Have you always wanted to write a novel? Do you feel that you wouldn’t be able to stick with it all the way to the end? This is a common problem with aspiring writers, but it is easily cured. Short fiction is just as valid a way to express your writing, and it is much easier to tackle a short story than it is to start a full-length novel. Many short stories end up turning in to novels, so you should look at it as a place to start. You may also get your short story published in a magazine. So if you feel that a novel is too large, start a short story. You may find it is exactly what you needed to jumpstart your writing.
Short stories can be of varying lengths, since the word short is fairly vague. There is a whole brand of storytelling that is told in the form of 6-word sentences. 6 words, and there’s the end. This is only for those who really take their short fiction seriously, and don’t settle for anything that isn’t completely and utterly short. This won’t be necessary for you, but you should still try to keep your short fiction at a minimal length that will keep the readers interested while giving you plenty of time to say everything you want to say.
Short fiction has a slightly different structure than longer fiction, due to the constraints on word count. Instead of having all the time in the world to lead up to the climax of the book, in a work of short fiction you will have to focus on getting to the climax as soon as possible, and explaining the background as the climax occurs. It will get the readers hooked right away, and allow you to interject the story line at your own leisure through the rest of the book. It is a great plot device used by most short fiction writers, and will certainly come in useful for you.
Once you have gotten started on a short fiction work, you will find that it may be hard to keep the length to a moderate size. You will want to include so much background and so much detail that it might become slightly impractical to really call it a short story. If this is the case, you should consider graduating your short fiction into a novel.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Science Fiction Books Break the Molds
In the history of fiction, there have been few huge revolutions in the way stories are written. But there have been authors who set trends and invent new styles, and these authors are usually the same ones who write science fiction books. These people are the writers with great minds who know how things actually work, and not just how they work in the book. Their minds can build onto the possible and create a believable yet impossible scenario. Often this brilliance doesn’t just show in their stories, but also in their writing styles. Here I will examine some of the most groundbreaking science fiction writers, and see how they have changed the world of writing.
Ray Bradbury is one of the most critically acclaimed and celebrated science fiction authors of all time. He is best known for writing Fahrenheit 451, which is read by high school students across the nation on a yearly basis. Some of his writing styles include more abstract stories that were ushered in by the post-modern era. They are not stories that can be immediately explained or rationalized, and this was one of the authors who truly perfected this form. Now we see so many authors that use a form of this in their writing.
Other authors such as H.G. Wells began to write books that exploited the fears of people at the time. As was demonstrated by the legendary radio panic caused by the reading of his War of the Worlds book, it is easy for science fiction writers to hit a scary chord when read. H.G. Wells was one of the first examples of science fiction that was written in a realistic and believable way (for the time, at least). Books that are based in some truth or that are told believably manage to get their point across much better than books that tell the story in a ridiculous way.
The world is constantly being changed by people who are exceptional at what they do. From artists to writers to builders, people can leave their lasting effect on the world through what they do. For the most groundbreaking people, we see things produced that end up affecting everyone who follows.
Ray Bradbury is one of the most critically acclaimed and celebrated science fiction authors of all time. He is best known for writing Fahrenheit 451, which is read by high school students across the nation on a yearly basis. Some of his writing styles include more abstract stories that were ushered in by the post-modern era. They are not stories that can be immediately explained or rationalized, and this was one of the authors who truly perfected this form. Now we see so many authors that use a form of this in their writing.
Other authors such as H.G. Wells began to write books that exploited the fears of people at the time. As was demonstrated by the legendary radio panic caused by the reading of his War of the Worlds book, it is easy for science fiction writers to hit a scary chord when read. H.G. Wells was one of the first examples of science fiction that was written in a realistic and believable way (for the time, at least). Books that are based in some truth or that are told believably manage to get their point across much better than books that tell the story in a ridiculous way.
The world is constantly being changed by people who are exceptional at what they do. From artists to writers to builders, people can leave their lasting effect on the world through what they do. For the most groundbreaking people, we see things produced that end up affecting everyone who follows.
