Category: fiction writing workshops
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Not Ashamed to Be a Learner
If a job existed in which I could go and sit in lectures at a university all day-and get paid for it-that would be my ideal job. Yes, that is how weird I am. I loved college. I also loved teaching at a college for ten years. Several years ago, when I took the Strengths…
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What I took away from Imaginarium 2019
Last weekend, I attended Imaginarium 2019. It is a conference for writers, gamers and film makers. Never having attended this type of conference before, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The location of the conference was only 10 minutes away, so I didn’t have to get a hotel; I just went home at the end…
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Going to Imaginarium 2019
I’m going to Imaginarium 2019. Don’t worry, I won’t get lost. It’s just a few minutes away from where I live. This convention has workshops, venues and sessions for speculative fiction writers, gamers, cosplayers and film makers. I plan to attend as many workshops on fiction writer as possible. Some of the ones I’m particularly…
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Four quick reads on writing
When I was on vacation earlier this month, I read some e-books on writing. Even though these gems were inexpensive and quick, they provided me with some valuable lessons to apply to my writing craft. Here they are: Self-publishing a Book By Hank Quense Quense has a great series on self-publishing and this is the…
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Fiction Writing Workshop: Action Scenes
He extends his sword and then utters these words: “My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die.” The most memorable part of this fight scene are these words. But why? To find the answer, I wanted to know more about writing effective fight and action scenes. My novel has several of…
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Fiction writing workshop: story structure
When planning a novel, the most helpful tool I’ve found is a thousands-year-old recipe called the three-act structure. It’s helped me plan out my novels more effectively than any fiction writing software. What is the three-act structure? Greek philosopher, Aristotle, came up with this structure. He said a good story has three acts: a beginning,…
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Fiction Writing Workshop: Voice
What is voice? Everyone pretends to understand what he means when he mentions voice in writing. I call terradiddle on that. When it comes to prose, I think people have a hard time telling the difference between voice and other elements like style and tone. I do. For now, let’s see how some writers define…
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Fiction Writing Workshop: Conflict
When a writer pays attention to conflict, she charges her story with a powerful energy. I believe The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins rocked the world of publishing–and the world of movies–because she charged the novel with maximum conflict. How can a writer maximize conflict in her story? First, give the protagonist a goal. Then…
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Fiction Writing Workshop: Character
My friend, Rachel, has two Shih tzus who are her babies: Marley and Rosa. Rachel also has dozens of toy balls of assorted colors laying around the house. Marley has no interest in the toy balls; those belong to his sister, Rosa. Rosa loves playing with the toy balls. When I visit, she’ll immediately bring…
Andrew M. Friday 