Florence Witkop's Blog, page 41

Independence Day thoughts

What is the biggest secret about fiction writing?

The biggest secret is that there’s no secret at all. It’s just work, work, work and write, write, write and read, read, read. Then stop and look at what you just did. And repeat until someone says you’re a really good writer. Then you still repeat ad infinitum.

Naming Games

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How do you develop the ability to ‘show not tell’ as a writer?

First of all, ‘show, don’t tell’ is important. It is. But it’s also a bit oversold to new writers because at some point readers need to know stuff that simply can’t be ‘shown.’   Think about it. If you stopped your action for a flashback to ‘show’ why the protagonist is doing what they are… Continue reading How do you develop the ability to ‘show not tell’ as a writer?

How do I write realistic prehistoric dialogue?

 You don’t. Because you don’t know how prehistoric people spoke or how they sounded. Don’t know accents. Don’t know much of anything about their speech. So you make it up. Figure out how you think they spoke, what their accents were like, whether they talked like professors or peasants. Which is a way of saying… Continue reading How do I write realistic prehistoric dialogue?

What are your techniques to improve writing?

 There are three things most writers would encourage you to do: Read, read, read. Because reading of any kind at all— anything at all — improves your world view and subconsciously teaches you how those writers did what they did. But reading in the genre you wish to write in gives you added insight into… Continue reading What are your techniques to improve writing?

The sun burns hot and fast

The sun is the brightest star in our sky, but that’s just because it happens to be the closest. Deneb, a star a couple thousand light years away, is far brighter than the sun but because it burns so much brighter, it will also burn out much faster than the sun. Our sun will last… Continue reading The sun burns hot and fast

Why is there a need of inserting sensory details in a creative literary work? How does it affect the interest or readers in a piece of work?

 Because it personalizes the story. Because most readers have had similar experiences and the evocation of the senses brings back those experiences and makes the story more real, sharper, and more personal. And that’s the goal of every writer. To bring the reader into the story.

In writing fiction, are flashbacks a good or bad way of revealing a main character’s tragic past?

Flashbacks work and are often essential for the reader to understand what’s going on and the actions of the character in question. I learned what I consider to be a better way when writing short stories. Because short stories are short. Every word is important. Can’t waste words on long, involved flashbacks. But a writer… Continue reading In writing fiction, are flashbacks a good or bad way of revealing a main character’s tragic past?

Immortal Artistry

We humans are artists. And we like to tell everyone willing to listen that we exist. Thousands of years ago, cave painters signed their paintings with the shape of the artist’s hand and left them there for us to see and exclaim over. Really old paint on a cave wall now tells posterity that they… Continue reading Immortal Artistry