Incorrectly judging the scale (time span) of a book
The scale of a book is the number of years in it. Some books scan three generations and some just a couple of days. It is difficult to write that way. Imagine a book of 1,00,000 words with the story of three generations or just four days!
Before deciding on which scale you choose for your [...]
Too much subjectivity or objectivity
Too much subjectivity without objectivity can speed up the ruin of a book just as too much objectivity without any subjectivity can. Both are equally important for a fiction writer, before and when writing a book. Now, the big question is – when to be subjective and when objective? And. How can I be both [...]
Danger of imitation (of favorite authors)
First let me clarify; subconscious imitation is not plagiarism. It is not sly copy pasting of original material for instant gains. The imitation we talk about here originates from the desire to write like the author you admire. It is neither a blot on your personality nor on your writing. May I dare to say [...]
Too much complexity or simplicity
A book with complex ideas can be written in a simple way, which is really a good thing, but a simple book written in a complex manner is not something any writer would want. Right now, we are not going to talk about writing a book cause that is difficult. Instead we will [...]
Too little or too much writing per day
A new fiction writer always doesn’t know how much to write everyday. If she confronts articles-on-writing floating on the net before she discovers her writing pace, then she will probably try to write 5,000 words a day.
That’s exaggeration, but it pushes the point. Almost 90 percent of the articles on the Internet and some books [...]
Too much psychology or too much action
Too much of everything is bad, they say. I don’t agree. Too much of some things are good. Wouldn’t you like too much intelligence, goodness (only in a perfect world), safety, facilities and development? Everybody would. The trick is to find out too much of which things are bad.
In fiction writing, too much psychological analysis [...]
Too much introspection
Too much introspection is good for your fiction, but it all depends on when, where and how you use it.
Fiction writers need to look within themselves. After all, it is difficult to get under the skin of a character without knowing his/her psychology. We observe others, sometimes drop in a bit out of our personal [...]
10 greatest characters, narratives, structures & themes
The express reason for coming up with a list of greatest characters, narratives, structures and concepts is to help create a novel that is strong in all these areas. As you go through this segregated list, it will trigger an elusive idea of what good, strong fiction needs. Sure, you will benefit if you are [...]
Fiction writing and software
I still find this concept of fiction writing and software hard to swallow. Even now, I prefer pen and paper for larger works. Bad habit, eh? (This was in 2007, now I am glued to my laptop.)
For the past few weeks, I’ve been looking for free writing software available on the net. Trying to see [...]
Get a gripping plot
This is an excerpt from the post.
How to create powerful characters
Create History
Characters make a story what people make the world. They breathe life into an otherwise insipid environment. Powerful characters are always real, sometimes so real that you remember them as real people. How do you create such characters? What qualities should a character possess? That is no new question. It bounces in every [...]
Tmesis
When a word is broken up into two by another word, then it’s called tmesis (TMEEsis). For example: La-dee-freaking-da. This figure of speech is used to create a linguistic effect or for humor. The word tmesis comes from Greek temnein meaning “to cut”.
Examples of tmesis
Fan-blooming-tastic
Here appear after
What place soever
What man soever
Abso-bloody-lutely
I’m-possible
See-By God-through
Synonymia
When several synonyms are used in quick succession to heighten the emotional effect or to clarify a piece, then it’s called synonymia. The word synonymia comes from Greek synonoma meaning “name alike”.
Examples of synonymia
Example of synonymia in Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
Act I Scene I
Lines 34-36
“What tributaries follow him to Rome,
To grace in captive bonds [...]
