literature Archives - Page 54 of 55 - Home For Fiction

literature

Authorial Voice: How to Develop your Own Style in Fiction

January 3, 2018

author, creativity, fiction, literature, writing

I am an author of fiction (I’m also an academic writer, but let’s leave that aside for now). I have been writing fiction for decades, and examining my own evolution as a writer is a very educational process. If I had to pick the single most important improvement in my writing, that would be the emergence of my authorial voice.

Trust me when I say this: No other element in your writing is as crucial as to develop your own authorial style. The reason is, naturally, that having your own narrative voice allows you to stand out from the crowd. Selling books might not interest you (yay!) but if you’re an artist, rising above mediocrity is likely something that does interest you.

But what is authorial voice (or authorial style) and how does one develop it?

developing your own authorial voice — Developing your own authorial voice is crucial for your work to stand out.

(more…)

Writing Motivation: Why Do We Write Fiction

December 28, 2017

Fiction Writing Tips, Writing

art, creativity, experience, literature, writing

4 comments

People approach the motivation behind an action usually from a linear, cause-and-effect perspective. This isn’t necessarily wrong: we eat because we are hungry, and we drink because we are thirsty. However, increased complexity begins to blur the lines between a cause and its effect. Sometimes we might eat not because we are hungry, but because we are sad. Writing motivation, that is, the force behind the production of text, is such a complex issue.

To some extent, you can claim that writing motivation originates from the desire to write. I write because I want to tell a story is probably a basic, simple way to describe it. But there is a problem there. “I want to tell a story” indicates volition. Writing fiction cannot be a process you do willingly.

The first thing you see when you visit the main site – https://homeforfiction.com – is a quote by George Orwell that aptly describes the madness and self-conflicting feelings behind writing fiction. Any author will tell you: they hate writing; every word, every sentence, every page and every chapter. It’s exhausting, life-sucking, it messes with your head.

So, why do we do it?

writing motivation — To paraphrase an oft-quoted phrase, authors hate not writing and hate writing. They only like having written

(more…)

Fake News, Based on a True Story

December 27, 2017

Society

feelings, Gothic, ignorance, literature, reason, social media, society, writing

0 comments

Why Are There Fake News?

There’s a question that has suddenly become relevant. But just because the question has acquired momentum, it doesn’t mean fake news is a new thing. It’s all about narrative, affect, and control. Here’s a piece of fake news that’s already a couple of thousand years old: “God comes to earth in the body of his own son [sic], he is crucified, he is resurrected [by his own self, presumably?] and everyone is suddenly absolved [from the fact that a woman supposedly once ate a goddamn apple].

As a narrative, this fake news has a linear progression, but with plenty of intertextuality, which enhances its appeal. Crucially, it also has a personal-experience perspective. It’s not just about some random nameless character in a galaxy far-far away, but about you – yes, you, you sinner! As a result, it has great affective power, and is therefore effective in its mission: To exercise control over the populace.

The Discovered-Manuscript Trope of Gothic Fiction

Whoa, I hear you say. What kind of a leap was that? How did we get from fake news to Gothic fiction? Bare with me, and you’ll see.

(more…)