Short Story Writing Made Easy

I always wanted to write short stories, but I didn't have a clue how. So I read books on the subject and experimented. Eventually, I discovered how to do it.

The first step is to decide the genre you want to write in. Is the story a mystery? Is it science fiction? Is it romance?

Next you must come up with an idea. The important thing about the idea is that it must have conflict. As a fun example, perhaps your idea involves an alien that comes to earth because on his planet cheese is very valuable and they've run out. The conflict would come when he tries to steal some cheese on earth and the police catch him.

A short story consists of three parts--a beginning, middle and end. The beginning is where you introduce the main character and tell us all about him or her. Make us like your main character. That way, we will be more likely to follow his adventures. There are, of course, stories where the main character is not likable, but these are harder to write.

The middle is where the conflict comes into play. In our example, this is where the alien steals cheese from a store, and is apprehended by the police.

Finally, there is the ending. This is part where the conflict is resolved. The alien explains his need for cheese and the people feel sympathy. They give him some Gouda and send him on his way.

Once you've written the story you must go over it again to make sure it's as good as you can make it. One tip is to remove most of the "ly" words such as quickly or gently. Too many of these are regarded as being amateurish. Also, you may want to cut down on the number of times you use the word, "was." You should look for more interesting words.

When your story is as good as you can make it, send it out. If you write, 'markets for short stories' in your internet browser you will find many markets that will publish your story.

Be prepared to wait for a while to hear back. This will give you time to work on your next story.

Good luck and keep Writing!

View the original article here

Story Ideas From the 4 Seasons

I wrote the following in my writing journal in late winter:

"A bird sang outside my window this morning. It was startling, but quite welcome, considering that we have just come out of two weeks of double-digit sub-zero temperatures and more snow than normal. It's an unmistakable sign that spring is not too far off."

Hopefully you've noticed that, as spring approaches, there's a different aroma in the air. And in a sixth sense sort of way, there's anticipation in the air, as well. The landscape is changing from snowy white to soggy brown and in places yellow-green as the snow mountains that decorate parking lots and roads begin to melt. Such details are the stuff of good fiction. They can inspire theme, setting, characters or a possible story situation.

So regardless of what season you are in, it's important for you as a writer to make note of the details and nuances of that time of year. Observe your responses to weather or weather-related incidents/activities, as well as the reactions and behavior of people around you.

Why is this necessary? Well, if you don't do this and you're, say, in Tahiti trying to write about winter in Vermont (and I would be so jealous if you were!) I guarantee you'll have difficulty making your readers shiver with cold and feel snowflakes kissing their cheeks unless you have previously recorded impressions from winter -- that or you have an eidetic memory. If I had not written about that late winter experience and the context of the incident, I might not remember the impact that bird's song had on me. And I would have missed a great slice of life to use in a short story or a novel.

The key is to catalog the input that your five senses (and even your sixth sense) take in, WHILE YOU'RE IN THE MOMENT.

So when in Tahiti, while taking a break from writing about building a snowman, making snow angels and skiing in Vermont, be sure to record the sights and sounds unique to where you are:
the feel of tropical breezes caressing your skinthe smell of the seathe pounding surfthe shushing of palm branchesthe thud of coconuts fallingthe water lapping at the stilts of your hut hotelinsects in your hutthe tastes of unusual cuisineisland traditionsexotic-looking men and womenunique entertainmentlocal legends

And so that you can write about winter wherever you are, regardless of the season, make note of activities like this and many more:
quintessential snow days where children are sledding and delighted to be out of schoola glorious day for skiingdigging out after a blizzardnavigating country roads (or freeways) in treacherous, drifting snowthe race to batten down the hatches when high winds are about to pummel your homethe sound of the wind: does it whistle or moan?when you came inside, what did you smell? Hot chocolate to warm you? Chicken soup to soothe you? Do those smells take you back to another time and place?

Make similar lists for spring and summer, as well.

Be Prepared

I recommend having a notepad always handy for those moments when you're away from your writing area, like when you come inside from shoveling snow and you feel your cheeks begin to thaw and your eyeglasses fog up.

Don't neglect everyday situations unique to the season. (e.g. - chopping wood, loading up the wood stove, shoveling the sidewalk, thawing snow/ice for barn or field animals to drink, etc.) If something happens only at a particular time of year, or as a direct result of a weather-related occurrence, WRITE IT DOWN!

What Journal Will You Use?

