for thinking people
April 6, 2018
The word juxtaposition comes from the Latin juxta (meaning “next”) and the French poser (meaning “to place”). In other words, juxtaposition refers to the practice of arranging things next to each other. Now, in terms of writing and literature, juxtaposition refers to the way (usually) two elements are grouped in order to create a certain effect. In today’s article we’ll take a look at juxtaposition. Particularly, I’ll give you tips on how to use juxtaposition in fiction.
March 9, 2018
The use of tenses in fiction (and writing in general) seems like a self-evident thing. You use the past tense when things happened in the past, the present tense when they happen in the present, and the future tense when they will happen in the future. It seems so simple, and yet picking the right tense at the right time is a crucial element for success in writing fiction.
You see, one major aspect that most writers don’t seem to grasp, is that a novel is not an exercise in writing “proper” English. Instead, a work of fiction is a necessary medium for an author’s thoughts to reach an audience. As a result, rules are secondary; affect is primary.
Still, even within a “playing-by-the-rules” context, the choice of the right tense isn’t always an obvious thing. In today’s article I’ll let you know how to pick the right tense at the right time. By “right”, we mean the tense that allows affect to be expressed. We are not concerned about “proper” English. We are concerned about affective power.
March 4, 2018
As a fiction author, perhaps finding a title for your novel isn’t very difficult. After all, quite often writers begin with the title as a first thing. Of course it might later change, but rarely does a writer work for long on something called “untitled”. However, picking just any title and picking the right title can be two crucially different things. There are several aspects that affect your choice of a book title, and today we’ll talk precisely about that. In this article, I’ll show you how to pick a title for your novel.
First we’ll see what makes a title good or bad, and what “good” means in this context. Then I’ll give you some concrete tips on finding the perfect title for your book. There are basically good news and bad news: The good news is that only you can know whether a title for your book is the right one. You will just know it, once you think of it. The bad news, maddeningly enough, is that… only you can know whether a title for your book is the right one. I will show you the how’s and why’s on how to pick a title for your novel, but the choice can only be yours.
