Fiction Writing

The Fiction That Fiction Is Fiction Is Fiction

Joan Marans Dim | Posted 05.07.2012

Read More: Fiction Writing, Kathryn Stockett, Philip Roth, Novel Writing, Kathryn Stockett the Help, Abilene Cooper, Novelists, Kathryn Stockett Lawsuit, Fiction, Books News

Must a novelist, whose task often is to mine the jumble of life's experiences, disguise plot and characters so that no one is offended? My answer is an emphatic "no."

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How to Sell a Novel in Just 25 Years!

Holly Robinson | Posted 04.23.2012

Read More: Creativity, J.K. Rowling, Royalty Checks, Publishing, Rejections, Fiction Writing, Poets & Writers, Novels, Writing Groups, Sleeping Tigers, Women's Support Groups, Penguin, Stephanie Meyer, Books News

When my agent called a few weeks ago to say that an editor at Penguin wanted to buy my new novel, The Wishing Hill, I literally had to lie down. I've been waiting for this call for 25 years.

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It Ain't Over Till It's Over: Chapter Two

Posted 02.20.2012

Read More: Marlo Thomas, Mystery, Women, Military, Fiction Writing, It-Aint-Over, Fiction, Fifty News

One of the reasons I started my website, Marlothomas.com, is that I wanted a place for women (including me!) to come together and dream. Women should ...

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What's My Genre, Anyway?

Ming Holden | Posted 02.04.2012

Read More: Nonfiction, Nonfiction Writing, Writing Nonfiction, Fiction Writing, Writing Fiction, Literary Fiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Books News

The appropriation of a piece of literature to a certain genre is a process descriptive of the political moment in which the text finds itself; it's indicative of what's permitted to be described as fact in a particular cultural atmosphere, whether it's intended to be or not.

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Novelists and the College Application Essay

Elizabeth Benedict | Posted 11.22.2011

Read More: College Application Essay, Fiction Writing, Don't Sweat the Essay, Common Application, College Application Essay Tips, College Essay, Common Application Essay, Novelists, College News

Yes, it's true that fiction writers "make things up," but there are many other elements essential to writing fiction that apply just as certainly to college application essays.

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5 Ways to Improve Your Fiction

Delia Lloyd | Posted 10.17.2011

Read More: Fiction-Writing, Tips for Writing Fiction, How to Start Your Novel, How to Construct a Plot, Writing Fiction Advice, Writing Fiction Tips, Writing, Writing Fiction Help, Craft of Fiction, Fiction Writing Advice, Fiction Writing Tips, Fiction Writing Help, Books News

This week's advice tackles the craft of writing fiction. Whether you're secretly aiming to be the next J.K. Rowling or you just dabble with fiction in your spare time, here are five ideas that will serve you well.

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Mecca for Women Writers

Lisa Dale Norton | Posted 08.16.2011

The International Women's Writing Guild's 34th annual summer conference begins June 24 on the campus of Yale University. The Guild's goal is "personal and professional empowerment of women through writing," and it draws women from all over the world.

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Why Writing Is a Foolish Pleasure

Roger Housden | Posted 08.15.2011

Read More: Writing, Writing Inspiration, Fiction Writing, Writing Tips, Writing Fiction, Creative Writing, Books News

Who would have thought it? To live a life of words spilling out of the mind, out of the heart onto the page and into the eyes of invisible strangers. ...

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So How Do Fiction Writers Fool Readers?

Claudia Ricci | Posted 06.12.2011

Read More: Storytelling, Publishing, Fiction Writing, Faking It, Books, Literary Fiction, Fiction, Books News

It is indeed a mystery and a marvel that fiction writers can fool their readers into believing in what they write. And it isn't only geography that we novelists can "fake."

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How Do We Dream Up Novels? Or Do Novels Dream Us?

Claudia Ricci | Posted 06.11.2011

Read More: Novels, Fiction Writing, Writing Fiction, Literary Fiction, Fiction, Books News

Like all dreams, it's hard to know exactly when this one started. Maybe it was the day way way back in April of 1985 when I walked away from a plum job as a staff reporter for The Wall Street Journal in New York, pushing my infant daughter Jocelyn in her carriage.

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"How are you going to make money writing fiction on a blog?"

Claudia Ricci | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Murder Mysteries, Book Publishing, Publishing, Publishing Industry, Bloggers, Fiction, Novels, Mysteries, Fiction Writing, Blogging, Books News

"How are you going to make money writing fiction on a blog?" That's the question my guitar teacher asked me last night, when I told her how thrilled ...

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The Magic of Fiction Writing; The Mysteries of Consciousness

Claudia Ricci | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Mysteries, Murder Mysteries, Fiction Writing, Consciousness, Mindfulness, Paranormal Activity, Happiness, Healthy Living News

By Claudia Ricci My friend Dan Beauchamp emailed me the other day, offering his thoughts on the weird but amazing book that I am writing, on a blog c...

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Perfectionists Love MacGuffins

Hillary Rettig | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Hillary Rettig, Time Management, Perfectionism, Writing, Perfectionist, Fiction Writing, Effectiveness, Writer's Block, Productivity, Books News

A writing MacGuffin seems like the most important thing in the world, but it is a meaningless distraction from the real issue: fear.

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Short Stories

Anis Shivani | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Lori Ostlund, Gina Oschner, Anne Sanow, Belle Boggs, Marisa Silver, Publishing Industry, Mfa, Flash Fiction, Fiction Writing, Creative Writing, Realism, Minimalism, Books News

We continue our series on the short story, asking writers how they compare writing short stories to writing novels, the demands the story makes on the...

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The Making of a Novel: Fighting Caricature

Jennie Nash | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Writing Characters, Caricatures, Fiction Writing, Em-Forster, Novel Writing, Books News

Of the three main characters in my novel-in-progress, there's still one I can't wrap my head around: the mother. Real characters make decisions. They change over the course of the story.

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True vs. True

William Dietrich | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Journalists Turned Novelists, Fiction vs. Non-Fiction, Fiction Writing, Writing, Journalism, Books News

I was a newspaper journalist for many years with two non-fiction books under my belt before attempting fiction. It is an adjustment.

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