http://fictionwriting.about.com/ Get the latest headlines from the About.com http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hh http://www.about.com/ 118 20 en-us 2012-04-02T20:47:27Z Mon, 02 Apr 2012 20:47:27 +0000 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2012/04/18/one-last-post.htm <p>I'm sorry to say that this will be my last post as your guide here. Due to changing circumstances in other parts of my life I will no longer have the time to give this site the attention it deserves.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2012/04/18/one-last-post.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2012/04/18/one-last-post.htm Wed, 18 Apr 2012 10:17:04 +0000 2012-04-18T10:17:04Z http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2012/04/02/ways-to-start-a-story.htm <p>There are three ways I generally start writing a new story. Most often I start with the scrap of an <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/crafttechnique/a/How-To-Get-Story-Ideas.htm">idea</a>, almost as often with a <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/crafttechnique/tp/charactertypes.htm">character</a>, and once in a while a <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/crafttechnique/ht/setting.htm">setting</a> grabs me and starts the ball rolling.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2012/04/02/ways-to-start-a-story.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2012/04/02/ways-to-start-a-story.htm Mon, 02 Apr 2012 20:47:27 +0000 2012-04-02T20:47:27Z http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2012/03/26/hammering-out-that-first-draft.htm <p>The first draft, for me is always the toughest. I know that once I get that down I have something I can edit, massage, and shape into a solid polished work. Something real. It's wading through the first draft that nearly stops me every time.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2012/03/26/hammering-out-that-first-draft.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2012/03/26/hammering-out-that-first-draft.htm Mon, 26 Mar 2012 20:07:19 +0000 2012-03-26T20:07:19Z http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2012/03/25/how-to-be-a-more-interesting-writer.htm <p>Want to be a more interesting writer? Then lead a more interesting life.</p> <p>It's that simple - and that difficult.</p> <p>Writing can be a very solitary occupation, and most writers grow to be content with being alone for long stretches of time. While I think that this obsession with writing is pretty much a requirement of the working writer, it can make you dull. And that's a problem.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2012/03/25/how-to-be-a-more-interesting-writer.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2012/03/25/how-to-be-a-more-interesting-writer.htm Sun, 25 Mar 2012 23:08:15 +0000 2012-03-25T23:08:15Z http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2012/03/19/tough-decisions.htm <p>First off I want to apologize for lack of blog posts lately. I was hammered with two nasty colds in a row and it was all I could do to get some articles written. But I'm back at it and the content will be flowing freely once again.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2012/03/19/tough-decisions.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2012/03/19/tough-decisions.htm Mon, 19 Mar 2012 20:50:05 +0000 2012-03-19T20:50:05Z http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2012/02/26/reading-for-writers.htm http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2012/02/26/reading-for-writers.htm Sun, 26 Feb 2012 11:49:04 +0000 2012-02-26T11:49:04Z http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2012/02/21/post-long-weekend-productivity-drop.htm http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2012/02/21/post-long-weekend-productivity-drop.htm Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:26:22 +0000 2012-02-21T12:26:22Z http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2012/02/17/meet-your-new-guide.htm <p>Hello everyone, my name is <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://fictionwriting.about.com/bio/Cliff-Daigle-103369.htm">Cliff Daigle</a> and I'm your new Fiction Writing guide.</p> <p>I'm really excited to have this opportunity to share what I know about writing and making a living as an artist. This has been a great site for years and I plan on continuing to pack it with informative articles, exercises and advice for writers at all levels. To start the ball rolling I've posted three new articles this week:</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2012/02/17/meet-your-new-guide.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2012/02/17/meet-your-new-guide.htm Fri, 17 Feb 2012 21:20:09 +0000 2012-02-17T21:20:09Z http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2012/02/16/2011-man-booker-prize-shortlist-announced.htm <p>The judges have whittled down the longlist of thirteen authors to a shortlist of six contenders for this year's coveted prize. The winner will be announced October 18th in London, England and will take home the cash prize of &#194;50,000. Each of the six authors who made the shortlist will be awarded &#194;2,500 and will receive a fancy, designer-bound edition of their book. Nice.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2012/02/16/2011-man-booker-prize-shortlist-announced.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2012/02/16/2011-man-booker-prize-shortlist-announced.htm Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:28:17 +0000 2012-02-16T12:28:17Z http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2011/01/31/what-ive-learned-about-writing.htm <p>As I prepare to leave About.com after five+ years of writing and editing this site, I've been reflecting on all the things I've learned -- from writing articles and blog posts and, more importantly, from comments and messages contributed by all of you. For my last post, I wanted to share some of these lessons, the things that have come to seem most important about the writing life.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2011/01/31/what-ive-learned-about-writing.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2011/01/31/what-ive-learned-about-writing.htm Mon, 31 Jan 2011 11:20:45 +0000 2011-01-31T11:20:45Z