voice’ & Why is It Important to Storytelling?

Voice is—in its essence—that uniqueness that we as artists bring to the story. Remember, humans relied on an oral tradition for tens of thousands of years. We are a story people. Voice, in my opinion, is a holdover from that oral tradition.

The Winning Edge: In a Glutted Market, How Can Authors Stand Apart?

We are wanting them to READ. If we want them to read, the we need to make sure we’re valuing their limited time by offering them an escape…not a migraine. I hate saying this, and honestly never believed I ever would. But if writers would do these three things, you would outpace probably 95% of what is for sale.