Essays on Writing
Story: what to do
Literary Fictional Story
What defines a literary story? What should an author strive for?
Character in Literary Fiction
Starting ideas to help the imagination form richly presented characters that contribute to plot and story momentum.
Narration of Literary Stories
Narration of any story is a complex process that involves POV, voice, respect for a narrator, and authorial skill. And there are few resources for learning. This essay presents principles and guidelines for the narration of effective literary stories.
Drama in Literary Fiction
Drama is conflict and action, elements best presented in scene. The writer of a literary fictional story is often trained in the craft of beautiful prose for telling a story, a skill that may work against reader involvement in a dramatic presentation of the material. This essay considers the role of drama in fiction.
Desire and Motivation in Literary Fiction
Desire and motivation provide the quality, power, and credibility of why characters do what they do. This essay provides ideas and examples for writers aspiring to improve characterization and plot by expanding ideas about desire and motivation.
Credibility in Literary Fiction
Thoughts about how authors must make credible decisions about how to build characterization and advance plot.
Dialogue
Great dialogue in literary fiction serves multiple functions but never detracts from story progress or purpose.
Philosophy: write for the right reasons
Author’s Attitudes: Fine-Tuning
Writing for wealth and fame are not motives that create great stories. Here are ideas on how to adjust your thinking for writing your best work (that might just bring you wealth and fame).
How Stories Go Wrong
Authors often tend to try to improve their stories with poor choices. What happens?
Preparing to Write the Great Literary Story
Best stories form, are prioritized, and revised before the first. And there are skills to be honed. How is it accomplished?
The Anatomy of a Wannabe Literary Fiction Writer
Some writers will never write the great literary story. What is it that holds them back from their potential?
Craft: do it well
Momentum in Writing Literary Fiction
Ways to create movement and action-key elements in great fictional stories.
Information and Literary Story Structure
At times, stories can be improved by evaluating story information provided for the reader. What to do?
1st person POV in Literary Story
Expert use of !st person can help make a story great. And it is more than using a pronoun.
Top Story/Bottom Story
Top story/Bottom story can help authors structure their writing to write the best literary stories.
Strong Voice and Attention to Time 
A literary fictional story is: a magical perception–an engaging illusion–that is an unbroken continuum.
Humor and Fiction
To create great literary stories, prose fiction must be vibrant and interesting, and never trivial. Every writer has a better chance for excellence with the accomplished use of the right elements of humor; how, then, do humor elements work in fiction?
Emotional Complexity in Literary Fiction
In some ways, emotional complexity, beautifully rendered, clearly defines literary fiction from genre fiction.
Conflict in Literary Fiction
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September 24th, 2009 at 9:22 am
[...] Craft: do it well [...]
January 20th, 2010 at 7:25 am
i want write a book titled lean on me
January 20th, 2010 at 12:16 pm
You've got a good title. If you haven't already, you need to imagine the characters, what's going to happen (conflict), where's the best place (setting) to tell your story, and then think through what happens from beginning to end. Then start writing scene by scene. Be sure each scene relates to the story you've imagined. And you'll be on your way.
January 21st, 2010 at 1:21 am
Finding this site and your essay "Strong Voice and Attention to Time" was timely for me. It has helped improve the story.
Thank you.