Hey Clan!
In this episode of Writers Chat, I and my fellow behind-the-scenes Writers Chat team member, Norma Poore, joined our community to discuss the basic elements of fiction.
In Fiction 101, you’ll learn how to create story, character, and plot.
This was a true Pantser episode, as Norma and I hoped to tag-team with our good friend and fellow author, Johnnie Alexander. Unfortunately, Johnnie fell under the weather that morning. So we did our best to fill the gaps in her absence.
Our fantastic Writers Chat community added so much insight along the way. So we sincerely hope you’ll come away inspired to delve deeper into your own fiction.
Live Chat Links
- Many of the fiction elements discussed in this episode are based on Story Engineering by Larry Brooks. We highly recommend his book!
- Writing with Emotion, Tension, and Conflict by Cheryl St. John, offers techniques for writing compelling novels.
- Ready, Set, Novel! by Chris Baty, Lindsey Grant, and Tavia Stewart-Streit, helps you bust writers block to plan and plot your novel.
- Getting Into Character by Brandilyn Collins, is my go-to source for character development. She delves even deeper to show you how you can use method acting techniques to flesh out your characters.
- The Dance of Character and Plot by DiAnn Mills, takes you step-by-step through the process of novel writing.
- Troubleshooting Your Novel by Steven James, helps you tackle your fiction after the first draft to identify trouble spots, and fix them.
Fiction Exercises
- What adjectives describe voice? What adjectives describe your writer’s voice? Jot them down.
- Asking “What if?” works for so much more than developing concept. If you find yourself stuck in any point of the writing process, ask yourself “What if?” to explore the options that will break you free from whatever is holding you back.
