Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction Work by Chris Preston
It's often difficult to quantify the amount of resources someone can spend writing. The time spent thinking up every character, plot beat, and style choice, sometimes before a single computer keystroke has been made. The effort spent typing and retyping every line until it feels just right, only to figure out later that it's wrong... Continue Reading →
Thus I rediscovered what writers have always known (and have told us again and again): books always speak of other books, and every story tells a story that has already been told.- Umberto Eco You are correct, Mister Eco. Writing an original work of fiction is difficult. Fiction itself, whether literary or genre, requires many... Continue Reading →
A picture is worth a thousand words. Everyone has heard of that old saying, and for good reason. Describing a scene is hard work in creative writing! Take this featured image of a man walking in snow. In a story, you need to make this come to life for someone who doesn't have the picture... Continue Reading →
Have you ever wanted to know how.... anything... works? I'm serious. Black holes, LSD, sugar, even gig economies? Josh Clark and Charles "Chuck" Bryant are the hosts of Stuff You Should Know (SYSK) and gather three times a week to dole out worldly knowledge that knows no bounds. Debuting in 2008, this behemoth has over... Continue Reading →
I'm a little late to the party this year but... Happy New Year, readers! In a year that is feeling much like a lazy sequel to the one before, I woke up today to see my flash fiction, Garbage Day, has gone live on 365 Tomorrows. What a nice surprise! Garbage Day is a small... Continue Reading →
The concept of "voice" in literature is the use of vocabulary, structure, tone, syntax, and pace by the narrator for a particular story. These aspects work in concert with one another to create a distinct voice. When readers refer to the style of writing in a book, they're referring to the voice used. Writing gothic... Continue Reading →
Writing from viewpoints that differ from your own can be difficult. It's why Mark Twain said, "write what you know." Characters will not move organically through a story if they aren't grounded in reality, and the only reality you know is your own. That doesn't mean there's just 12 versions of yourself interacting with one... Continue Reading →
Have you ever come across a short story that just begs for further discussion? How about a whole series of them? I've written before about story types and endings before in previous posts. Some wrap themselves up nicely, resolving the central conflict and conveying any intended themes. They can still be impactful but tend to... Continue Reading →
I like birds. Love them, in fact! We currently own an adorable blue budgie named... Blueberry. The imagination well ran dry when we got to him. I enjoy feeding him, allowing him to take selfies with my phone, letting him out for some 'flight time' in the living room, sitting him on my shoulder, and... Continue Reading →
Day 46 - I now know what TikTok is. That’s what happens when I’m bored in the house and I’m in the house bored... Dammit. Initially, when the coronavirus grew to become a pandemic, I really didn't want to have my blog cover the 'current events.' We're saturated already. Though, as time goes on, there's... Continue Reading →
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