Now let's talk about an actual "journal" to use for documenting your observations, reactions and feelings. What you decide on should fit with your personality and personal preferences.

Some choices:
fancy leather journalsimple cloth-bound or paper-back journalspiral notebookcomputer spreadsheet programword processing document file

The advantage to a digital journal is that it's searchable and sortable. With a physical journal, however, you'll need to set up your system of how to organize the information.

You might begin a naturalist's journal, commenting on temperature, humidity, other weather phenomena, and your observations of flora and fauna.

For example, you might comment on the antics of a pair of squirrels chasing one another from tree to tree, across the telephone cable, up the side of a house, scrambling across the roof, etc. Perhaps you discovered crocuses poking their heads through the snow in your garden.

A multi-subject notebook with tabs would lend itself well to this naturalist's journal. Create a label for each season or for certain months. Some of these notebooks have pockets in the divider pages where you could store photos from each season, pressed leaves, bird feathers, etc.

Of course you need not be limited to observations about weather. Here are some suggestions:
Capture the sights, sounds, smells, feel and tastes of any given day, so that you can recall what it was like.Take photos as a way to jog your memory.Record sounds if possible, such as the delighted squeals of children sledding, the crunch-crunch of people digging out their cars after snow and ice storms, the music of the calliope or merry-go-round at a carnival, the desperately pathetic cries of the mothers of calves who have been weaned and removed to another location.Pay attention to your reaction to aromas -- good or bad: e.g.- skunk, cotton candy, chlorine at the pool, wood smoke, a backyard barbecue, etc.

What can you do with this seasonal information?

Here are 14 story starter ideas, given in the form of questions relating to the four seasons. Take your characters through a weather transition, possibly even using the seasons as a metaphor or to support your underlying theme. (Savvy non-fiction writers can draw inspiration here, too.)

Spring

- If Spring is delayed, is there a sudden crime wave because people have "cabin fever," or is there something else going on, some other influence? Why is Spring delayed? Is it a natural phenomenon? This could be science fiction, mystery, thriller or horror.

- Premature Spring gives everyone a bad case of Spring Fever, including the teachers. What madcap situations can you envision?

- Spring sports, including injuries, might be a topic to explore with your characters, at least as a sub-plot -- particularly if you write for teens.

Summer

- Heat wave sends tempers flaring in the city and crime takes a sudden frightening trend upward.

- Drought plagues an area for the third year in a row, leading to famine. What desperate measures do people take to secure water and food?

- Examine summer vacation from a unique perspective -- the family pets, the air conditioner unit, the house when it's unoccupied with the family traveling, etc.

- July 4th celebrations in the U.S.are a big deal in most communities. What might turn an ordinary event into a disaster? A miracle? A phenomenon?

Autumn

- Follow the stages of fall as it progresses from crisp, bright days full of color, to soggy, cold nights, to leafless, bleak, almost-winter landscapes, using the evolution of the season to characterize your protagonist's life.

- Fall is a time of more beginnings than the first of the year. School, college, a first job and fall sports are just a few. Create your own list and place your characters in that scenario.

Winter

- Unusually warm weather followed by extreme cold wreaks havoc on orchards and the commerce of a community. Who might be affected? What's the long-term impact. Short term? Consider what characters have the most at stake in the situation. One should be a protagonist and another the antagonist.

- Limited snowfall for the past few years has nearly devastated the local ski industry. Now the snow is back. What changes take place at individual resorts? Did an owner recently sell out for a song to a competitor, only to regret his decision? Does he try to get back his business?

- An adopted child from a warm climate experiences snow for the first time. This might make a kid book story spark, or perhaps a scene in adult fiction.

- Holiday gatherings (are there ever too many family gathering stories with all their attendant interactions, conflicts and resolutions?

- What if you want to write about someone on the run in depths of Winter? What physical trials will s/he endure?

Whatever kind of journal you use, not only will it become a primary source of writing inspiration, but it should, with some time perspective, yield insight into your life. And that can only help your writing.

View the original article here

Writer's Block and Story Ideas

It doesn't matter if you write fiction or non-fiction, if you use paper and pencil or pen, if you use a computer's word processor, if you are an experienced author or an aspiring one. At one time or another, everyone who puts one word in front of another for people to read faces a blank page that seems to want to stay blank.

Of course no page fills itself up. But when the ideas are flowing, it can certainly seem that way. It's when ideas have gone into hiding that the blank page is so daunting. In fact, it can cause you to believe that you must be a dreadful writer if you can't think of anything to write. And that's when the term "writer's block" rears its ugly head.

