Fiction Writing - A Guide to Writing Fiction
There is so much information on the web about Writing Fiction. It is almost overwhelming. I am going to spend a little time in this post going over some great websites while giving you a whole mess of tips about writing that fictional story that has been in your head for so long.
Let’s start with what Wikipedia says: “Fiction writing consists of fashioning works of prose based on the imagination that could possibly be published in literary form. The result may be a short story, novel, novella, screenplay, or drama.”
Interesting…
So… What about this imagination thing. It is something that we have been working with since we were infants playing with toys on our bedroom floors. We used out imaginations when we worked with crafts to make a gift for our parents or that special person of the opposite sex.
If you were like me, you were first told to write a story in first or second grade. You were told to think of something strange or unusual, or something that you think might happen. You were told to tell a story like the books that you were reading in class. These stories were very important to your writing career. They were your starting point.
Now you want to write fiction. This is a good thing. I think everyone should write at least one fictional novel in their life…. even if it never gets published. It is something that you will be able to pass down from generation to generation. People will be able to see what you have written and remember you. It is so easy now-a-days to publish something through a Print on Demand Company. You can have one copy made and only let friends and family read it. Who cares how bad it is.
How do you start writing a Novel? First of all… You need an idea for your story. If you don’t have an idea, you can’t write your story. Now don’t get me wrong. You can write nonsense until you come up with an idea, but until that idea comes, you have nothing to work with.
Next you will need to develop your Characters. I find that a lot of people out there have difficulty creating names for their characters. You can find some really great tips on finding names for your characters on my post named, “How to Choose a Character’s Name”
Once you have the name of your character, you will need to know more about him/her. Get to know your character. Sit down and interview them… one by one. You will be surprised when you start asking questions. They will give you answers you didn’t know were there.
Outline your story if you can. I find that having an outline keeps me on track with each piece of fictional writing. If I know where I am going, I don’t have to sit back and wait ‘til I figure out where I am going.
The only other thing I can tell you is to write everyday. Set a goal for yourself and stick to it. Honestly most people who have full time jobs can write about 500-1000 words per day. This is great since, if you stick with it, you can finish an 80,000 word novel in 3-6 months (at least the first draft).
There are plenty of guides out there that can give you some great pointers on writing a best seller or showing the roadmap to follow to your Writing Career. Whatever the case may be, keep writing fiction and someday your good novel, just may become a great novel.
I have many more free writing tips for you when it comes to fiction writing, so make sure you take advantage of them.
