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| Details are important in setting-- Image by Kaeska. |
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
5:13 PM
Technique
How to Create Details of Setting in a Novel
By
Lanee’ Blunt
Building
setting in your novel must be done carefully. Details in a novel are either
used to the extreme or some writer’s don’t give enough details. The details of
setting should be weaved into the fiction without notice. When setting is done
correctly it pulls your reader into your fiction world and helps them imagine
your novel vividly.
The
setting has to be incorporated into the fiction and not just stuck in. If you
are writing about a character’s feelings don’t describe what the room looks like.
For example, Maria was hurt by John. She noticed that her kitchen was a mess.
There were pots and pans on the stove and the dishes were piled high almost to
the ceiling.
That
information may describe the room but what does it have to do with Maria’s feelings
toward John? The messy kitchen has nothing to do with Maria’s hurt feelings. It
is just there and it doesn’t emphasize her feelings.
Example
Maria
felt like the empty dirty glass in the sink. What was she just something to be
tossed aside when John was finished using her? She slammed the glass into the
sink on top of the dirty dishes and broke it.
When
you write your setting this way you never leave the focus of the character and
you still got in the details of the messy kitchen. Professional writer’s use
these details so skillfully that the reader is immediately drawn into the
fiction and never notices them.
Reference:
Leonard
Bishop; Dare to Be a Great Writer; Writer’s Digest Books
Friday, May 11, 2012
11:26 AM
Technique
How to Create a Plot in a Novel
By
Lanee’ Blunt
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| Writ a plot outline-- Image by Lusi. |
Plotting
your novel doesn’t have to be difficult. Writing from a plot outline will make
your job easier. A lot of writer's don't
want to write from an outline for fear that the novel will sound stale. Having your novel plotted will help you
especially if you have gotten lost and gone off in another direction. Plot is
built on significant events that have important consequences.
Start with an idea
Your
idea must be big enough for a whole novel. You can have a lot of ideas for a
novel but some of them are only fragments of a story and will be difficult to
turn into a novel.
Moving
Your
plot must have a beginning, middle, and an ending. When you are plotting your novel think of the
idea as a vivid opening. Think about a beginning scene and the next scene
after that. What is going to take place in the middle of the novel? What is the
final confrontation or resolution of the novel?
Conflict
Plotting
a novel is putting your protagonist into conflict with another character,
machine, society, or nature. The
conflict will be present throughout the middle of your novel. What is at stake?
Is there something that the character is going to lose? What is the struggle in
the book, and that is the basis of plot? Show and don’t tell, but show in vivid
scenes of what will happen to the characters, and make your readers care about
what happens to them.
Reference:
“Plot”;
Ansen Dibell; 1988
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
8:41 PM
Review
Writer’s Software: Writer’s Blocks 4 Review
By
Lanee’ Blunt
Another
cool feature is that it can be used for all types of writing whether you are
writing a novel, short story, or working on a non-fiction book you can use it.
Let’s take a look at all
of the software’s features.
- Visual outlining to create clearer and more compelling writing.
- Great for organizing all types of writing: fiction, research, biographies, non-fiction or any type of complex writing.
- Integrated word processor lets you use one tool from brainstorming to your final manuscript or export.
- Easily collect references and create endnotes.
- New Thesaurus with over 60,000 words.
- Import and export Word docs and Adobe Acrobat PDF files.
- Drop and Drag entire columns.
- If you want to buy this software, you can get them on sale at Amazon through this link.Writer's Blocks 4. Overall,
the price that they charge for the software, you will find it’s worth it to
help you get from idea to finished manuscript.
This is what a current owner said about it.
Oles,Writers Blocks 4 is an excellent upgrade to the already terrific ver. 3. Lots of good new features and better stability, navigation, and ways to manipulate your data. Your blocks now can contain hyperlinks and footnotes and much more. I've found WB to be the best organizational, note-taking, research, and outlining tool for writing of any kind: non-fiction, plays, screenplays, articles, etc. etc. You can set it up and customize everything about it to suit your own methods and personality...