Writers can get blocked so easily, it's a wonder any of us ever writes anything. But the truth is, writer's block is an internal phenomenon. What's blocked is the writer's psyche. I'm no psychologist, but I've had my share of inner "demons" and they all spring from the same source inside the human brain.

But it doesn't have to get as far as depression or low self-esteem. The truth is, writers write when they have something to say.

So the minute that dreaded blank page makes your heart skip a beat because you think you've lost the ability to write, here are some steps to take. Try any or all -- whatever works.

Tune into your environment, engaging all your senses.

1.) Are there sounds?

A clock ticking, children playing outside, the roar of traffic, a distant train whistle, a woodpecker. Just keep listening. Jot down each sound for at least five minutes, or until you're itching to write. Do any of the sounds evoke an emotion? Is the woodpecker annoying? Imagine being exhausted and just on the edge of sleep when it starts rat-a-tat-tatting away at insects in a nearby tree. Can you use this as a story starter?

Idea: Why is this character exhausted? Is it early morning or mid-afternoon? Is this a much-needed nap or a shift-worker bedding down for her "night's" sleep during the day? Or is your character on the run and trying to sleep by day, because he's been traveling under cover of darkness?

Does a train whistle evoke an emotional response. I've personally always thought there was a lonesome quality to distant train whistles. Nearby, they sound like foghorns and elicit an entirely different reaction. Still, as the train recedes in the distance, what was a mind-numbing blast becomes haunting, like a memory.

What would your reaction to a sudden loud train whistle be if you were stalled on the train tracks? What if you had a child locked into a safety seat in the back of your car? Could you get yourself and your child out in time? Write the scene, including the emotion.

Is wind whispering through pine trees, whining through gaps around the windows, moaning throughout a stormy night? Listen with your inner ear and write how these sounds make you feel.

Does a ticking clock make you crazy because you can't get it out of your head? Could it actually drive you insane? Speculate and write.

Do city sounds make you yearn for the peace of the country? Do country noises make you yearn for the familiarity of the city -- even the random gunshot and blare of horns? Writing about these feelings will clarify them.

2.) Is there a fragrance in the air?

Is someone baking, cooking dinner, spraying hairspray, using cologne, freshening the air? Aromas can evoke powerful memories and emotions. Think about baking cookies in Grandma's (or Mom's) kitchen and start writing while the memory is fresh. Don't forget to write in the aromas and the feelings.

Have the nearby fields been plowed and treated with animal fertilizer? Did a skunk spray its way out of danger close by? Does freshly-mown clover hay smell sweet and earthy or does it send your sinuses into an uproar? Whatever your reaction, write about it.

3.) Explore the textures around you.

Gently rub your hands across various surfaces, almost like a whisper. Compare and contrast your own reactions to feeling brick, stone, sandpaper, silk or satin, burlap, cotton, leather, wood, glass, wallpaper, velvet, human skin, metal, rubber, plastic, a toy stuffed animal, etc.

Did anything give you goosebumps? Arouse you? Repel you? Send you on a memory journey? Write what you felt with your sense of touch as well as what emotions were elicited.

4.) Sample foods.

Taste various foods for their temperature, spiciness, texture, flavor and ethnic culture. You have to eat, anyway, so why not make it a writing exercise as well? Tune into your reactions. Did something make you grimace? Was it too sweet or was it sour? Did it taste like last week's garbage or did your eyes roll back in your head and you sighed, because the taste was exquisite?

5. Look and see.

It's possible to look, but not to really see. As writers, we need to do both. And we need to see on more than one level. Focus on a small section of a room. The trick is to keep narrowing the area of vision until you've zoomed in as far as you can with the naked eye.

Let's say you picked a coffee table to examine. Even if it has very little on it, chances are the longer you go over it with a detailed eye, the more you will see. Is that a shadowy beverage stain in the wood grain? Does the table's glass inset have flaws in it? Tiny bubbles or other imperfections? Inside the art book on the table, is there anything loose? Anything personal? Something hidden under the end papers?

Once you have seen all there is to see in this small area, try to imagine ways in which your discoveries, however small or insignificant, might affect people in a fictional situation. What emotions did the items evoke? Which reactions were the most knee-jerk and which were the mildest? Why?

The key with this technique is to engage your senses, consider possible character reactions.

You carry your five senses around with you all the time. If you learn to hone those senses so that they work for you on command, your prose will begin to show it. What? You're not writing yet? Get to it!

