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Dialogue is a great tool when it comes to fiction writing, but it can also cause a book to fail very easily. People really have to be careful when it comes to writing dialogue as it can easily become weighed down. The dialogue is what helps a story have a lot of interest and flow smoothly. It is also what helps the reader get a better understanding of who the characters truly are by picking up their personality as they talk.
1. Keep it Short
Dialogue should be succinct. If there are too many large paragraphs of dialogue, the writing will start to feel weighed down. Now, there are going to be spots where an author cannot keep the dialogue short, but they should try to break these sections up as much as possible to avoid an info dump in the dialogue. It can be broken up via movement or by characters asking questions or interjecting their own thoughts.
Read more: 5 Dialogue Tips to Help You Keep Your Story Exciting
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Throughout your writing journey, you’ve probably heard or read more than a few famous author quotes, but what do they really mean? Let’s break them down so that we can use the advice in a practical manner.
1. "The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do."
--Thomas Jefferson
We might not think of the founding fathers as masters of brevity; however, Thomas Jefferson makes an excellent point here about concision. Choosing the best word for the phrase, the most precise word, is often better than a string of adjectives. Most commercial writers, in fact, should partially forget their extensive vocabulary lessons as the average reader of popular fiction can get frustrated by complex or latinate words. If you’re writing commercial fiction, you want to drive the action — that is what readers care most about. Clear, precise active language is more effective than flowery prose that goes on and on for paragraphs -- or worse, pages.
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In any given fiction work of fiction, the story is told through someone's point of view. Whether or not this is through the eyes of a hero, a villain, or multiple characters, a point of view establishes what the author wants the reader to focus on. More often than not, the narrative is told through a single lens. This aims to keep the story consistent and make it more likely for the reader to sympathize with the protagonist. Examples of this include Harry Potter. However, other books, like A Song of Ice and Fire, are told through multiple points of view.
Read more: 3 Benefits of Using Multiple Points of View (POVs) in a Fiction Book
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When writing fiction, whether novel or screenplay, a few basic elements must be present to tell a good story. For example, there must be a detailed setting so that the reader knows when and where the story takes place. There should also be an engaging plot, which is a series of events that hold the attention of the reader or audience and make them want to continue the story. These and other elements are like building blocks to a story. Without these elements, the story will either feel incomplete or perhaps just cease to be interesting.
However, these story building blocks revolve around the most crucial elements of a story, the characters. The characters are the “beings “who inhabit the story. Characters are not always people. Often, an inanimate object such as a house or a car takes on the role of a key character in a story. Or elemental things such as weather conditions can act as a character. Good characters can make an intriguing story even more attractive. A story’s main characters generally fall into one of two categories: Protagonist and Antagonist.
These categories may seem simple at first glance, but they mean more than a distinction between “good guy” and “bad guy”. Truly understanding the difference between a protagonist and an antagonist is crucial when creating characters that can appropriately drive the plot of a story.
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Do you know the differences between active and passive voice? If you're confused, don't be alarmed. Many authors and writers don't understand the difference. All they've ever been told is - Always write in active voice. The truth is that you need a mix of active and passive voice, but let's take a look at the differences between the two.