fiction
Advanced fiction techniques: camera shots FULL
Camera shots in fiction technique can help authors to write viewpoint far more effectively. When you imagine scenes through a camera lens, they help you to keep the POV consistent, and lead the reader more smoothly into your story. Here are some ways to handle point-of-view using full-body shots. This is an excerpt from Dramatic…
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Character motivation – wants and stakes
Character motivation, wants, burning desires… they help to drive characters through your story. Creative writers use them to create powerful dramatic action and the momentum and tension that readers enjoy. But what about the shadow side of motivation – what characters don’t want? These negative drives are called stakes, and they’re just as powerful. With…
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How writing with objects can power up your fiction 2
Why is writing with objects so powerful in creative writing? Physical Objects Part 1 looks at how you can use verbs with objects, to brainstorm story and character ideas. Part 2 goes deeper, and describes different kinds and scales of objects, and ways to explore their potential. If you’re interested in this writing topic, see…
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Writing sense of smell – sensory writing 2
Sensory writing is a great way to bring your readers close, whatever your writing form – fiction, poetry, scripts or copywriting. This article suggests how writing sense of smell can help create a more vivid sense of immersion in your fictional world. Other senses such as touch and hearing are powerful in their own ways,…
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Writing technique – are you puppeting your fiction characters?
Puppeting is a common issue in fiction writing. It means the characters seem a bit lifeless and mechanical, without a vivid sense of action and flow. Usually, it just means the author hasn’t yet worked out how to weave action, description and dialogue effectively together. Here’s an overview of the puppeting problem, and how to…
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Book review: Ray Bradbury – Zen in the Art of Writing
Ray Bradbury’s Zen in the Art of Writing is a bolt of pure creative adrenaline. More than any other writer, for me he captures the excitement of reading and writing at a young age, and a sense of calling. If you ever feel jaded or run out of writing steam, Bradbury’s book will get you…
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Review: The Bestseller Code by Archer-Jockers – gamechanger for writers?
The Bestseller Code by Jodie Archer and Matthew Jockers is a fabulous book if you’re a geeky writer like me. It has loads of delicious graphs and images, mind-numbing academic findings, and basically blows the field of “how can computers help writers?” wide open. But is it a game-changer? Here’s a clue: I started reading…
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Writing technique – secrets of dramatic action
Why are car chases boring? Because they’re undramatic! In dramatic writing, “dramatic action” has a particular definition. It means action with a clear, urgent motivation behind it. Action that lacks intention is simply movement, and scenes without it turn out somehow flat, even if they’re full of energy on the surface. Once you’ve grasped the…
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Sensory writing 1 – touch and texture
Sensory writing is a great way to bring your readers close, whatever your writing form – fiction, poetry, scripts or copywriting. Find out how to use the senses of touch and texture to allow readers to experience your created worlds more deeply. The other senses – including smell, sounds – are powerful, but touch and…
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Writing technique – 5 tips on the ticking time bomb
Ten, nine, eight… the ticking time bomb and countdown clock are a familiar technique in creative writing. You’ll find them everywhere – in films, fiction, copywriting, setting in motion a high-stakes race against the clock. These writing devices aren’t always literal, of course – they’re often metaphorical. So, what are ticking clocks used for, and…
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