Forces in Fiction and Other Essays by Burton, Richard

 

Forces in Fiction and Other Essays

by Burton, Richard

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.

The fundamentals of fiction.--The cult of the historical romance.--The love motive in modern fiction.--The dark in literture.--Poetry and the drama.--The development of technique in the drama.--The essay as mood and form.--The modern need for literature.--Past and present in literature.--The use of English.--A note on modern criticism.--Literature as craft.--Indoor and out: two reverie.

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Many Who Attempt To Write Can Never Succeed

 

Many who attempt to write can never succeed. Some succeed despite all obstacles. But in between are a great number with varying degree of ability, many of them appearing in books or magazines, some of them attaining a fair degree of real success, some of them failing of print, but no one of them who could not do far better if he would shake himself free from the influence of machine-like methods and give opportunity to whatever of individuality may lie within him. 

A long procession of possibilities unrealized, regrettable because of the loss to American fiction, pathetic if one looks behind the manuscripts at vain struggles and hopes unfulfilled.

Excerpt from Fiction Writers on Fiction Writing

 

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Fiction Writing Quote by Ralph Henry Barbour: Story Idea

Fiction Writing Quote

by
Ralph Henry Barbour

An idea for a story is anything upon which a story may be built, and story ideas come from as many sources as do ideas of any other sort. The inspiration that provides the idea may be generated by an incident, a person, a situation, a locality, even, I think, by a condition of mind, or by two or more of these in combination. To me a title does not very often suggest an idea for a story; it merely suggests the idea to write a story; there's a difference! In my case the genesis of a story is more frequently a situation. After that a character, an incident, a locality, in the order given.

Excerpt from Fiction Writers on Fiction Writing

Ralph Henry Barbour (November 13, 1870 – February 19, 1944) was an American novelist, who primarily wrote popular works of sports fiction for boys. In collaboration with L. H. Bickford, he also wrote as Richard Stillman Powell, notably Phyllis in Bohemia. Other works included light romances and adventure.

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Freytag's Pyramid by Gustav Freytag

Gustav Freytag was a Nineteenth Century German novelist who saw common patterns in the plots of stories and novels and developed a diagram to analyze them. He diagrammed a story's plot using a pyramid like the one shown here:

Freytag's Pyramid

1. Exposition: setting the scene. The writer introduces the characters and setting, providing description and background.
2. Inciting Incident: something happens to begin the action. A single event usually signals the beginning of the main conflict. The inciting incident is sometimes called 'the complication'.
3. Rising Action: the story builds and gets more exciting.
4. Climax: the moment of greatest tension in a story. This is often the most exciting event. It is the event that the rising action builds up to and that the falling action follows.
5. Falling Action: events happen as a result of the climax and we know that the story will soon end.
6. Resolution: the character solves the main problem/conflict or someone solves it for him or her.
7. Dénouement: (a French term, pronounced: day-noo-moh) the ending. At this point, any remaining secrets, questions or mysteries which remain after the resolution are solved by the characters or explained by the author. Sometimes the author leaves us to think about the THEME or future possibilities for the characters.

You can think of the dénouement as the opposite of the exposition : instead of getting ready to tell us the story by introducing the setting and characters, the author is getting ready to end it with a final explanation of what actually happened and how the characters think or feel about it. This can be the most difficult part of the plot to identify, as it is often very closely tied to the resolution.

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Online Story Planner for Writers' - Plot Factory

Great Stories are Planned Before They are Written

J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, came up with the idea for the series while waiting for a train. Did she immediately begin writing the first chapter? No. On that day, she began a five year long journey planning the immersive world and plot of the Harry Potter series. Five years in, and she publishes the first of seven books. What followed was nothing short of amazing.

The series went on to become a worldwide phenomenon and some of the best selling books in history. Records were shattered. Fans clamored for more. J.K. Rowling became a household name and won the admiration of millions around the world.

With Plot Factory, you have the potential to do the same. We provide you with the tools to realize your masterpiece. Begin your journey now.


Online story planner, organizer and writing app that lets you create fictional universes, forge rich characters, and write amazing stories.

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Liquid Story Binder XE by Black Obelisk Software

Liquid Story Binder is a uniquely designed word processor for professional and aspiring authors, poets, and novelists. Writing software for those who require the editing ability of a commercial text editor as well as a document tracking system. It is for those who want the freedom to create and revise but are tired of losing track of their work. 

