You are hereFebruary 2010
February 2010
#8: Readers vs. Market
If you study the how-to side of writing long enough, you will gather conflicting messages or what appear to be conflicting messages. Everyone has a different writing approach so it’s only to be expected. But it can be confusing. For example, Jack M. Bickham titled Chapter 32 of his book The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them) “Don’t Chase the Market.”
#8: Paragraph Structure
Most English teachers concentrate on the nonfiction approach to a paragraph. You have a topic sentence with three or four supporting sentences, and wallah you're on to the bigger structure of the paper.
Fiction is different.
A new speaker always begins a new paragraph. A new speakers means someone different starts talking. It can be someone present in the scene, someone who just walked in, or someone who has never spoken before.
#8: Helpful Reviews
You've read a story and you'd like to leave a comment; something more useful than "that was good" but less than offering a suggestion for any flaws like an in-depth critique. Orson Scott Card in his book How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy gives five questions that concentrate on story mechanics instead of literature theory.
#8: Plot: Premise
First I would like to apologize for the lateness of this tutorial. The New Orleans Saints football team (American football) won their first Superbowl, and I got caught up in the revelry.
Now a short review: a plot is a series of causally related events that emerge from a series of ever-intensifying conflicts and proves a premise at the end. Unlike real life, fiction has a point and once you reach that point, you feel satisfied as a reader. That's the difference between a great ending and a groaner.