Historical Fiction: Embellishing the Facts
Historical fiction is truly an interesting genre. It is meant to be a way to tell historical stories in an interesting way. It is a sort of dramatization of things that actually happened. Usually the events of a historical fiction book are all documented by history, and mixed with things that could possibly be true. Others completely re-invent history, or look at what would happen if things had gone a different way. These books are usually very interesting to read, since they give us a new viewpoint of historical figures that may have seemed impersonal before. Are you interested in writing historical fiction? It isn’t as hard as it may sound.
First, you will need to figure out a historical person or event that truly captivates your interest. If you can honestly say that you are intrigued by something or someone, you will be more able to reach into the depths of your imagination and pull out more fictional events that can coincide with the real ones. Once you have your event picked, you can begin to add the human emotions in. A war may have started in this year, but how did this emotionally affect everyone involved? By adding the human side to history, you will be creating something that really interests those who read it.
Once you have decided the event you will write about and the angle you will take on it, you can begin to actually write your masterpiece. You will start with some sort of important event that leads up to the main story, and gives you a feel for the motivation of the characters (or at least your interpretation of their motivation). From there you can simply use a history textbook as a guide, and all the while infuse your own characters, emotions, and interpretations. Writing historical fiction is the #1 use of artistic license, and you can hardly beat it for the creativity it requires.
Therefore, if you want to start to write historical fiction then you should first consider the time period, the characters, and the event that you will be dealing with. All of these things are extremely important when writing your book, and you will have to deal with them for the whole story.
First, you will need to figure out a historical person or event that truly captivates your interest. If you can honestly say that you are intrigued by something or someone, you will be more able to reach into the depths of your imagination and pull out more fictional events that can coincide with the real ones. Once you have your event picked, you can begin to add the human emotions in. A war may have started in this year, but how did this emotionally affect everyone involved? By adding the human side to history, you will be creating something that really interests those who read it.
Once you have decided the event you will write about and the angle you will take on it, you can begin to actually write your masterpiece. You will start with some sort of important event that leads up to the main story, and gives you a feel for the motivation of the characters (or at least your interpretation of their motivation). From there you can simply use a history textbook as a guide, and all the while infuse your own characters, emotions, and interpretations. Writing historical fiction is the #1 use of artistic license, and you can hardly beat it for the creativity it requires.
Therefore, if you want to start to write historical fiction then you should first consider the time period, the characters, and the event that you will be dealing with. All of these things are extremely important when writing your book, and you will have to deal with them for the whole story.
How to Write Fiction
Fiction books have always been extremely popular, and always will be. Everyone loves a good yarn, and books seem to be the perfect thing to take people places where they couldn’t have gone otherwise. If you have a great idea to write about, there is nothing stopping you. Anybody can write a novel. For some people it comes naturally and little to no revisions are needed. Some people need to rework sentences over and over to find the perfect phrasing. But with the right amount of work, anyone can produce a work of fiction. You just have to start somewhere and stick with it to the end.
If you have even thought about writing fiction in the past, then you probably have some sort of idea that has been floating around in your head. Often it just takes one idea to start writing a novel, and the rest of the ideas will follow afterwards in a grand outflow of words. But getting started can sometimes be a challenge. To get a novel begun, you only need one word, one sentence, one page. Take the idea that has been bouncing around in your head, and describe it as best as you can. If it is a setting, you will describe the area. If it is a device, you will describe its function.
From the description you have written, you will expand into more details about it. Who invented the object? Who is about to show up in the area? Think about these things, and continue writing. This is the key. Just continue writing, and expand on what you have written. Who is about to have a confrontation with the guy that just showed up in the area? These go on indefinitely, until you have finished your work of fiction. This is how all stories are made, even if the author does not consciously use the techniques. By assigning words to the thought process, you can speed up the natural process of writing.
