Write Gripping Fiction: Practical Techniques for Engaging Story

by Raymond Long
Avg. Rating:
Publish Date: February 27, 2011
Read Review ()
View Larger
Tell a Friend

Overview

Want to write fiction? Want to get published? Author and editor Raymond Long argues you need to enthrall readers in the personal story of one character, the protagonist. Keep your readers behind that protagonist's eyes, experiencing a life as it unfolds. Immerse them in the fictional dream of being another person.

They key is engagement with the protagonist. The readers have to like and understand the protagonist. The plot should focus on the protagonist's personal struggles. The text should show all the important things the protagonist sees and thinks, no more and no less, in the order the protagonist sees and thinks them. Narrate events as the protagonist experiences them, in the protagonist's own words.

Don't remind your readers that this is a story they're being told. Don't use transparent authors' tricks or set the readers puzzles. The aim is to make the protagonist's story seem so immediate that they forget it's a story, and it becomes their reality.

This book sets out techniques at every level from basic story setup to the wording of individual sentences to put your readers inside a fictional dream so real that it feels like they're there. And it teaches techniques for writing vivid text that maximises emotional response, avoiding dullness and dragging.

Author Information

Raymond Long

Raymond Long was born and grew up in England. He has degrees in Biochemistry and Biophysics, both from English universities. During his scientific career he worked in university and research council laboratories, two agencies of the British government, and private industry. He is now a full time author and editor. He has lived in Switzerland and Spain, but has now returned to his native England.

Customer Reviews

9781458197696

There are no customer reviews available at this time. To add your review, Register or Sign In to your account using our free Reader Library software.