Fiction

Acquisitions editors and agents reject some manuscripts within the first page or two. That doesn’t sound fair—and maybe it isn’t—but that’s the reality we writers face. Even if you’re self-publishing and avoiding the harsh glare of professional eyes, you must rivet your readers from the get-go or most will close your book without a second […]

Guest Post by Tami Nantz Memorable, believable characters are crucial to every good story. Consider what makes these literary classics so unforgettable: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Moby Dick by […]

You can use a variety of literary devices to add conflict and tension to narrative fiction. But few make readers work harder than the unreliable narrator, a device that, true to its name, allows the storyteller to take readers on a wild goose chase as they determine what’s true, what’s not, and why they feel […]

You love to write and have been told you have a way with words. So you’ve decided to give writing a try—creative writing. Problem is, you’re finding it tougher than it looks. You may even have a great story idea, but you’re not sure how to turn it into something people will read. Don’t be […]

Why do we remember characters in fiction like Huckleberry Finn, Oliver Twist, Frodo Baggins, and Harry Potter years after we meet them? Page-turning novels feature believable characters with human flaws, people who grow heroic in the end. So how do you conjure up characters like that? First, it pays to understand the basic types of […]