by Barbara Kyle | Feb 19, 2018 | Articles for Writers
What should a writer write about? The all-too-common answer is: “Write what you know.” But in his book The Art of Fiction, John Gardner (above) blows away that dusty dictum, warning that “Nothing is more limiting to the imagination.” I read that statement by Gardner...
by Barbara Kyle | May 31, 2013 | Articles for Writers
First impressions are crucial. Your initial response when you meet a person gets imprinted in your mind and is hard to alter, and this is equally true of a reader’s first impression of a character in fiction. Their response to the protagonist, in particular, is...
by Barbara Kyle | May 31, 2013 | Articles for Writers
It’s often said that a good thriller is like a roller coaster ride. That’s true enough. The genre is about high stakes, countdowns, and suspense, and every good thriller delivers this kind of excitement. But the best thrillers deliver more – an exciting story that...
by Barbara Kyle | May 31, 2013 | Articles for Writers
Sometimes people can’t wait to speak. Sometimes they’d almost rather die than speak. Sometimes people don’t say what they mean. Sometimes they don’t mean what they say. All of this makes dialogue stimulating to read – and challenging to write. But it’s well worth...
by Barbara Kyle | May 31, 2013 | Articles for Writers
Knowing where to start your novel is crucial. It’s also difficult. New writers often make the mistake of beginning with description – pages, even chapters, describing characters, backstory, setting – before the story gets rolling. The trouble is, readers can’t feel...
by Barbara Kyle | May 31, 2013 | Articles for Writers
You write fiction because you’re creative. So why is creating so difficult? I believe it’s the tyranny of expectations. You sit down in front of that blank screen and you have to produce. I don’t know any writer who isn’t somewhat cowed by that...
