Fiction Writing | Writing Forward

From 101 Creative Writing Exercises: Potter Wars

101 Creative Writing Exercises is a book on the craft of writing that is jam-packed with fun and practical writing exercises. You’ll learn useful writing techniques while gathering ideas and inspiration for all your creative writing projects. You’ll experiment with fiction, poetry, freewriting, journaling, memoir, and article writing. Today, I’d like to share an exercise…Read More

Action and Dialogue in Storytelling

Today’s post is an excerpt from What’s the Story? Building Blocks for Fiction Writing, chapter seven: “Action and Dialogue.” Enjoy! Action and dialogue are the wheels that carry a story forward. The easiest way to imagine action and dialogue in written narrative is to think of a movie. When characters onscreen do things, that’s action….Read More

Narrative Point of View in Storytelling

Today’s post includes excerpts from What’s the Story? Building Blocks for Fiction Writing, chapter six: “Narrative Point of View.” Enjoy! The terms story and narrative can be used interchangeably, meaning a sequence of events, real or fictional, that are conveyed through any medium ranging from prose to film. However, when we talk about narrative, we’re…Read More

Literary Style in Storytelling

Today’s post includes excerpts from What’s the Story? Building Blocks for Fiction Writing, chapter five: “Narrative Style, Voice, and Tone.” Enjoy! Literary Style Literary style is the aesthetic quality of a work of literature—the distinct voice that makes each author unique. It’s the way we string words together, the rhythm of our prose, the catchphrases…Read More

Fiction Writing: The Setting of a Story

Today’s post includes excerpts from What’s the Story? Building Blocks for Fiction Writing, chapter three: “Setting.” Enjoy! Setting may not seem as critical to a story as character or plot, yet it is a core element of storytelling and for good reason. The setting of a story helps us understand where and when it takes…Read More

Writing Resources: Wonderbook

This post contains affiliate links. Jeff VanderMeer’s Wonderbook is not your average tome on the craft of writing. It’s more like a portal, and once you enter, writing becomes a strange and awesome adventure. Subtitled The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction, the book addresses fiction in general but occasionally emphasizes speculative fiction; any writer will benefit from it, but there are…Read More

From 101 Creative Writing Exercises: Moral Dilemmas

Today’s creative writing exercise comes from 101 Creative Writing Exercises, a book I wrote on the craft of writing. This book takes you on an adventure through creative writing. You’ll explore different forms and genres of writing, including freewriting, journaling, memoir, fiction, storytelling, poetry, and article or blog writing. 101 Creative Writing Exercises imparts proven…Read More

What is the Theme of a Story?

Today’s post includes excerpts from What’s the Story? Building Blocks for Fiction Writing, which is packed with fun lessons and engaging activities for anyone who wants to learn the basics of storytelling. This is from chapter four: “Theme.” Enjoy! What is the Theme of a Story? Theme is one of the most difficult story elements…Read More

Storytelling: What is a Plot?

Today’s post includes excerpts from What’s the Story? Building Blocks for Fiction Writing, chapter two: “Plot.” It’s a book that lays out the fundamentals of creating fictional stories, equipping you with the basic skills necessary for writing stories that engage. Enjoy! What is a Plot? A plot is a sequence of related events in a…Read More

What If? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers

This post contains affiliate links. Good fiction includes many different elements: believable characters, realistic dialogue, and a compelling plot. Every decent story has a beginning, middle, and end. Intriguing tales are built around conflict and are rich with themes and symbols. And those are just the basics. It can be pretty overwhelming. Fiction writing is…Read More