I swallowed my fear and walked right up to Ralph McInerny, author of the Father Brown mysteries. He was shorter than I had imagined. I picture all successful authors to be skyscrapers.
During the formative stages of judging for the 2003 EPPIE Awards, members were called to construct succinct definitions of fiction and non-fiction categories. Most categories, of course, are quite self-explanatory – how much more does one need to say about science fiction or historical fiction in order for an author to choose his/her respective category for entry? If only it had been as easy to define the category assigned to me: inspirational fiction.
The first few lines of any story are the most important — and often most difficult — words you’ll write. The next most challenging piece of writing is the ending. Once you draw your readers in and take them through your story, you need to leave them with a satisfying conclusion. Here, then, are some tips for writing powerful endings:
While proofreading isn’t the most enjoyable part of writing, it’s the most important. A document full of typos, grammatical glitches, and glaring errors reflects badly on your business and can create more problems than it solves.
Many popular children’s stories are really wish fulfillment for the reader. Escaping to a world where magical adventures and fantastic creatures are only a page away, appeals to the child in all of us. Enid Blyton wrote her series of Faraway Tree books decades ago, becoming one of the most popular children’s authors ever. J.K. Rowling’s world of wizards and wizardry schools has captured the imagination of children today.
Some people would be writers, if only they could use grammar. Others are able to produce near faultless English, but still have a blind spot or two. And the most common blind spot concerns that mysterious beast, the past participle.
Plot may be defined as what happens in the story, the sequence of events that occurs as the character attempts to solve his problem or reach his goal.
Sometimes, one of the toughest issues facing writers is time…or the lack of it. Some of us work full or part-time, others attend college and may be working too, and many may be raising children. And then there are those lucky few, like myself, who no longer work, the children have left home, and are devoting their time to writing full-time.
It’s every writer’s dread. You have a concept, go to write it down — and nothing comes. Or you are in the middle of a great story, and the flow dries up. The more you work at it, the worse the blockage.
You know the story you have written is so engaging an editor will jump at the chance to buy it. So why should you worry about the format of your manuscript? If your manuscript is not properly formatted, chances are the editor won’t even read the first line of your story.