[ Download Demo]

[Liquid Story Binder XE ]

 Purchasing Information...

When you purchase Liquid Story Binder, you are actually buying the right to use it indefinitely. Liquid Story Binder is a shareware product, and is distributed freely across the internet as a 'Try Before You Buy' download. Please download Liquid Story Binder before purchasing. Give it a try today!

With registration, all future upgrades and updates of Liquid Story Binder are absolutely free!

Try Before You Buy
The Concept of Shareware...

Liquid Story Binder is a shareware product. You can download it absolutely free, with no restrictions or limitations. It is completely functional with all available features included within the download. Yet, after a period of 30 non-consecutive days of use, Liquid Story Binder will cease to work.

When this occurs, you may decide to uninstall Liquid Story Binder, or purchase a special registration code that will allow you to keep using Liquid Story Binder indefinitely. There is no obligation for you to buy, just test out the software to see if it fits your specific needs.

[ Download Demo]


[Liquid Story Binder XE ]

 

 A Portable Text Editor that Keeps You Organized

 

Liquid Story Binder XE is a uniquely designed word processor for professional and aspiring authors, poets, and novelists. Writing software for those who require the editing ability of a commercial text editor as well as a document tracking system. It is for those who want the freedom to create, outline and revise but are tired of losing track of their work.

Dossiers

Create Dossiers for major characters and settings.

Timelines

Plot your novel by organizing cards along colored timelines.

Storyboards

Combine images and text to create a visual reference board.

Journals

Create a writing journal, or even fictional journals for each one of your characters.

Outlines

Create a collapsible tree of plot ideas.

Mindmaps

Link ideas together using lines and text.

Image Galleries

Organize your reference images into galleries.

Checklists

A list of titles and captions with checkmarks.

Contrasts

A two-columned list for direct comparisons.

Builders

Organize complex scenes using titles, descriptions, and color indexing.

Position Memory

Liquid Story Binder XE remembers just where you left off.

Manuscript Building

Combine multiple chapters into a single manuscript automatically.

Printing

Preserve your font and paragraph editing with Format Printing.

Workspaces

Preserve your favorite window layouts for quick access.

Project Goals

Words per day, words left to write, days remaining, multi-document word counts.

Color Schemes

Create the perfect writing environment with your favorite window colors.

Recordings

Record yourself reading your own novel. Test for pacing and time.

File Listings

Organize all your files into easy-access file trees.

Backups

Every Chapter has its own backup repository. Never lose a single word with automatic version and session backups. Compress your whole archive into a single ZIP file.

Shortcuts

Quickly access your favorite external software and documents.

Statistics

Times, Word Counts, Goals, Sessions, Versions, Days.

Reader

Read over your work in a easy to view columned window, free of editing distractions.

Music Playlists

Add your MP3s and sort them into playlists. Set the mood for writing.

External Editing

Open your work outside of Liquid Story Binder.

 

[ Download Demo]


[Liquid Story Binder XE ]

Quote from Anton Chekhov to Maria Kiselyova, January 14, 1887 on Writing

"Your statement that the world is "teeming with villains and villanesses" is true. Human nature is imperfect, so it would be odd to perceive none but the righteous. Requiring literature to dig up a "pearl" from the pack of villains is tantamount to negating literature altogether. Literature is accepted as an art because it depicts life as it actually is. Its aim is the truth, unconditional and honest. Limiting its functions to as narrow a field as extracting "pearls" would be as deadly for art as requiring Levitan to draw a tree without any dirty bark or yellowed leaves. A "pearl" is a fine thing, I agree. But the writer is not a pastry chef, he is not a cosmetician and not an entertainer. He is a man bound by contract to his sense of duty and to his conscience. Once he undertakes this task, it is too late for excuses, and no matter how horrified, he must do battle with his squeamishness and sully his imagination with the grime of life. He is just like any ordinary reporter. What would you say if a newspaper reporter as a result of squeamishness or a desire to please his readers were to limit his descriptions to honest city fathers, high-minded ladies, and virtuous railroadmen?

 To a chemist there is nothing impure on earth. The writer should be just as objective as the chemist; he should liberate himself from everyday subjectivity and acknowledge that manure piles play a highly respectable role in the landscape and that evil passions are every bit as much a part of life as good ones."

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