Full Description
`I am sure this slim volume will constitute an invaluable aide to anyone seeking to set out on our stony path' - Frederick Forsyth CBE, author of 'The Day of the Jackal' and many other international bestsellers
`Writing Fiction is a little pot of gold... Screenplay by Syd Field for film, Writing Fiction by James Essinger for fiction. It's that simple.'
William Osborne, novelist and screenwriter
Writing Fiction - a user-friendly guide is a must-read if you want to write stories to a professional standard.
It draws on the author's more than thirty years of experience as a professional writer, and on the work and ideas of writers including:
* Anthony Burgess
* Joseph Conrad
* George Eliot
* Ken Follett
* Frederick Forsyth
* Dan Harmon
* Ernest Hemingway
* David Lodge
* Norman Mailer
* John Milton
* Ben Parker
* J.K. Rowling
* William Shakespeare
* Martin Cruz Smith
* J.R.R. Tolkien
The twenty-four chapters cover every important matter you need to know about, including: devising a compelling story, creating and developing characters, plotting, `plants', backstory, suspense, dialogue, `show' and `tell', and how to make your novel more real than reality.
Also featuring special guest advice from legendary screenwriter Bob Gale, who wrote the three immortal `Back to the Future' movies (1985, 1989 and 1990), and novelist and screenwriter William Osborne, whose many screen credits include the co-writing of the blockbuster `Twins' (1988), this highly entertaining book gives you all the advice and practical guidance you need to make your dream of becoming a published fiction writer come true.
Contents
Preface
1: So what is fiction, anyway?
2: Devising a compelling story
3: Two golden rules
4: Lessons from Hollywood
5: The importance of a good outline
6: Which writers should be your model?
7: How long should your novel be?
8: Why you need to pursue everything
9: Character in your novel
10: Your novel's voice
11: Which scenes should be in your novel?
12: Backstory
13: Choosing your characters
14: Depicting villains
15: Dialogue
16: What kind of prose should you be writing?
17: Plants
18: Making your novel more real than reality
19: Language and words
20: Show and tell
21: Suspense
22: The need for your story to be logical
23: Editing and improving your novel
24: Summing up
