Check out the Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction 3
How to Use This Book 4
Chapter 1: First Impressions: The First Page 5
What should Page One do? 5
Intellectual Promise 6
Emotional Promise 7
Hooks and Leads 7
Get Right to the point 8
Delving Deeper: 9
Let’s Start Writing 9
Chapter 2. Building your Characters 11
Authentic 11
Captivating 11
Engaging 11
Delving Deeper: Contradiction 12
Let’s Start Writing 12
Delving Deeper: A Few Words about Dialogue 14
Revealing Character through Dialogue 15
Let’s Start Writing: 16
Chapter Three: Plot 17
Obstacles and Complications 18
A Common Mistake that Writers Make: 18
Playing with Plot: 19
Let’s Start Writing 19
Having Trouble Coming Up With a Plot? 21
Crisis and Turning Point 21
Resolution 22
Let’s Start Writing 22
Chapter Four: Creating a Setting 23
Credibility 23
Atmosphere 23
The Use of Setting has Changed 23
What does setting include? 24
Consistency 24
Using Setting to Establish Atmosphere 25
Setting and Point of View 25
Delving deeper: Beware of clichés 26
Let’s Start Writing 26
Chapter Five: Show, Don’t Tell 28
Specific 28
Believable 29
How to find believable details you can use 29
Significant 30
Outtakes 31
Let’s Start Writing 32
Chapter Six: Theme, The Hidden Structure 33
What is Theme? 33
The Difference between Theme and Topic 33
Finding Your Theme 33
Why Does Theme Matter? 34
Starting with a Theme. 35
How to Work with Theme: 35
Delving Deeper 37
Investigate your Theme 37
Let’s Start Writing 38
Conclusion 39
About the Author 39
Recommended Reading: 39
Appendix I: Describing Setting 40
Appendix II: Developing a Writing Project 41
