This is a Blog written by myself, Ian Fenwick, the founder of Write Time Freelance Writers. I want to make this site a valuable resource, not only for my customers old and new, but for all budding writers out there in their lonely realms. I will try to offer any advice or free fiction tips that i find interesting, and I welcome comments and feedback. Please do feel free to contact me about the blog or anything else pertaining to the website. I like to network with people, in particular other writers.
I may also post previously unpublished articles and review on here from time to time. This can sometimes be because i couldn't find a market for them, but usually they're just my own ramblings that were probably never meant to see the light of day!
Enjoy!
Prose Fiction Continued
Posted on Monday Feb 23 0:00:00 GMT 2009
This article is the second of two parts detailing some tips for beginners on starting to write a novel/story.
Voice/Viewpoint
It's time to move on from characters, plot and setting. Now you need to make some decisions about the narrator(s).
There is a difference between focalizers and narrators.
Decide which characters you want to focalize your story thought
whose thoughts are we going to access?
Whose head are we going in?
Whose eyes are we going to see the story through (this can be one or more characters?
Decide on the narrator. This will be related to your focalizer but will not necessarliy be the same.
You could have a 3rd person omniscient narrator, focalized through one or two characters.
You could have a 1st person adult narrator, focalized through the eyes of themself as a child.
Opening
Think about a good opening. Consider your favourite novels/stories.
Make a plan for how your narrative will open.
What will be the first event?
What will be the first image you want to show the reader?
Do you want to start at the end and then use analepsis to return to the beginning later on?
Now write approximately the first 300 words. Don't think too much about it, don't edit it, just do it.
Read it over and make any necessary changes which strike you immediately.
Now show it to someone else. If you want to write good fiction then you need to be receptive to criticism, and able to act on. Find someone honest and preferably ruthless!