So if you are interested in becoming a writer and producing some high quality fiction, you have to get started somewhere. Sometimes people expect to immediately have the words come to them and have beautiful stories flow out onto the page. This is almost completely impossible, unless you are a literary genius. Lots of hard work and determination will go in to producing a high quality book, and this will always hold true. If you really want to begin writing, you just need to start writing.
If you have even thought about writing fiction in the past, then you probably have some sort of idea that has been floating around in your head. Often it just takes one idea to start writing a novel, and the rest of the ideas will follow afterwards in a grand outflow of words. But getting started can sometimes be a challenge. To get a novel begun, you only need one word, one sentence, one page. Take the idea that has been bouncing around in your head, and describe it as best as you can. If it is a setting, you will describe the area. If it is a device, you will describe its function.
From the description you have written, you will expand into more details about it. Who invented the object? Who is about to show up in the area? Think about these things, and continue writing. This is the key. Just continue writing, and expand on what you have written. Who is about to have a confrontation with the guy that just showed up in the area? These go on indefinitely, until you have finished your work of fiction. This is how all stories are made, even if the author does not consciously use the techniques. By assigning words to the thought process, you can speed up the natural process of writing.
So if you are interested in becoming a writer and producing some high quality fiction, you have to get started somewhere. Sometimes people expect to immediately have the words come to them and have beautiful stories flow out onto the page. This is almost completely impossible, unless you are a literary genius. Lots of hard work and determination will go in to producing a high quality book, and this will always hold true. If you really want to begin writing, you just need to start writing.
The Popularity of Fan Fiction
If you look at any large and popular book or series of books, you can find fan fiction that has been written on it. Fan fiction is when an admirer of the original work uses the same characters, settings, and plots to expand on the original storyline and add new chronicles to the adventure. It is rarely published, but it has been in the past. There are many fan fiction networks on the internet where people can share their own writings, and critique those of other people. If you are interested in writing fan fiction, you should always follow certain guidelines when writing it and showing it to the public.
You should always be wary of copyright issues when you are writing fan fiction. When you use the exact same characters and plotlines as a published book, you could very well be opening yourself up for a lawsuit. So when you are writing the story, you should give all the proper references where needed. Make it clear the beginning and end of the story that it is written completely by a fan, and is not associated with the author. You may never profit from the sale of your fan fiction, since it is not entirely your invention. You can post it online for free reading, though.
Another thing you should pay attention to is the issue of plotlines. If you create a plot line that is directly involved with the one that already exists, you will be opening your story up to more problems with continuity and events that could happen in the future which are out of your reach of knowledge. If you are going to write fan fiction, it should be part of a completely separate saga than the fiction that already exists. You will create the story form the beginning to the end, and take every part into consideration. This will allow your fan fiction to be free standing, and avoid being tied in with the main one other than the characters and settings.
Once you are done with your fan fiction, you should post it around on the internet for as many people as possible to see. Your fellow fans of the previous work are sure to appreciate your efforts in creating more for their own enjoyment.
You should always be wary of copyright issues when you are writing fan fiction. When you use the exact same characters and plotlines as a published book, you could very well be opening yourself up for a lawsuit. So when you are writing the story, you should give all the proper references where needed. Make it clear the beginning and end of the story that it is written completely by a fan, and is not associated with the author. You may never profit from the sale of your fan fiction, since it is not entirely your invention. You can post it online for free reading, though.
Another thing you should pay attention to is the issue of plotlines. If you create a plot line that is directly involved with the one that already exists, you will be opening your story up to more problems with continuity and events that could happen in the future which are out of your reach of knowledge. If you are going to write fan fiction, it should be part of a completely separate saga than the fiction that already exists. You will create the story form the beginning to the end, and take every part into consideration. This will allow your fan fiction to be free standing, and avoid being tied in with the main one other than the characters and settings.
Once you are done with your fan fiction, you should post it around on the internet for as many people as possible to see. Your fellow fans of the previous work are sure to appreciate your efforts in creating more for their own enjoyment.
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