Archive:
Fiction
Imagine a short story, then make it even shorter. That’s flash fiction. Short stories run anywhere between 1,500 and 10,000 words. Flash fiction stories run up to 1,500 words — but often much shorter. Usually up to 500 words. If you get down to 100 words or fewer, that’s micro fiction. Flash fiction contests tempt […]
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Page-turning novels feature memorable characters. Consider: Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway The Sherlock Holmes novels by Arthur C. Doyle To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum Anna Karenina […]
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Stories without conflict, where the main character faces zero opposition, fail because they bore readers. In real life, harmony and agreement are worthy goals that produce a harmonious existence. But such is no recipe for stories that captivate readers. Readers love conflict. It’s the engine of compelling fiction. Conflict creates tension, and tension keeps readers […]
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So you want to write a book. Becoming an author can change your life—not to mention give you the ability to impact thousands, even millions, of people. But writing a book isn’t easy. As a 21-time New York Times bestselling author, I can tell you: It’s far easier to quit than to finish. You’re going […]
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If you’re like most people, the last time you discussed Literary Themes was in high school English class. Perhaps you discussed the Theme of death in one of Edgar Allen Poe’s many short stories, or picked apart the use of shame in The Scarlet Letter. Or maybe, like many, you were lost when finding the […]
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