Category: fiction writing
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Should I Do NaNoWriMo?
Should I do NaNoWriMo this year? Whether or not I do is in question. Here’s why: I’m currently working on three novels. Yes, I’m crazy. Currently, the momentum I have working on all three is going well. I don’t want to break it. I also have three or four outlines of potential novels. I want…
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Friday’s Findings: Writing Lessons from One Piece
I watched the new Netflix series called One Piece over the Labor Day weekend. I recommend it if you’re looking for both humor and drama. Being a pirate-themed show, One Piece has a lot of swashbuckling fun. Monkey D. Luffa wants the One Piece, a treasure hidden by the executed pirate Gol D. Roger. He…
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Friday’s Findings: Getting Closer to the Readers
Lately, I’ve discovered a principle about writing. Too get closer to the reader, that is, to make the reader feel like they are connection to the characters, I review a scene to make sure there is just the right amount of internal monologue. Internal monologue can help in several ways. Besides helping the reader connect…
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Friday’s Findings: Writing on Wattpad and Kindle Vella
I’m trying out two platforms for my current WIPs: Kindle Vella and Wattpad. Author’s can release their works as serials—several chapters at a time—and people can read them as the new installments are released. People can read Wattpad stories for free. On Kindle Vella, the first three chapters are free. After that, the reader pays to read further…
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Terry Brooks: Sometimes the Magic Works (After 20 Years)
I attended the Imaginarium Convention last weekend, and Terry Brooks was a special guest. In 2003, I bought his book Sometimes the Magic Works, his half memoir, half writing instruction book. I read it and learned a lot. Since then, I’ve read many of his fantasy novels. At the conference, I asked him to sign…
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Friday’s Findings: Where Are You With Your Writing Goals?
It’s hard to believe it’s June already. Where are you with your writing goals for this year? Fiction University: Choose the Setting for Your Short Story: Location, Weather, Atmosphere (janicehardy.com)provides guidance on selecting the right setting elements to enhance the overall impact of your short story. When to Use Semicolons: 4 Rules and Examples (reedsy.com)offers…
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Friday’s Findings: Do We Really Need Story Structure?
I just finished Stephen King’s On Writing. Once again. I’m still flabbergasted that one of the best-selling authors in American history doesn’t endorse story structure. And I also just listened to a fiction writing seminar with Lisa Cron. In it, she reiterated what she says in her book, Story Genius, to begin with the story.…
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Friday’s Findings: Plot and Story
I’ve been trying to wrap my head around the concepts of the difference between plot and story. The simplest, bare-bones definitions is this: plot is what happens on the surface and story is what happens on the inside. Plot is the physical action and events. Story is the internal thoughts, themes and conflicts of the…
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Friday’s Findings: The Perfect Story?
This week, I came across some articles that go over the basics of fiction: story elements, types of characters and the three act story structure. I also came across Writer’s Digest’s 50 best websites for writers in 2023. Elements of Fiction: A Quick Guide to Writing the Perfect Story – Kotobee Blog A refresher on…
Andrew M. Friday 