View the original article here

Writing a Personal Story Book in 3 Easy Steps

You've been thinking about it, but like most people, you don't know where to start. Or you think you couldn't possibly write a book. Here's the easy way to go about it... at least in my humble opinion.
Say you decided to write your life's story. Let's take that as an example...

Step 1.

If you are writing in long-hand, you will need a three-hole ring binder in which you place a 10-tab index set. Add a few pages of lined paper in each section to get you started.

The 10-tab sections are to break your life into 5-year increments. That adds up to 50, of course, and if you're over fifty, add however many more tabs you need to total up your whole life. Write the years on the tabs, starting with the second index tab, example: Present, then 1 to 5 (1947-52), 5 to 10 (1952-57), 10 to 15 (1957-62, etc. Keep section 1 for start-up comments and notes that you want to insert but don't know yet where.

If you can use a computer, this will be so much easier when you go back over your writing to edit and re-organize your thoughts. If you're writing long-hand, just remember that it will be more time-consuming to re-write on new pages, each time you make changes and additions, etc.

It might be a good idea to get someone to help you if you are not a computer user and dictate to him or her. If you are writing in long-hand, double-space your lines. This makes it easier for you to insert after-thoughts or corrections, etc.

If you are typing in a word-processor, you can use the single line until the end where you just hit a button and your work becomes double-spaced for your manuscript.

You may want to write your story for publishing to the whole world or just to your own family, friends or grandchildren. So keep in mind who your readers will be.

Write as if you are speaking to that audience.

If you are using a computer, which is much easier for editing, etc., your sections will be in the form of files. Each file will cover a 5-year increment, in much the same way as the above binder tab sections. Use the same headings as your index tabs.

Don' start your first section (or chapter) with "I was born in....". Start your first section where you are at now, presently. What's happened to you recently that would interest your readers - depending on who they are.

It may be the birth of a grand-child or the death of a spouse or a parent. Whatever it is that you want to talk about in the present. It may be the addition of a puppy. It may be the completion of a study program or a degree. This makes it much more interesting for your readers. Use something that is exciting or important for you in your life that you really, really want to share.

Just summarize it and then "flash back" to your earlier childhood at the appropriate moment - in this chapter or in the next. And you can pick it up at the end again to complete your life's present moment.

Just write anything that's on your mind, from your heart. Don't worry about organization, grammar or anything at this point. Write your memories in each of the 5-year incremental sections as you recall any significant events.

Once you are sort of empty of ideas, go back to your first section and develop your present situation. At the end, think of a good point to pick up on for your next section and make a bridge, a transition to the start of your next section (example, "So here I am, in the hospital, thinking about the more peaceful times of my childhood".

Then pick up in the next chapter a point in your childhood where you want to begin this section. Example: "I remember a beautiful, warm Spring day when I was about 4 years old...".

Step 2.

Do that for each of your sections (chapters). This could be a moment of your childhood connected with your last thoughts, perhaps when the illness for which you are now in the hospital began, or it may be an explanation or expansion of your life at an earlier stage that you mentioned in your first section.

This might be an event in the unfolding of the first 5 years of your life or it might be in another 5-year increment such as when you were a teenager or thirty years old when you married, or whatever. Use the information that you already wrote in your 5-year increment sections for that time-frame.

Continue writing, fitting in the thoughts and the events, until that time-frame in your life is covered. Don't worry about not remembering everything, just write down those things that are important in this writing segment.

When you're ready to move on to another 5-year increment, do the same to bridge over to the next section. Give each section a name appropriate to that time-frame. Later on you will be able to change those temporary file/section names into appropriate chapter titles.

Keep doing this for every 5-year increment sections until the end. As new thoughts come back into memory that belong to different sections, go to that section and insert your writing there. Even if it is just a few thoughts, write them down now for later development, otherwise, you will forget.

Finish your last section by bringing your story full circle to the present events you started with in Section 1. For example, "... but today, I received good news from my doctor that I will be able to go home tomorrow. And I'm ready to start a brand new life."

Conclude with an inspirational word that might be helpful to another person, a lesson you may have learned from your experiences, a dream you may be pursuing, whatever... example, "Yes, I will take time to smell the roses, go on family picnics and get to know my neighbors a lot more."

Step 3.

Once you've written all that you have, go back and edit, re-arrange, organize, change as you see fit. Then, go through the whole work again and edit some more. Take out anything that is redundant or unnecessary. Read it as if you were your audience. Split up long, confusing sentences into shorter, more spiffy phrases.

