Yeah, I don't think so on the jumbled flashback deal. The reader doesn't want to spend that kind of effort just to read a short story. Unless...
I didn't mean to say it was always necessary. In Mieville's case, that's how he chose to approach it. Seems like a stylistic choice to me but...
Knowing the ending at the beginning isn't always a bad thing. The movie American Beauty springs to mind. That said, you'd better have a barn...
Check China Mieville's Perdido Street Station. One of the major characters is, uh... different, and cannot speak. He treats the signing...
I agree with L. Ai. The character needs to fill the role the story gives him. The way he talks is relevant but only just. Remember, dialog is...
Nothing wrong with wanting some specificity. If the description matters to the story than make sure it's very clear. If you are pulling the...
Editors hate them some flashbacks. If it must be told in narrative format, start a new paragraph with a single had to indicate we are talking...
When struggling with voice, I like to compose letters as if written by one of my characters to another. This allows you to crystallize the...
Strangely enough, I just blogged on writing believable fantasy this morning. Things that take you out of the narrative as an author are not...
The parallel flashback structure works well also. The present story thread and the past story thread build in intensity through breaks in the...
A good way to open with a conflict, make characters do things they don't want to do, and provide a little fodder for the denouement, is to have...
Hello all, My name is T.N. Tobias. I've gotten to a point in my career where I feel like I've peaked. I don't want the responsibility of...
Separate names with a comma.
