Fiction Writing Tip #1
Fiction Writing Tips
By Theresa Laster Vivanco
All Rights Reserved 2009
Dear Fellow Writers,
It is said that everybody has at least one bestselling story in them. I couldn’t agree more–but where to start?
Fiction Writing Tip #1
This may seem obvious but read, read, read…and read some more!
Always have a book lined up when you finish the one you’re on. If you happen to have eclectic taste in literature, that’s even better. Writers need to read all genres, especially novice writers who don’t really know what kind of book they want to write. Stretch out a little and read a historical biography or a memoir or two if you’ve been reading just romance novels. Read a romance novel or a thriller if you’ve just been reading historical biographies. I recommend biographies and books based on true stories because most successful writers write about what they know or what they’ve been influenced by. John Grisham normally writes about his experiences as a lawyer. Herman Melville, the author of Moby Dick, never set sail but he hung around lots of sailors in bars.
If you’re already a voracious reader, make a list of your top 10 favorite books.
In my one-on-one consultations, I almost always carefully scrutinize my clients’ top ten favorites to make sure they are reading a variety of styles and some older, classic books, too. In most cases, I recommended a reading list to fill in any holes for my private clients, even though they might feel their list is complete. You’ll never regret reading a classic book, though the writing style may be old-fashioned there are excellent reasons why they endure over the centuries.
So, get thee to a bookstore (my sons have to drag me out of Barnes and Noble) or buy a book on line. Can I recommend a title that I just finished co-writing with a client? It’s an excellent example of young adult fiction (but suitable for all ages, like the Harry Potter series) with classic story structure (which we will be delving deeply into in coming weeks) called East Bench (based on a true story).
Talk to you next week with Fiction Writing Tip #2.
Creatively yours,
Theresa L. Vivanco
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