Articles about writing fiction
How to Use Satire Like Mark Twain
by Kathy Edens Sep 21, 2017
Writers who use satire to get their point across do so by wielding humor, wit, irony, or sarcasm. They expose an individual or society for its weaknesses, corruption, hypocrisy, or foolishness. And no one does it better than Mark Twain.
Read More »Why You Need to Break Up With Your Muse
by Kathy Edens Sep 21, 2017
Writing isn't magic. There's no fairy godmother called "Muse" who comes to you and waves her magic pen to fill your head with ideas and words. It's hard work, and you must sit in front of the computer or grab pen and paper and get your work done.
Read More »2 Myths About Writing Fiction: Debunked!
by Kathy Edens Sep 21, 2017
When writer Kathy Edens joined her local writing group, she was confronted with two common myths about writers. She is here to set the record straight!
Read More »How to Write an Allegory Like George Orwell
by Kathy Edens Sep 18, 2017
An allegory is a story that evokes two separate meanings. The first meaning is the story's surface, like characters and plot, the stuff that goes into every story. But at a much deeper level, an allegory has a symbolic, heavy meaning.
What allegories come to mind? Maybe The Lord of the Flies; The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; Moby Dick; or Pilgrim's Progress?
Read More »Plot of Gold 30-day Challenge
by ProWritingAid Sep 15, 2017
Are you ready to create a strong, thorough outline for your novel? Brilliant!
From September to November this year, ProWritingAid will be paying for its community to have FREE access for 30 days to Beemgee's world-class novel-outlining software.
Whether you are preparing for NaNoWriMo or just ready to finally write that book, this 30-day challenge is crucial for getting you to the finish line.
Read More »How to Create a CV like Elon Musk's for Your Protagonist
by Kathy Edens Aug 02, 2017
A CV is a tool to capture all of your thoughts about your main character and keep track of the many idiosyncrasies and character traits. Just as important, it helps you capture and record the intertwined relationships of all the characters in your novel. Especially if you use several points of view or have multiple main characters, you need to capture them each distinctly.
Read More »How to Create an Anti-Hero Like Homer Simpson
by Kathy Edens Aug 02, 2017
Homer Simpson has only one focus in this world: himself. He has some pretty unlikable characteristics, I'm sure everyone can agree. Why do we love to hate Homer and hate to love him so much? Because he's a well-done anti-hero, that's why.
Read More »Why We're on the Fence About Writing What You Know
by Kathy Edens Aug 02, 2017
"Write what you know" has been around forever. Some attribute it to Mark Twain and others to Hemingway. Regardless of who came up with this entreaty, my writing would be middle-class, ho-hum if I had to stick with only writing what I've experienced. Isn't that what research is for, right?
Read More »Affiliate Income for Dummies (And Clever People)
by Iain Rob Wright Aug 02, 2017
Are you a writer? Do you want to supplement your income? The first question you should ask yourself is: Am I currently recommending something to colleagues/fans/friends and not getting paid for it?
Read More »The Nitty Gritty Practical Guide to Giving your Characters Unique Voice
by Katja L Kaine Jul 17, 2017
Character Voice is as difficult to pin down as it is critical.
Plenty of writing advice resources talk about the importance of your main characters each having a unique voice, but how do you achieve that?
The main problem is that all of those characters are essentially coming from the same mind – yours – so you need to find ways to ensure your personal characteristics, speech patterns and nuances don’t all bleed into your characters.
Read More »How to Create Mood Like Edgar Allan Poe
by Kathy Edens Jul 14, 2017
The master of Gothic horror stories, Edgar Allan Poe could set the tone of anything with a few chosen words. Here's how he did it.
Read More »A Writer's Biggest Fear: And it's Not Spiders
by Kathy Edens Jul 13, 2017
What is it you fear most as you sit in front of a blank screen? Perhaps the fear of rejection holds you back from putting words on paper. You know your work is likely to get rejected by publishers and agents because the experience of others told you to expect it.
Maybe you fear humiliation. Putting yourself out there on paper opens you up to all kinds of criticism and ridicule. It's really hard to be vulnerable in your writing because the critics' sting hurts that much more.
Read More »Why You Should Throw Your Main Character Under a Bus
by Kathy Edens Jul 05, 2017
What is it about a great story that keeps you turning the pages? Think of the last book you devoured in one sitting. What kept you so engrossed you had to stay up until 4am to finish it?
For those of us who sit bleary-eyed in front of a computer because we couldn't put a good book down last night, we stumbled across an author who knows how to raise the stakes.
And the higher the stakes, the better—am I right?
Read More »When Symbolism Goes Too Far
by Kathy Edens Jun 19, 2017
Are we hard-wired to seek symbolism in everything from our literature to our everyday life? Spirituality is rife with symbolism, advertisers use symbols to sell their products, and we interpret a smile from someone as a symbol of friendship.
Symbolism in literature uses an object or a word to represent something abstract in your work. A person, an action, a place, a single word, or an object can have symbolic meaning. Symbolism, done well, allows you to hint at a certain mood or emotion instead of showing it.
Read More »Why Every Writer Needs A Writing Mentor (And Where To Find One)
by Jesse Barnett Jun 14, 2017
When I began working for Charlie, I knew he was talented. He's the writing partner of a well-known leadership expert and together they've authored over 100 books. Several have become New York Times best sellers.
I embraced the job with a learner's mindset. I determined every day to improve my writing skills. My first professionally edited draft looked like a murder scene. Red letters covered the page with countless words crossed out, rearranged, and rewritten.
Read More »When the Words Won't Come: Word Explorer
by ProWritingAid Jun 06, 2017
Use ProWritingAid's Word Explorer to look at any word 14 different ways. Yes, it's true. Here's the list of ways you can check out any given word:
- Dictionary
- Reverse Dictionary (this shows you words with your given word in their definition)
- Thesaurus
- Lists (lists of dated terms, ironic terms, often used terms)
- Alliteration (adjectives, adverbs, nouns, and verbs with the same letter or sound at the beginning or adjacent to your given word)
- Clichés (to help you avoid them)
- Spelling (good to know if you write frequently in American, British, and Australian English)
- Rhymes
- Pronunciation
- Collocations (adjectives, adverbs, nouns, and verbs that come before or after your given word)
- Common Phrases (2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-word phrases using your given word)
- Commonly Possessed By (words that can own your given word)
- Anagrams (in case you need help)
- Examples (From books and quotes using your given word)
Are You Ignoring Your Best Ideas?
by Hannah Collins May 17, 2017
Bored by your own writing? You could be suffering from the toll of ignoring your best ideas. ‘But why on earth would I ignore an idea if it’s good?’, you’re wondering. The answer is that you probably don’t even know you’re doing it.
Read More »10 Writing Issues that Your Grammar Checker is Missing
by Lisa Lepki May 15, 2017
An editing tool checks for writing issues that go far beyond mere grammar problems.
Read More »Why a Fully Realized Villain is as Important as Your Protagonist
by Kathy Edens May 12, 2017
Your antagonist can make the difference between a ho-hum novel and a break-out one.
A fully realized villain is someone who shows us parts of ourselves in his or her makeup. If you can connect in some human way with the antagonist, it's going to bring up all kinds of tension for readers.
Read More »Growing The Writing Cooperative
by Stella J. McKenna May 11, 2017
“The Coop” is more than just a Medium publication — it’s a community. And it’s growing.
The motto of The Writing Cooperative is, “Helping each other write better”. This phrase ultimately guides all that we do.
Read More »