GROSS ANATOMY OF A NOVEL: DIALOG

Firsts in Fiction Gross Anatomy of a Novel: Dialog What is dialog? “Dialogue is not a break in the action. It’s an intensification of the action. Here’s something else dialogue is not: It’s not the way we speak. Dialogue must appear realistic without being realistic....

GROSS ANATOMY OF A NOVEL: PLOT AND STRUCTURE

Firsts in Fiction Gross Anatomy of a Novel: Plot, Pacing, Structure First, what do we mean when we talk about plot? Plot refers to the course of events in a novel. Typically, this also refers to the order in which they occur. A lot of times this is what we describe on...

ASK THE AUTHORS

Firsts in Fiction Ask the Authors How do you prefer to handle typesetting words in made up languages? Italics? What if you are including thoughts in dialogue? Here is an example: Kata’s brow furrowed, “Snack?” Zeta looked around warily before she whispered, “Snack –...

GROSS ANATOMY OF A NOVEL: VOICE

Firsts in Fiction Gross Anatomy of a Novel: Voice Continuing our look at Gross Anatomy of a Novel, this week we discuss Voice. First, let’s define “Voice.” Voice is one of the trickiest aspects of writing fiction. One thing the best writers have in common is a unique...

Gross Anatomy of a Novel: Point of View

 Firsts in Fiction Gross Anatomy of a Novel: Point of View Continuing our look at Gross Anatomy of a Novel, this week we discuss Point of View. First, let’s define “Point of View.” Simply put, point of view is the eye through which the narration is seen. There are...