Show-Don't Tell, Must We?
I had always thought writers were individualists, and I'm sure most of them still are. This makes it all the harder for me to understand how a doctrine that is deeply prohibitive in nature could have assumed the status of a religious doctrine in a relatively short time.
Geoffrey Fowler
Autobiographical Novels And Their Cousins
It has become a truism that writing in first-person offers more intimacy than third-person. But any mention of intimacy in writing raises the question, How is it expressed and in what genres or types? Some candidates are straight autobiography, fictional autobiography — also known as autobiographical fiction — as well as memoir and biography. All can offer intimacy of different kinds and in varying degrees.
This list can be broadened to include autobiographical novels, a.k.a. autobiographical fiction. All can offer intimacy to varying degrees. There is only space to touch on a few of these here.
Geoffrey Fowler
To Hire Or Not To Hire
At some point, most writers who have finished writing a novel and who do not have an agent will think of hiring an editor. Depending on how well they write, what they have to offer, their financial situation, and the qualifications of the editor they choose, hiring could be a wise move or a foolish one. It’s a tough decision, unless money is not an issue.
Geoffrey Fowler
Putting an End To It All
The opening was alluring; the formulations scintillating; the characters fascinating; the dialog sparkling. Oh, this is going to be a great story, you thought. And then came time for the ending, and days of head scratching followed by despair.
I’ve been there, which is why I’ve spent some time researching the kind of endings one finds in the real world. The results surprised me. Perhaps they will surprise you, too.
Geoffrey Fowler
Openings, Hooks, And All That
We all strive to write first sentences that are good enough not to cause a readers to snicker. But if it exists, a first sentence that convinces a reader that the author is a great writer and that the book is worth reading has eluded my radar; just about every opening sentence I've seen was nondescript, even though the paragraphs they began were sometimes spectacular. That is why I decided to devote some time searching for a genuine hook and also to try and answer the question, Does anyone who can write a good opening paragraph really need to fret over hooks?
Geoffrey Fowler
