Home For Fiction – Blog

for thinking people

affect

Finding Connections in Writing Fiction: Why It Is Important

November 2, 2020

Fiction Writing Tips, Writing

affect, connections, fiction, meaning, symbolism, writing

The title of this post claims finding connections in your writing is important. Actually, it’s more than that: It’s crucial. Indeed, I’d go as far as calling it critical. If you can’t find connections in your writing, you’re in serious trouble.

I’ve mentioned this before, in my post on imagination and creativity: “Creative writing is a connection game, and that’s where imagination plays a major part; in helping you see the connections”, I then said.

In today’s post we will expand on this concept. I will show you

  • why finding connections in your fiction is crucial
  • how to find such connections
  • what to do with them

As a sneak preview I could mention that finding connections in your writing has to do with the bigger picture and the affective power of your novel.

finding connections in writing
Finding connections in your writing is the foundation of affect
(more…)

17 Ways to Grab a Reader’s Attention

September 21, 2020

Fiction Writing Tips, Writing

affect, fiction, guest post, Igor Livramento, writing

Today’s post – showing you 17 ways to grab a reader’s attention – is authored by Igor da Silva Livramento. He’s a fellow academic from UFSC, fellow author, fellow creative-writing advisor, and overall a great fellow. He’s also a composer, music theorist, and producer. Check out his papers on Academia.edu, his music on Bandcamp, and his personal musings on his blog – in Portuguese, Spanish/Castilian, and English.

Fiction is an invitation to journey alongside characters, through places, with affect and a pinch of reflection.

Due to our increased inattention, the first few sentences are a hook in the sea of readers. Seeking our fish’s bite, we must answer at that initial stage: What is this text about? How will it be told?

A walk amongst bookshelves is a stroll beside infinitely many closed doors one may choose to open. Just flip the page and greet a plethora of people dealing with the most diverse situations in as many ways as possible.

Here I offer 17 sneak peeks that captivated me and might inspire you to captivate more readers. Join me on this ringing doorbells spree! (One could also label this techniques for speed dating the reader – preferences…)

grab reader's attention
There are many ways to grab a reader’s attention, and here are 17 of them to get you started
(more…)

How to Use Poetic Licence Properly

July 6, 2020

Fiction Writing Tips, Writing

affect, artistic license, fiction, poetic licence, writing

Poetic license (or artistic licence) refers to ignoring factual truth for creative purposes. There is a wide area covered by this definition and so, inevitably, some uses are proper whereas other improper.

In other words, there are ways to use poetic licence properly (enhancing the affective power of your novel), but also improperly (muddling the waters and creating confusion).

In this post we’ll take a look at all these elements – what poetic licence refers to in more detail, ways of using poetic licence, and of course which (and why) are the ways I consider optimal.

how to use poetic licence
The facts of the photo (I assume and hope!) are that the shark is superimposed on the image and the woman was only in a narrow water tank, alone. The use of poetic licence allows the artist to present a “reality” that might not be strictly speaking factual, yet possesses enhanced affective power
(more…)