In Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft, Janet Burroway describes point of view (POV) as “the most complex element of fiction.” She’s right. Choosing and managing POV requires constant attention to the delicate relationship between reader, author, and character. And maintaining consistency can challenge even seasoned writers.
Writers often speak in metaphors, especially when discussing our craft. We sculpt stories like clay, carve them like wood, and paint pictures with prose. We talk about composing musical dialogue. The phrase “honing your craft” is so common in writing workshops—and other creative fields—that most people forget “hone” originally referred to a whetstone, a literal […]
To the untrained ear, the term head-hopping might sound like something related to home-brewed beer. But in the world of professional fiction editing, head-hopping refers to a common mistake made by writers who haven’t fully grasped the conventions of point of view (POV).
In […]
Copyright can be a confusing and often intimidating subject. This is not a comprehensive legal guide, but it will set the record straight on a few key points every writer should understand.
In the United States, copyright is a form of legal protection granted to “authors of ‘original works of authorship,’ including literary, dramatic, […]
[by Peter Gelfan]
Unlike nonfiction, fiction’s motor doesn’t run on information, but on its opposite: mystery.
I’m not talking about mystery as a genre, but as the essential quality in all fiction that cultivates curiosity, stimulates the imagination, invites participation, and generally keeps readers reading. Every step of the reader’s journey should be fraught with questions, not only […]
[guest post by Jonathan Balcombe]
My career as a biology student, animal advocate, editor and author has required me to write at every stage: essays, lab reports, a thesis and a dissertation, peer-reviewed journal articles, testimonies, correspondence, course syllabi and lectures, even a film script. Most recently, as an author of popular science books, […]
