All Entries Tagged With: "Fiction"

Female Heroines: Is Kick-Ass Compatible With Kleenex?

For a long time guys got all the glory in fantasy, action, and adventure books, but recently female characters (and writers) have been fighting their way to the forefront of these genres. This is a terrific trend-so long as we’re not doing it by simply slapping heels on our heroes, renaming them heroines, and calling it a day.

How to Find Places to Publish Your Short Fiction

Not everybody aspires to write the great American novel. In fact, many writers are content to thoughtful and engaging short stories, whether for broad consumption or simply as a means of channeling creative energy into the written word. Writing short stories may not make you a millionaire, but you have the opportunity to gain a loyal readership and perhaps find greater glory in another medium. When you consider that a short story about cowboys by Annie Proulx, published originally in The New Yorker, was adapted into an Oscar-winning film, you’ll find the possibilities of interpreting your story are many. So, too, are opportunities for getting them read.

That Creative Time of Day

There is something universally magical about the hours of 1 a.m to 4 a.m. All of a sudden, thoughts and ideas begin to make better sense. The words seem to flow better. That creative concept all of a sudden seems clearer

4 Tips to Stop Procrastinating So You Can Finish Your Book

Want to get your manuscript completed? Procrastination can get in the way of finishing your book. This article provides four tips on avoiding procrastination and get you back to writing!

Perilous Journey

He sat motionless staring into space.

“Are you ok?” Julie asked, brushing a strand of hair from his face.

“Can we meet at the park?” he enquired tapping his fingers on the table

“Of course” replied Julie, tilting her head backwards.

Julie took a deep breath, taking in the rich aroma of the coffee that filled the air.

Writing Fan Fiction: How to Write Your First Sex Scene

Does writing a sex scene have you feeling a little intimidated? Here’s your solution–a step by step guide that will help you to get your story on the page quickly and easily.

Horror Writers

Horror writers can jump start their horror writing careers if they are well armed with the know-how of this especially-loved but repulse provoking genre. The trick lies in eliciting feelings of disgust, fear, horror and abhorrence from the readers.

The Double Edged Sword for Writers

For nine years I worked for an online publicity firm for authors. The company was one of the first, if not the first, dedicated solely to online publicity.

Let Your Verbs Run Wild And Free

This kind of thing happens a lot. Rushing to make our point, we summarize and condense the life out of our stories.

Symbolism and Names in Harry Potter Books

I’ll admit to a teensy weeny smidgen of envy towards J K Rowling. No – not the massive fame and fortune side of things. I envy her ability to conjure up a person’s character with a name: Hasn’t she just nailed it? Take Harry for starters:

The Inheritance Fiction Competition Winner

The fact that she had remembered him at all amazed him. Elspeth, the foster mother who he had clung to when he had to move to a different family, he remembered burying his head in the folds of her apron and promising to be good if he could stay. Deep down, he had known that she could barely bring herself to wave him goodbye,

Past Love

The rat! The absolute rat! Laura fumed. How could he? She had never felt so humiliated in her whole life. Fighting back the tears, Laura felt a surge of anger so strong that she knew if Luke Adams was stood in front of her now, she would punch him right on the nose. Emerging from the offices of Holby and Grantham

Memory Loss Fiction Competition Winner

“Are you the Doctor? “ The voice was wobbly and laden with confusion.

I handed her the cup of tea, carefully making sure that her trembling fingers had gripped the cup firmly. “No, are you expecting one?”

A Writer’s Style

We talk a lot in this business about a writer’s ‘style,’ and often that’s an elusive issue. Not one’s voice, exactly, although style incorporates voice, and not the technical aspects such as sentence structure and word usage, syntax, although those, too come under that heading. So what, exactly, IS style?

The Perfects

The Perfects have risen from the earth to save the planet from total destruction.
It is 12/12/2012; the end of the Mayan calendar. The world leaders, through their greed and lust for power, have triggered their arsenal of nuclear weapons.

The Hesitant Writer

Stephanie Chandler wrote in her book, “From Entrepreneur to Infopreneur” that a survey indicated nearly 80 percent of Americans would like to write a book. That’s a stunning number of potential writers. There are a variety of reasons why some do what’s needed to become a writer and why others never attempt it.

A Raw Talent

I knew I was being foolish, following my instincts again instead of thinking sensibly. But it was too late. He stepped through the doorway behind me and, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the two dog-walkers disappear over the brow of the hill. We were alone, the boy and I, alone among the treasures of art,

How to Win Short Story Contests

Fancy winning any short story contests of your choice? Winning those top prizes are not out of reach, you just need to approach your contest submission in a practical and applied way. Creative Competitor Editor Annette Young…