Fiction

Like American comic books, Japanese Manga novels invite readers with interesting characters and interesting story lines. Although Manga is traditionally Japanese, American writers can break into...

Hobbits inhabit Middle earth. It's very difficult to capture them, though it is possible. However, normally one can only keep one captive for a short period of time. Follow my Steps and you too...

Hatshepsut was the daughter of an Egyptian pharaoh; she was crowned regent of Egypt because her half-brother, Tuthmose III, was too young to rule. To assert her power, Hatshepsut often dressed as...

Every November, a group of people commit themselves to writing a novel. They call it National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Writing is a lonely activity, or, at least, one that usually requires...

Writing a novel is not easy. But sometimes the juices flow pretty good and you can connect to a character in a good way. Overall, it's a nice thing to believe you can do, that is, write a...

Horror stories have been really appealing to people for the past 30 years. People really want to experience vicariously through characters the horror of being isolated, terrified and having their...

The beginning of any work of fiction is perhaps the most crucial part of the prose; in the opening sentences and paragraphs, an author is charged with the task of both establishing the framework...

Crime fiction is perhaps the most popular of the mystery genres, combining intrigue and heroics with a fascinating problem-solving process. In order to get started with writing a crime fiction...

You knew something was wrong when your loved one bought Twilight and DIDN’T purposely back over it in the driveway the following morning. You started worrying when they went to go see the movie…...

People tell stories all the time. The trick to writing a story from someone else's point of view is to look out at the world through their eyes. Everything they see, smell, hear, touch, and/or...

If you've read the Twilight series of books written by Stephenie Meyer, you'll enjoy this article on living like the Cullen family of Vampires!

If you wish to write children's literature, you're in good company. Whether you've been inspired by J.K. Rowling, Roald Dahl or Judy Blume and love visiting the worlds and characters they've...

Writing a novel is a deeply personal experience. Because of this, no two novelists take the exact same route to completing their works and there is no right or wrong way to do it. For example,...

For a writer, few things are as exciting as being "struck-by-lightning," the moment when an idea seems to fall out of the sky and is perfect for a novel, story, movie, etc. While this...

The hook, or beginning of a book, may very well be the most important part. When a reader picks up a book and starts reading, if he's grabbed by the beginning, he'll read on. If he's not, chances...

Erotic romance stories feature romantic relationships and lots of spicy love scenes. In erotic romance stories, the hero and heroine (yes, these are usually heterosexual stories) fall in love or...

Writing a romance novel used to be considered "formula romance", but today's new lines of romance novels and novellas offer a unique opportunity for contemporary writers of all stripes....

The Cullen's are a very special family of vampires. Founded by the first member of the family, Carlisle Cullen, they live a very different lifestyle from your 'average' blood sucker. So, to become...

Everyone's giggled over a romance novel a time or two--paged through it, picked out the love scenes, and snorted. Since the 1970's when popular romance writers such as Kathleen Woodiwiss, Johanna...

Many people want to have written a novel, but few people have what it takes to actually write one. If writing a novel is difficult, imagine what goes into writing an epic novel. The dividing line...

The tradition of storytelling is as old as mankind. There is evidence of the presence of stories from the dawn of civilization in every culture on the face of the earth, and yet, the art of...

If you are yearning to start on your first novel, but feel intimidated by the process, a great first project is to write a crime caper novel. Crime capers are a popular genre and they follow a...

A hook is the beginning of a story, designed to grab your reader's attention. It can be a sentence, a paragraph or even a few pages long. A bad or boring hook can make your reader want to throw...

How to write a novel may be more than just one article can convey, but there are a few basic steps that everyone who wants to write a novel needs to go through to make sure that the basic elements...

Dialog is one of the main qualities that distinguishes a great novel from a poor one. Unfortunately, it often ends up being a novice writer's weakest skill. Either the dialog is stilted, or else...

Readers share a romance with vampires, and many think it would be romantic to become vampires themselves. This may explain why vampire romances have become so popular. If you're thinking about...

Frankenstein (and, even more so, his monster) have fascinated readers for 200 years. The novel, written at a time when the Enlightenment and Romantic era first bashed heads, warns readers of the...

Readers share a romance with vampires, and many think it would be romantic to become vampires themselves. This may explain why vampire romances are so popular. If you're thinking about writing...

The concept of alien invasion fascinates the popular consciousness. Whether the aliens are evil bugs, benign robots or friendly explorers, alien invasion has become a perennial science fiction...

It is difficult to make money writing stories, but a lot of writers do not write because of the money-- or lack thereof-- that they will earn. They write because they enjoy the craft of writing...

Writing a fiction book is one of the most challenging things a person can do. Even those with great creative talent must work very hard to craft a fiction book. You will need to do a lot of...

Writing a book is hard enough, but getting it published by a legitimate publisher--large or small--is where the real challenge begins.

Life gets in the way of our writing ambitions. If you've had a novel lurking in the back of your mind, you need to make a mighty effort. Writing a novel in 30 days isn't easy, but it is possible,...

Author John Dufresne includes as on one of his Ten Commandments of Fiction Writing: Make every death count. A fictional death is important to the story and either drives the plot or contributes to...

You have just finished the rough draft of your novel and it is now time to sit down and give it an honest critique. Before you put it out there for others, give it a good honest critique first. ...

When you are writing a horror novel, it is vital that you be able to create suspense. Without this, your horror novel will be very boring and will not get read. The suspense must be strong right...

Being unpredictable while penning your horror novel is a challenge that is absolutely vital to your success as a horror writer. If you simply follow the standard rules of horror, you will find...

Tom Clancy, James Clavell and Robert Ludlum are household names in many parts of the world because these political fiction writers were able to thrill readers with realistic, plot-driven novels....

You have a great idea for a story but you aren't sure how to write it or get it published. You can write a novel at any age as long as you follow the common guidelines found in the publishing...

Writing a novel is a tough endeavor. Some writers like to simply start at chapter one and let the writing take them where it may. Others like to work from an outline. If you're doing the latter,...

One of the most fascinating aspects of watching films or reading great literature is that doing so allows us to enter the worlds of fictional characters. It offers us a kind of escape and after...

While they are nowhere near as popular as they once were, novels have retained their artistic allure because there is still no other medium able to equal their comprehensive element. If you want...

Writing a manga script is a complex and challenging task; but it is very rewarding when you see the final product. Manga is a Japanese style of comic book that is presented in a smaller format and...

Making any character authentic is a writer's challenge. If you're writing about an ethnic group, particularly if you don't share that ethnicity, you want to stay away from creating cliched...

Who will fill the void that the end of the Harry Potter series left? Could it be you? Here's how.

Characters in a science fiction story provide the anchor to reality that readers need to be drawn into what could otherwise be an unbelievable story. This means that character development is even...

Science fiction authors throughout history have had the capability of imagining the future as it would be, and many of their fictional predictions have come true. Even if a plot is impossible by...

You've been asked to organize a writing contest. Sounds easy at first, but organizing a writing contest takes some time and creativity. You'll need guidelines, judges and prizes. It can get a bit...

Have you always wanted to write a novel, but you kept it putting off? Put off no longer-- now is your chance! On November 1st, you can join millions of writers worldwide who share your dream....

Many classic novels are coming-of-age stories, novels written about adolescents or young men and women meeting and overcoming some sort of turmoil in their lives. If you want to write a...