Tips to Improve Your Fiction Writing

Thanks. No need to post it, then. I've sent you a friend request on FB.

All of this makes a lot of sense to me. But what does not make sense is the HP requirement that all writing be "useful". Is writing short stories, novels, or even creative non-fiction always useful? Is Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods" useful? Other than a few points about the Appalachian Trail and a warning not to try it if you are not in better shape than he was when he did it, it's mainly entertaining and funny.

I like the first two chapters you've written for "The Sun Never Rises". I can see it has real social value. My story is a classic road trip with a twist. I think people who read short stories and novels will find it interesting, but I doubt it has any social value other than the fact that the things that go wrong are often the best fodder for writing. I could trump up a title like "How to Survive as a Woman on the Road" but that seems insincere. It's a good thing Jane Austen didn't have to meet HP criteria.

I guess I am going to just find a topic that will fit the short story I've written and see if it's accepted. If I get good pointers, it will be worth it, but if it is rejected out of hand as not being useful, I will have to rethink HP. I hope you and some of your readers will take a look and comment.

Hi...how did you find your best time to write? I am disabled, so not always available to myself. I also care for a toddler grandson second shift ans a disabled 18yo who will forever be 10 or 11. And my husband is also disabled. I have tried early & late mornings, afternoons & evenings, late & middle of the night and nothing is a consistant time for me. This makes things so much more difficult...sigh.

I always love that I can take your writing improvement hubs and tweak them to my kind of writing. I really do think more about what I am saying or appealing to when I write an intro to a craft or recipe. Thanks for another great article.

Well said. Sounds like good advice to me, and I want to be better than just good. I want to be GREAT.

The challenge is connecting your reader emotionally with the character. If one can do this than they have accomplished much in the world of writing. I will keep this excellent advice in mind.

Hi Bill. Although my interests are non-fiction, I found this hub helpful. I am also a morning person. Always the mentor Bill, well done as usual.

Graham.

Your enthusiasm and your knowledge shine through this piece. Superb advice! We should always stretch for more, put ourselves at risk so that we and the reader feel the stress and the suspense and the doubt.

Invaluable advice for each and every writer under the sun, bill. Ann

As always you deliver. Helpful advice in a clear and enticing manner. :)

Thanks for the epic advice Bill!

My main goal as a writer is to be respected, especially by those whose writing I respect.

“We all share five senses. We all experience the thrill of taste, sight, touch, smell and sound. Use those senses to get in touch with your emotions, and use your emotions to bond with the emotions of your readers.” This is excellent advice, Bill. It’s not always easy to follow as we sometimes forget. Excellent hub, as always. :-)

Thanks Bill, that's what I was asking.

I think I gotta take this tips and apply on my writing. Thanks

Another useful hub, Bill. I liked the Rick Riordan video about the 3 things (young) writers need to do and your useful tips on writing during our most productive time. My hubby knows to stay out of the way when I'm headed for a pencil to scribble down a thought. lol.

I also liked what epbooks said about their book. "I wrote it in first person which was SO much fun, but SOOO difficult because the main character had to see all..." This is reassuring in a way. In the past I responded to some negative feedback by changing the story to third person. Probably won't do that again. Smiles.

Good Morning Bill,

Thanks for more great and practical ideas. I need to go back through the book I'm working on now and see how to best apply some of these things. Since you brought it up, how do you see the difference between a short story, novella, and a novel by word count or page count? Thanks again for your detailed instruction.

Great tips and sounds very helpful indeed. Fiction writing is another genre with many thoughts.

Great advice, as always, Bill. I will remember it when I write my next story!

Oh, it's time to buy your book! You did it, congrats. Once you give birth to that first one : ) ...the next one may be a bit easier, and I am sure just as special no doubt.

Stepping out of our comfort zone makes things fresh and exciting, just as our writing should be written!

Blessings always

I always feel inspired after reading your hubs. I haven't written much recently but I want to get back into it again. Love all the practical, useful, important information!

These are some really helpful points. I'll keep these in mind when editing my new book. I think it could benefit by mixing things up as you say.

Every time I read one of your articles on becoming a better writer, I go back to the work I've done so far, and I can hear you saying, " Jo, you could do better." :) I'll be taking it all apart again later on. Thank you for the tips, the message is getting through.

My best always.

You provide great inspiration here for us all to improve.

Very good stuff. If I keeping working on it they will come.

I really do want to improve as a fiction writer and i have gone out of my comfort zone. Practice is the key. Thank you for helping us along the way.

