General Fiction

See also: Mystery Writing · Romance · Science Fiction/Fantasy · Writing for Children

Crafting Fabulous Fiction, by Victoria Grossack

2013 Columns:

New This Month:

Parsing Paragraphs

My Point of View on Point of View (Part Two)

My Point of View on Point of View (Part One)

Nine Anti-Muses and How to Placate Them

Facts in Fiction

The Order of Things

Who Speaks? Pointers about Attribution in Dialogue

Mentors in Your Masterpiece

Interjections and Profanity

What Do Your Characters Want? (Part Two): How to Use Characters' Goals to Move the Plot

What Do Your Characters Want? (Part One)

2012 Columns

Tense Matters: Verbs in the Past, Present, and Future

Prayers, Promises and Prophecies

Extending Your Character Range: Sex, Age and Other

Why Doesn't the Dog Bark?

A Study in Sidekicks

What Are They Thinking? Portraying Your Characters' Thoughts

Stories Within Stories

Raising the Stakes

We All Need Someone To Love: Creating Characters Readers Will Care About

The Writer's Marathon: Seven Challenges to a Successful Series

Getting Started: The Fundamentals of Fiction, by Marg Gilks

Part I: "I've Got an Idea!"

Part II: Read, Read, Read!

Part III: Critique Groups and Writers' Groups

Part IV: Writers Write!

Part V: Learning How: Courses, Workshops and Tutors

Part VI: Learning the Lingo

Part VII: Being Realistic About Your Work

Part VIII: Finding Markets for Your Fiction

Part IX: Writing Etiquette

Part X: Avoid Those Beginners' Blunders

Characters and Viewpoint

Creating Memorable Characters - Lee Masterson

Creating Villains People Love to Hate - Lee Masterson

Establishing the Right Point of View: How to Avoid "Stepping Out of Character" - Marg Gilks

The Ethics of Tragedy: Plot Victims are People Too! - Paula Fleming

Finding Your Characters - Mary Cook

Handling a Cast of Thousands I: Getting to Know Your Characters - Will Greenway

Handling a Cast of Thousands II: Your Story as Your Characters (and Readers) See It - Will Greenway

Handling a Cast of Thousands III: Developing the Five-Act Scene - Will Greenway

Headhopping, Authorial Intrusion, and Shocked Expressions - Anne Marble

Motivation - Hank Quense

The Mystery of Character - Robert Wilson

The Name Game - John Robert Marlow

Plotting by Personality - Marg McAlister

A Rose by Any Other Name... - Devyani Borade

The Secrets of Characterization - Sigrid Macdonald

Viewpoint, Perspective and Time - Will Greenway

What Type Is Your Character? - Paula Fleming

Dialogue

Creating Dynamic Dialogue - Will Greenway

Dialogue in Speculative Fiction - Paula Fleming

I Love You, My Little Cabbage: Using Foreign Words in Your Fiction - Cora Bresciano

Interjections and Profanity - Victoria Grossack

It's Not What They Say... - Mary Cook

Off with the Talking Heads! - Marg Gilks

Punctuating Dialogue - Marg Gilks

Slang and How to Sling It - Randall Platt

The Use and Abuse of Dialogue Tags - Anne Marble

Who Speaks? Pointers about Attribution in Dialogue

Writing Romantic Dialogue - Anne Marble

Description and Setting

The Art of Description: Eight Tips to Help You Bring Your Settings to Life - Anne M. Marble

Blueprints: Building a Home for Your Characters - Elizabeth Chayne

Four Ways to Bring Settings to Life - Moira Allen

Houses are People Too: The Structure of a Literary Device - Geoff Hart

Location, Location, Location! - Jim C. Hines

Visualization Exercises for Writers - Holly Lisle

Story Structure

Choosing the Right Name for Your Story - John Floyd

Components of a Good Opening Scene - Joseph Bates

Dynamic Beginnings: Getting Your Story Off to a Great Start - Will Greenway

Evaluating a Novel's Plot and Scenes - Frances Beckham Five Fiction Mistakes that Can Spell Rejection - Moira Allen

