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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
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Repeating Reality in Fiction: Why You Should Avoid It

October 19, 2020

Writing

fiction, guest post, Igor Livramento, reality, writing

Today’s post on (not) repeating reality in fiction 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. You can also find him on LinkedIn.

If you want your fiction to immerse the reader, you probably suppose you should describe reality as it is. That is, you should be repeating reality in your fiction. Well, you couldn’t be more wrong.

Writing fiction is a process of controlled distortion, in which emphasis is placed on what really matters.

If we describe all the details of an event, we will fill many pages with unimportant trivia. Moreover, we will leave the reader tired, cognitively and affectively, so they will be unable to appreciate the most important moments of the narrative. All our figures of speech, so well crafted, will be nothing more than exhaustive annoyances.

Repeating reality in fiction
To avoid repeating reality in fiction is like a photograph that, by hiding some facets, boosts the affective power of what remains visible
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Censorship of Thought and How to Avoid It

October 5, 2020

Society

censorship, control, social media, society, thought, writing

Not all limitations in expression are censorship. Think of an academic essay where – except quoting others for specific purposes – you can’t say “lol” or “whazzup”. But censorship is all about limitations in writing and expressing. Censorship of thought, in particular, is an especially insidious process – and the ultimate goal of censorship.

Censorship of thought essentially refers to self-censorship – I will use the terms interchangeably in this post. A system or process that manages to censor thought has been so effective in “plain vanilla” censorship, that people – having become conditioned – no longer bother writing or expressing what they think would be anyway censored.

Therefore, censorship – like using euphemisms, which are also a form of censorship – is ultimately about thought control. Moreover, exactly like euphemisms, self-censorship is achieved with subtlety, sophistication, and ambiguity.

That’s precisely what makes it so dangerous. Like unintended misinformation, self-censorship can creep into your writing without even your noticing it.

censorship of thought
Censorship is about raising a wall and teaching someone to stand before it.
Self-censorship is about teaching someone to stand there even when the wall is removed
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