Another hit, Bill! I know that you have been talking a lot lately about how you have decided to focus more on writing your novels. My circumstances are leading me away from the novels (at least for now) toward nonfiction and gardening as you probably have guessed. I agree that when writing fiction (or nonfiction for that matter), your enthusiasm shines through to the reader. If you're not enthused, neither will the reader.

I don't know how you can be so disciplined--sometimes I just can't even sit my body down to do it

Love that you asked "What are you trying to achieve?" I don't think a lot of fiction writers (or even some nonfiction types) even ask that question. I'm sure their answer to the question would be "to write a book." It's not the action that's the goal, it's the reaction from the reader. Great stuff, as always!

I've been re-reading some of my unfinished longer pieces (a novella, novel-in-progress and a play) with an eye toward how I could make them better. The latter needs a different approach altogether, but the first two definitely need more 'umph' than they currently possess. While they may not be mundane, they don't yet soar. That is my task--to give them wings. Thanks for the reminder. There's no point in writing if the end result isn't good enough to grab and hold a reader's attention.

By the way, if you ever visit Cafe Du Monde, in New Orleans, you won't be disappointed, either in the coffee with chicory (for newbies, cafe au lait might be better than the straight black and very strong stuff), sugared beignets plus sights and sounds of the street people performing nearby. And...if you and Bev get as far south as New Orleans, you should come back through Jackson, Mississippi and visit me. (I keep coffee and chicory, too. Though I don't make beignets, I am a pretty good soul cook.)

Voted Up+++

Jaye

I really struggle with using the senses - though I well know how important it is. Very well-stated reminder. THANKS for sharing! ;-)

Getting in touch with one's emotions - that's the hard part! But you're right. That's what makes a great writer. I always think of Edgar Allen Poe when I think of writers' emotions. He was a real nut case after losing his wife and mother-in-law and it came across well in his writings. Who else could have written the Pit and the Pendulum?

I had to laugh when you were talking about figuring out the time one is most creative. If I had my way, I would stay up all night and sleep all day, but my activities will not allow me to do that. For instance, if I stayed up all night, I could not possible go volunteer at our school the next morning.

And so, I have a challenge (which I love, by the way). I have actually kept a notebook by my bedside so that if I wake up during the night with an idea, I can jot it down, or if my head is spinning before I try to sleep, I can write things down. I've written a hub or two by starting with those humble beginnings.

Thank you once again for your great suggestions, Bill!

Such a wonderfully informative hub. I've just sent my fifth thriller to the editors and although I love my other four, I think I love this one a teeny bit more as I created a character who was truly evil (in my mind anyway), but yet, at some points likeable. I know what you mean about stepping out of your comfort zone. With my book Phobia, I wrote it in first person which was SO much fun, but SOOO difficult because the main character had to see all...and the story had to be manipulated so that he could do that. It wasn't easy, but fun. :) Hope your books are an amazing success!

One thing for sure about you, Bill is that you practice what you teach. In reading your first novel, I felt like I was truly on a journey with your character, wanting to be there when he took his next turn. I know your next novel will be a great adventure, too. My bags are packed and I'm ready to roll with Tobias.

Writing pure fiction would mean that I was definitely stepping out of my comfort zone. I don't think that it would be a bad thing. Thanks, billy. Up, interesting, extremely useful and awesome.

More brilliant standards to rise toward! "More than they paid for" is the target I want to reach for, but of course I'd like to reach them all. Thank you for the great tips!

I love the idea of throwing real life facts and places in our fiction writing. It makes the story seem real. And research is necessary no matter what the story line is. Where ever you decide to set the story, you need to research the flora, architectural styles, foods, crops, accents, brogues, etc.

My character Faith in The Gifts of Faith is a florist in Georgia. I researched native Georgian plant life in order to not get tripped up by any of my readers who happen to be from Georgia.

It's the little details that make a difference. And you're so right about having a character reflect on an image or a situation rather than just report it. How droll would that be? I have the Sunday paper for that kind of reading.

Fact That Only I Find Interesting: I visited Café Du Monde 10 years ago and missed a Kate Hudson sighting by one day.

My most productive time is afternoon, I can't function in the mornings! lol! never have been able too even when I was at work! to research a novel is no easy task, I remember when I wrote my book back in the 80s, it was about the 1349 black plague! LOL! imagine asking the librarian for that research book! and yes the book is still sitting in my drawer, and yes I should update it, lol! have a great day bill, nell