Storyville: Making Relationships Feel Real in Your Fiction
Some tips on how to make your fictional relationship feel real.
Storyville: Love Instead of Death—Writing With Heart
Replace death with love, in your writing, and see what happens.
Consider This: Coping
In this first of a series of new craft essays, Chuck Palahniuk displays a method for helping your characters cope against dramatic situations. He also delves into the language of singing, mantras and the importance of a good scream.
Storyville: Three Essential Books On Writing
In:
Character, Craft, Dialogue, Jeff VanderMeer, Plot, Stephen King, Storyville, Structure, Theme, Voice
Three essential books on writing by Stephen King, Donald Maas and Jeff VanderMeer.
Screenwriting: Speed Dating The First Five Pages
A screenplay should always have the reader at 'Hello'. Find out how techniques developed chatting up strangers at speed dating events can make your first five pages sing.
Nuts and Bolts: Saying It Wrong
Great writers like Mark Richard and Amy Hempel re-invent the world, partly by re-inventing the language. In this essay, Chuck introduces you to the mysteries of "Burnt Tongue," and its three principal uses.
Storyville: 10 Hot, Emerging, and Underappreciated Genres
Looking for something new to write? Here are ten hot, emerging, and underappreciated genres.
Storyville: Supernatural and Speculative Fiction—Getting Weird Without Losing Your Audience
Supernatural and speculative fiction—getting weird without losing your audience.
Storyville: 15 Unconventional Story Methods
Here are 15 unconventional methods of telling a story. Why not stretch yourself?
Storyville: What is Neo-Noir Fiction?
Neo-noir fiction is literally defined as "new-black," but what exactly does that mean?
Storyville: 20 Things I've Learned About Writing
Over the past five years I've learned a lot of things about writing — here are 20 of them.
Storyville: Writing the Grotesque
Damaged, deformed, and dysfunctional characters—we still have compassion for them. This is the grotesque.
Bringing the Lie to Life: What Your First Two Pages Can Tell You
Using particular details brings your lie to life.
10 Reasons Your Screenplay Sucks (and how to fix it)
In:
Character, Cliche, Dialogue, Grammar, INT/EXT, List, Plot, screenwriting, Syd Field, Top 10, Voice
What makes a reader hate a screenplay on sight? Here are 10 pet peeves - and fixes.
Big ‘A’ Little ‘a’: Writing Between the Concrete and Abstract
In:
Craft Essay, Voice
One the most widely misunderstood — yet crucial — skills a writer must learn is the ability to put specific actions on the page that transcend into larger, universal concepts.
Storyville: Story Dissection - Maker of Flight
In:
Character, Character, Craft, editing, Plot, Plot, POV, POV, Setting, Setting, Short Stories, Storyville, Voice, Voice
Richard dissects another of his short stories, this time, the contest winning, "Maker of Flight."
Getting Over It, Getting It Out: On Embracing A Bad First Draft
Let's face it: the first draft of anything is going to be awful. That's okay. In fact, here's why it's encouraged.
The Secret Lives Of Little Words
In:
Craft, Dialogue, Discourse Analysis, Grammar, Grammar, Linguistics, List, Phrases, Sociolinguistics, Verbs, Voice, Word Play
What's that word doing there? When it comes to spoken language, nothing is accidental. Linguists are working on finding meaning in every 'oh,' 'um,' 'well,' and 'okay.' The results might surprise you.
Overcoming “Voice Anxiety”
Writers stress themselves out over the idea of devising a unique, compelling voice in their writing. Here's why a lot of that anxiety is underserved.
Storyville: Writing Horror Stories
What does it take to write a terrifying story? Every tool in your writer's toolbelt.
Splat Goes the Hero: Visceral Horror
By Jack Ketchum
Jack Ketchum on violence, pain, and the importance of not looking away.