Use action verbs that show rather than adjectives and adverbs that tell (example: "The large wild bear came toward me as if he was going to tear me to pieces." Replace it with, "The killer bear lunged at me viciously.")

Then, go over it again and edit some more. No kidding. The secret to good writing is "edit, edit, edit" until there is nothing else to edit. You might ask some people you trust to read it and comment on it. Listen to them and incorporate in your work the criticism and ideas that you find constructive.

Once this is done and you are happy with your work, find appropriate titles within each section that you can use to name your chapters. Look for a phrase that will describe the main idea or point of your section.

You may find that some sections need to be split up to better formulate two chapters. Then you're ready to write it up into your manuscript ready to take it to your printer/producer. So go ahead, start now. Have fun./dmh

Diane M. Hoffmann is president of Hoffmann-Rondeau Communications Inc., which offers ONline and OFFline business services and resources. She is the founder and creator of http://www.build-your-internet-business-now.com/ and author of several books, e-books and articles on how to start, build and grow your Internet business now. Diane has recently shifted her primary focus to helping folks through the process of starting, building and growing their own Internet business successfully. Articles copyright(c)2009 Diane M. Hoffmann. You may reprint this article without any changes, making sure to include this bio.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Diane_Hoffmann

View the original article here

Avisos no desaparecen si el cabello es: memorias escrito ayuda para usted, en todas nuestras partes, para contar su historia

~ ~ ~ Edad de antiguo, a los ignorantes, el invierno; para el academico,
Es tiempo de cosecha. ~ Yiddish decir ~ ~ ~

Puede indicar la historia de su vida por la biografia, que es un todo
libro que, desde el principio, comienza y termina en (o cerca de) la
final. pero si no desea asumir una tarea enorme, usted
Puede contar su historia en fragmentos y parches, a traves de memorias
Escribir.

Consiste en la escritura de memorias-como la palabra, del latin
Memoria, da--recuerdos personales.

La comodidad que esto nos ofrece es la siguiente:--podemos empezar en
cada lugar en nuestras vidas que queremos podemos escribir un evento,
tiempo, idea, persona, lugar o un objeto... en aislamiento--nos
no necesita cualquier orden o de la Convencion para la inhibicion de nuestro get
palabras sobre papel... para empezar.

Deje que las memorias vienen de escritura

No se preocupe por la gramatica, signos de puntuacion o marcado o
structuur.NET tome nota de lo primero que viene y va
con el, o te lleva en otra historia, un
Descripcion de otras cosas, o tu opinion.

Vamos, con el tiempo, tratar de diferentes maneras para recordar,
diferentes formas de escribir y entonces, mas tarde, formas de
piezas todos juntos--si lo desea.

Por ahora, vamos a empezar con algun tipo de escritura de memorias que nosotros
cada pieza que escribimos puede:

Descripcion

Necesitamos la descripcion.Nuestros lectores tienen descripcion.Y nos
necesario obtener esta descripcion de nuestras cabezas y en
Detalles.

Detalles que pueden deteccion de nuestros lectores

Nuestro destino (y poder como escritores) son transformar lo que recordamos
en lo que se pueden sentir los lectores, ver, degustar, tocar y audicion,
Podemos obtener como cercano a nuestra memoria posible.
Una manera de describir

Se trata de diversion con un amigo, pero puede hacerlo, demasiado y solo
Enviarme un correo electronico los resultados.

Obtener los siguientes elementos en su despensa o hielo cuadro (o tienen
alguien llevarlos a usted):

cacahuetes de limon en fondant de chocolate bar/gotas/chips de la shell
Kiwi de malvavisco Pop Rocks candy o tabletas de Alka-Seltzer.
un pequeno cuchillo un portatil y la herramienta de escritura

Pregunta

Funciona con un elemento en otro momento.Mire como el elemento.
Parece? tenga en cuenta la textura, el color, el tamano, la forma,
y otras palabras que crees que cuando se mira la
articulo 2.2. toque el elemento. como se siente? que
la sensacion de temperatura como, la textura, el peso? 3.
Olor a la comida elemento. como huelen? 4.Escuchar la
elemento. tiene un sonido? que si anades a
el agua, la Corte, a hacer mella en el, o ponerlo en su
lengua? 5.?Lo que sabe como?

