All Write - Fiction Advice

Just how consistent is your story?   Fiction writing is about clarity and how not to confuse and befuddle your readers. That means writing a story that doesn’t detract or distract in any way, and that the choices you make for the story remain consistent. Is it as perfect as it can be or are there inconsistencies hidden in the narrative?   Sometimes it can be hard to spot these flaws because we’ve written and read our stories so much, we get a little ‘word blind’ from time to time. But inconsistencies are like little bugs that hide in plain sight and if you’re not careful, they can cause all manner of problems, especially if you need to get your manuscript as perfect as it can be for submission to agents and publishers. Inconsistencies can be anything, which is why they are sometimes hard to spot. They can occur anywhere in narrative, dialogue and description, and it’s mainly at the read through and editing stages that they’re spotted and rooted out. Consi...

This is a phrase sometimes found within publisher or agent rejections, which calls for the author to possess a more distinctive narrative voice. This can be difficult, however, especially when the author has already tried hard to develop a unique voice and style. So, what does a distinctive narrative voice mean? Narrative voice is sometimes mistaken for author’s voice, because people think they mean the same thing, but there’s a subtle difference between them. Narrative voice relates to the characteristic and unique way an author writes and conveys his or her words through characters (i.e. actions and dialogue), the narrative and the description, but it also refers to the point of view of the storytelling. Author’s voice, on the other hand, refers the author’s own personality, style and tone. So although they are similar, they have different functions, and both authorial voice and narrative voice should be distinctive enough to stand out to make your writing interesting...

The expression ‘writing style’ is found everywhere in writing, but what does it mean to have a writing style? And how do you recognise it within yourself? Writing style isn’t a complicated notion – the way we write, the tone, the way we describe and narrate, and also the way we convey what we mean to our readers, is a very individual thing. Just as each person has his or her own style of clothes, distinct things they like and dislike – the same is true for every writer. They have their own style of writing.   We sometimes share similar styles with other authors, but it doesn’t mean they’re the same.   Every writer is unique, so the way they write is different to the way you write.   Writing styles vary – for example, some writers express themselves with gritty, raw narrative that jolts their readers.   Other writers are very poetic or literary so their writing is softer and richer. Some styles are visceral and shocking, while some writers use romantic or v...