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Pushing Through Doubt When Writing A Book
There are as many thoughts on writing, as many as there are books, on how the craft should be conducted. From published professionals to novice dabblers in the fictitious arts, many people have ideas on what the best way to write is, and for a lot of established writers there is no right way. There are just ways that work best for them. Indeed, writing is an individual pursuit, like running, but it does require that we all put one foot in front of the other and press on. However, there is one area where writers, both pros and wannabes, can agree and that is there is oftentimes doubt when…
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The Craft of Writing Fiction: The Setting (Part 1)
Where your story takes place can matter a great deal. The plot and characters are what most people will focus on, but the setting can further enrich your tale to the point that it becomes more alive to readers. One of the best examples of setting being important is Harry Potter since Hogwarts is a place of such wonder and magic that it’s basically a character on its own. However, this is by no means the only example of the importance of setting. The entire world in The Lord of the Rings trilogy is full of dangers and beauty. In many a horror story, you need a spooky house or…
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The Old Man and The Sea: Thoughts On Hemingway’s Short Novel
There are certain books I try to read often, even every year, and The Old Man and the Sea is one of them. It’s a short book, a novella really, that packs in a lot of material. In the collection Ernest Hemingway Selected Letters 1917-1961, Hemingway has said, “Then there is the other secret. There isn’t any symbolysm [sic]. The sea is the sea. The old man is an old man. The boy is a boy and the fish is a fish. The shark are all sharks no better and no worse. All the symbolism that people say is shit. What goes beyond is what you see beyond when you…
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The Difference in a Novella and Short Story
Recently, I’ve mentioned short stories and talked about a few novellas. However, there is a big difference in the two types of stories that could impact how you read them and which to choose, if you are so looking for shorter fiction. While these types of writing are very similar, they differ in more than just length. While, yes, the page count of a short story and novella is one big factor in their differences, it’s more to do with content, time, and detail that makes shorts and novellas differ. While these things are not universal, I’ve found that novella and short stories read a lot different and can bring…
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Are Happy Endings Better Than Sad Stories?
Now you may be thinking, “What a dumb question. Of course a happy ending is better than a sad one.” Here me out though. I will say, I love when a book or story ends and everything is neatly wrapped up, everyone is happy and all’s right with the world but there are some benefits to books that have some serious sadness about them to the point where a happy ending isn’t really possible. I believe I was in 5th grade when I read two books, back-to-back that broke my heart. A Taste of Blackberries and Bridge to Terabithia were crushing but I loved them, and still do, despite their…
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The Craft of Writing Fiction: Characters (Part 3)
We’ve talked a bit about the motives of a character but I want to focus more clearly on this aspect of writing here. Characters are one of the legs that hold up the chair that is your story. Without great characters you have a story that could possibly tumble over, fall flat, or just fail to draw in your reader. Even a captivating setting or premise is going to lose its hold on a reader if they don’t care about the people in the situation. What can go a long way in making these characters people that a reader cares about is their motivations. The motives of a character…
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The Short Story: A Beautiful Way To Tell A Tale
Authors from Flannery O’Connor to Stephen King have all published works of short stories and there are countless compilations of short stories from specific authors to collections of works that were published here and there by various writers. Some people may miss these as a novel is a time commitment and there are many who like to take their time reading a book or will devour multiple novels throughout the year. Yet, a short story, or collection of stories, may not fit together like a novel but are their own kind of magic that shouldn’t be overlooked. Short stories can be a few pages, or even a single page, or…
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Banned Book Review-The Goosebumps Series By R.L. Stine
When I was in school we were required to read books, which were given a point value, and in order to get a good grade in English, we had to meet a set number of points by reading and taking tests on books. Now, I liked reading but having to read so as to earn points provided a mental block for me, because as a stubborn man, when I have to do something, even something I may want to do otherwise, I tend to buck at the assignment. However, the wonderful Goosebumps books by R.L. Stine saved my skin when I discovered a treasure trove of spooky and fun reads…
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The Craft of Writing Fiction: Characters (Part 2)
Characters are obviously vital to any story and while some aspects of a good story or novel can be endlessly talked about, characters are something that have so many levels and pieces, are so varied and unique, that they can’t be put into a simple category. However, there are some universal pieces of a character that are always better than others, and while we may have covered some of this in previous articles, it’s worth repeating. Characters must be unique, driven by motive, and understandable. Obviously, you want a unique character, which if you take the time to think about your characters, can be accomplished without needing a divine muse…
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Finding Books For People That “Don’t Like To Read”
I know a few people (maybe more than a few) who say they don’t like to read. They’ll check out magazines or watch reality shows but they are opposed to reading a book or two. Mind you, some have a very few books they like from when they were younger or they claim that school (college mostly) took their love of reading or some people say they simply have no time for such fanciful pursuits as reading for fun. However, I believe that any non-reader is that way because they’ve yet to find the book that is the spark which ignites their imagination and leads them to pursue other books.…