Aqui esta el desafio:

Con cada palabra que usa para describir, tratando de empujar a usted mismo
(o su pareja) para ir mas alla de la evidente descriptivo
palabras. por ejemplo, si se encuentra el malvavisco es
suave, que tipo de suave es? la forma lenta fresca
?Lavanderia es suave? el tipo de suave en crema batida?
?el dulce dulce o un caramelo un dulce pickle dulce?

Imagine que esta describiendo el elemento a alguien que ha
nunca visto un / tenian a alguien de otro planeta y
necesarias a la persona para recoger el elemento para poder guardar
tu vida.(Debe describir la misma forma un
medicamentos, por lo que la persona no traigo una pildora de corazon
en lugar de una pildora de la presion arterial).

Ser como unica y original como sea posible con sus palabras.

Se niegan a ser "crujiente", "acido", "frio".

A continuacion, cuando vamos al siguiente comando, estaras listo
traer a la vida de los detalles de su pasado, la historia de su vida.

Nota: tenga en cuenta que usted mismo para describir lo que empuja
considera inevitable tomar prestado comparaciones evocados. Descripcion de los
si metaforas. escritores utilizan metaforas para llevar
y hablando. ahora eres un escritor!

Nacido en N.H. galardonado poeta no ficcion creativa, organista y galardonada Assoc. profesor de ingles, Roxanne es tambien el contenido Web y freelance escritor/fundador de [http://www.roxannewrites.com], un sitio Web de soporte para academicos, memorias, discapacidad mental y escritores creativos tienen un zumbido, guino, solo ideas o de que Roxanne ha de expresiones faciales, tan detener para una visita, posiblemente como esta frase puede t obtener un largo.

On Writing a Novel Well - What Is Meant by the Reveal in a Story?

In writing, the reveal is the key element that explains what has enabled a story to hold the reader's interest, and a component that is generally retained until the last possible moment. Many a book is judged by how well this is handled. If the work is strong, commonly this is because the finale contains a riveting reveal, yet it doesn't always mean this occurs at the very end of the story. More on this later.

Certain Genres Lend themselves to Great Reveals

By their very nature, mysteries and thrillers are the most obvious genres for which scintillating reveals would seem best suited. But romances, fantasy, YA, and every other genre demand a reveal. If not, a story's premise would never be accepted by the reader. Material falls short when the narrative doesn't finish with a powerful enough reveal. Simply, the ending doesn't live up to the plot elements. And nothing is more frustrating for a reader than to be left unfulfilled because a plausible "answer" didn't materialize.

At Times it Works Best to Write the Ending First

I often suggest to authors who habitually have struggled with endings to write them first. In this way, they can craft material to meet the standards their respective reveals require, and not the other way around. It's sort of like writing a joke, since commonly the punchline is created initially and the material leading up to it is figured out later.

The Reveal and the Denouement Can Be the Same, but Not Always

It's easy to slip into the mold of thinking that a reveal and a denouement are always interchangeable, but they aren't, and this is the point I was making at the end of the first paragraph of this article. For a literary example, in THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, while Quasimodo's bones turning to dust at the very end is indeed startling, the booties earlier being assigned to Esmeralda is the reveal the reader has been "waiting for."

Examples of Books with Great Reveals

Stories don't require the planet to be saved via a 24-style, heart-stopping set of reveals. What makes a work memorable--and as a byproduct, often remarkable--is a reveal that enables the reconciliation of an "open" plot element, or which adds and answers an unexpected twist set up by an earlier plot point.

Some of my favorite reveals are provided via the classics, with THE AGE OF INNOCENCE perhaps illustrating the quintessential example of a reveal, since the "entire story" happens 100,000 words into a 101,500-word work. In the more contemporary market, I liked the way Amy Tan finished THE JOY LUCK CLUB, E. L. Doctorow's treatment of BILLY BATHGATE, and Ken Follett's heart-warming conclusion to THE EYE OF THE NEEDLE.

Robert L. Bacon, Founder
The Perfect Write?

New Free Service for Serious Writers! The Perfect Write? is now providing a Free Manuscript Opening Chapter Critique and Line Edit. Paste the first chapter of your manuscript (up to 5000 words) to theperfectwrite@aol.com (no attachments). In addition to the critique, The Perfect Write? will line edit, if applicable, the first three pages of your double-spaced material also at no charge.

Also Free! Receive The Perfect Write? Newsletters that feature articles on writing at a publishable level. Click here http://www.theperfectwrite.com/ and scroll to the bottom of The Perfect Write? Home Page for the simple two-step sign-up box.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_L._Bacon

View the original article here