Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction Work by Chris Preston
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 →
- American Gods by Neil Gaiman So, you've been writing your next short story or novel, plugging away on word after word. Your main character has been through the ringer, and just learned a valuable lesson that fixed their main flaw. It doesn't feel right to stop yet so you provide them a denouement, seeing... Continue Reading →
This week marks the beginning of my blog miniseries on story types! Every other post for the next few months will be focusing on one of Orson Scott Card’s story types that he outlined so well in Reader’s Digest nearly a decade ago. He’s a well established sci-fi writer who was made famous by his... Continue Reading →
You did it! That first draft of the book you've been obsessing over for years is finally done. I'm proud of you, and you should be proud of yourself. Don't forget to hit save (or have auto-save on) and shut down for the night. Your brain needs the rest for what comes next. Editing is... Continue Reading →
In the early 2000's, I was one of those 'CD Case' kind of guys. It resided in my car, and was loaded front to back with all manner of music too embarrassing these days to describe now. If I were to travel back in time, I'd hit up the nearest Virgin Records, HMV, or Sam... Continue Reading →
Are you into thrillers? Stories where someone is taken hostage, a stalker ups his game, or a private eye takes on more than they bargained for? This genre is very popular, and its also where you'll most likely run into an 'Unreliable Narrator.' Basically, an unreliable narrator is someone whose storytelling credibility has been called... Continue Reading →
Its a cool Sunday morning, and the chill allows you to see vapor rising from your coffee mug while keeping watch out on the front porch. Every sip is still scorching hot but you hardly notice. Your husband didn't return last night from a friend's cottage across the lake and you barely slept, having thought... Continue Reading →
It's time to wrap up this review of the various points of view in storytelling by looking at third-person perspectives. The classic! In third-person perspectives, all characters are referred to by their name or "their", "his", "her", and so on. You'll never find them using "I" or "we" as the narrator in these stories do... Continue Reading →
Hey everyone! With plenty going on, personally and professionally, it may be a little difficult to stay on schedule for my weekly posts until mid-February. Knowing that, I figured it would be a great time to post a story since its been a little while. Dug from a few years back is Crystal Palace. This... Continue Reading →
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