Dedicated to the classic books on fiction writing. Learn to write short stories, novels, and plays by studying the classic how-to books. I believe fiction writing is a Craft. In the hands of a writer who has mastered the Craft, it can become more than that. It can become Art. Art = Talent + Craft But the bedrock is Craft. There are fundamental techniques to be studied, unfamiliar tools to be mastered, tricks of the trade to be learned. And it all takes time. (Writing Mastery) (Writing Craft)
Author Les Edgerton explains the differences in structure between a short story and a novel, and he provides writers tips for how to expand their short stories into something more substantial.
You can view the article at Writer’s Digest.
Les Edgerton at Amazon
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Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
-- Steve Jobs
.jpg "Steven Paul Jobs")
Education: Reed College (attended)
Died: October 5, 2011 (aged 56); Palo Alto, California, U.S
Kurt Vonnegut the author of praised novels Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse-Five, and Breakfast of Champions, has given his readers, from his short story collection, Bagombo Snuff Box, eight rules on how to write a successful story. The list can be found in the Introduction of the collection.
"Now lend me your ears. Here is Creative Writing 101:
Suspension of disbelief is the reader's temporary acceptance of story elements as believable, regardless of how implausible they may seem in real life.
The tone of a literary work expresses the writer's attitude toward or feelings about the subject matter and audience.
Point of view is the perspective (or type of personal or non-personal "lens") through which a story is communicated. Narrative point of view or narrative perspective describes the position of the narrator, that is, the character of the storyteller, in relation to the story being told.
Deadline: May 5, 2023
Writer’s Digest has been shining a spotlight on up-and-coming writers in all genres through its Annual Writing Competition for over 90 years. Enter our 92nd Annual Writing Competition for your chance to win and have your work be seen by editors and agents! Almost 500 winners will be chosen.
Prizes
One Grand Prize winner will receive:
The First place winner in each category will receive $1,000 in cash and publication of their winning piece on WritersDigest.com.
The Second place winner in each category will receive $500 cash.
The Third place winner in each category will receive $250 in cash.
The Fourth place winner in each category will receive $100 in cash.
The Fifth place winner in each category will receive $50 in cash.
The Sixth through Tenth place winners in each category will receive a $25 gift certificate for writersdigestshop.com.
All top winners will also receive:
All Honorable Mentions receive:
Categories
How to Enter
ENTERING IS EASY!
Create your free Submittable account by clicking the SUBMIT button. If you already have a Submittable account, simply log in!
You can compete in multiple WD competitions with a single login! Check back often for an updated list of competitions.
When you are ready to submit your work to the WD Annual Writing Competition readers, you’ll want to have the following information available:
Your contact information (be careful that the information provided is accurate). Contact information is to be provided only on the submission form (not on the submission’s file upload). Time sensitive information such as credits and contact information (for prize distribution) is taken directly from the submission form. Due to the nature of deadlines, corrections to this information are not guaranteed.
Your ANNUAL WRITING COMPETITION submission file (see the PREPARING YOUR ENTRY tips for more information).
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