From Beginning to End, A Fiction Format to Your Next Sale, by Shaunna Privratsky

Keeping Your Story On Track with Style Sheets - Marg Gilks

Plotting Your Novel - Lee Masterson

Plunge Right In... Into Your Story, That Is! - Rekha Ambardar

To Outline or Not to Outline - Tim Hallinan

Where to Begin? When, Where and How to Write a Prologue - Lital Talmor

Why Do I Need an Outline? - Cheryl Sloan Wray

Your Story Outline: What It's All About - Rekha Ambardar

Flash Fiction

The Flash Fiction Market - C.M. Saunders

Flash What? A Quick Look at Flash Fiction - Jason Gurley

Flashes of Brilliance: Writing Flash Fiction - Joan Popek

Flashes on the Meridian: Dazzled by Flash Fiction - Pamelyn Casto

Across the Genres...

Mixing It Up: Writing Across Genres - Penny Lockwood Ehrenkranz

What Is Literary Fiction? Literary Editors Share Their Views - Moira Allen

Writing Experimental Fiction: Leaving the Problem Out of the Plot - Tantra Bensko

Research Tips and Sources

Historical Research for Fiction Writers - Catherine Lundoff

Look before You Write: Applying the Lessons of the Visual Arts - Paula Fleming

Partly Cloudy, Scattered Showers: Setting the Scene with Weather - Larissa Ione

"Prove" Your Story with Evidence - Sue Fagalde Lick

A Research Primer for Historical Fiction Writers - Erika Dreifus

More Fiction Tips

25 Unique Places to Find Story Ideas - Michelle Giles

Accuracy in Fiction, Part I: Does Accuracy Matter? - Moira Allen

Accuracy in Fiction, Part II: Accuracy... It's Not Just for Nonfiction Anymore! - Moira Allen

Becoming a Fiction Aficionado, by Shaunna Privratsky

The Case for Intriguing Eccentricity in Fiction - Philip Martin

How Long Should Your Story Be? - Lee Masterson

Is an MFA Program Right for You? - Amy White

Lateral Thinking - Ahmed A. Khan

Mindplay - Peggy Bechko

Processing Feedback - Joni B. Cole

Stuck in the Middle of Your Story? Try Prompts! - Alina Sandor

The Top Ten Mistakes New Fiction Authors Make - Sally Zigmond

TV Watching Does Not Waste Writers' Time - Noelle Sterne

What, Where, When and Why - Marg Gilks

Write What You Know -- Because You Know More than You Think! - Marg Gilks

Getting Published

Can I Make a Living as a Novelist? - Marilyn Henderson

How to Write a Novel Synopsis - Marg Gilks

The Midlisters: Backbone of the Publishing Industry - Sean McLachlan

Research, Track and Conquer: How to Research Short Fiction Markets, Track Submissions, and Ultimately Get Published - Joseph Thomas

Small Press Magazines: Should You Bother? - Bruce Boston

Yes, You Can Make Money Writing Fiction - Patricia Fry

Victorian Advice for Modern Writers

Here are some great tips "From an Editor's Wife" that are just as true today as when they were written in 1881! Excerpted from The Girl's Own Paper.

Literary Work for Girls

How to Write a Story

For more Victoriana, visit Moira Allen's new website, Mostly-Victorian.com.

For more information, check our links to: Children's Writing Resources · Character Naming Resources · Horror Writing · Mystery Writing · Romance · SF/Fantasy ·

Writer's Market	Novel & Short Story Writers' Market	Guide to Literary Agents	Writing to Win: The Colossal Guide to Writing Contests
Beginnings, Middles and Ends	Characters and Viewpoint	Creating Short Fiction	Get that Novel Written!
How to Write a Damn Good Novel	How To Write Your Best Story - Advice for Writers on Spinning an Enchanting Tale	On Writing (Stephen King)	Plot and Structure
Characters, Emotion and Viewpoint	The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing	Creating the Story : Guides for Writers	From First Draft To Finished Novel: A Writer's Guide To Cohesive Story Building

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