lake setting

Researching the Setting For Your Novel

December 25th, 2011 Arwen Taylor

Picking the setting of a novel is obviously a critical step. Writing a classic detective novel set in a tiny town in Siberia is going to be a struggle. That being said, picking the setting is only a small step. Next, you need to build story credibility by getting the setting right.

What is setting credibility? It is credibility derived from accuracy. Let’s say you are writing a story that is set in New York City. It’s our detective story. In the second chapter, you have the detective walk about the World Trade Center. Unless you’ve set the time of the story before 9/11, you’ve just described buildings that no longer exist. Not only is it bad taste, but the inaccuracy has shot a hole in the credibility of your story. So, how do you avoid this problem?

Many writers will only go with settings that they know. This approach has its benefit in the fact that your inherent knowledge of the area means mistakes should be easily avoided. There is, of course, a secondary benefit in that you really don’t have to do much research on the setting since you already know it. For us lazy writers [we know who we are!], this cannot be understated!
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fast typing

The 3 Day Writing Method

December 25th, 2011 Arwen Taylor

After 6 books (including 3 second editions) and a few hundred magazine articles, I’ve been asked over and over again by friends, business acquaintances, and neophyte writers if I have a formula.

After stumbling around without a consistent technique early on like most novice writers, I eventually developed a method of writing that has never failed me. It’s made my creative life easier, less stressful, and kept writer’s block completely at bay. Of course, every writer has a different creative approach, but once I developed this particular process, my writing experience became so much more fun and exhilarating. I should state that most of my writing is non-fiction (instruction and text books with a lot of interviews) although I’ve used the method for fictional writing like scripts and screenplays as well. The method also works well for other creative endeavors that I do, like writing music, and audio and video editing. So here’s the method that works for me.
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Action Clapper

Five Steps to Writing a Difficult Scene in Fiction

September 24th, 2011 GuestPost

Have you ever been writing a story and come up against a scene and been at a loss as to what to write or how to handle the specifics of a scene? Whether you are a detailed plotter or someone who likes to just sit down and write freeform, a story is made up of distinct and definable scenes. A writing teacher of mine once told me that if you know how to write good scenes, you will be able to write any fiction. Okay, that makes sense. But let’s dig a little deeper and think about what that teacher meant, what exactly is a scene, and what is it that makes some of them harder to write than others? And, when you encounter one of those tough scenes, what do you do – specifically, what do you do to write that particular troubling scene and not get bogged down?
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View Point

Maintaining Proper Point of View

September 24th, 2011 GuestPost

A Directive From Readers Everywhere

Point of view is a serious and often overlooked part of writing, frequently taught in only the most rudimentary way. Usually in the seventh grade, we learn that it is the character through whose eyes or conscious we view the scene and the corresponding quiz consists of matching first, second, third and omniscient POV to the correct definitions. Then it’s all over.

Rarely does anyone even question this. It’s unusual to hear someone say ‘I only read first person point of view’ or ‘I really like third’. Most of us prefer good writing regardless of the POV. But it isn’t so much the specific POV as the quality. It’s difficult to take a concept as simple as ‘my story’ versus ‘his story’ and discuss quality, but after reading a handful of books you’ll probably agree, quality is an issue.
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man with magnifying glass

About Mystery Writing

September 24th, 2011 GuestPost

Writing for the mystery genre can be fun, but there’s a lot of preliminary work that goes into it before you can sit down and begin.

One of the most important aspects of mystery writing is the plot. This genre is very plot driven and it’s important to flesh out a good strong plot before beginning. This includes creating several plot points leading readers on different paths. Don’t give out too much information too soon in your story. Equally important is knowing how your story will end. By outlining your plot and establishing your ending up front, you’ll know how to structure the other elements of your story.

A mystery incorporates the following elements: a problem or conflict, a villain, a detective or hero, clues/red herrings, and suspense. Also, the time and setting are important elements as well. Time and setting can augment suspense and mood of the story.
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