All Write - Fiction Advice

To add depth to writing is to add layers. The more layers you have – and the idea of different perceptions – then the more depth you create.   Parts 1 and 2 looked at the general ways to add depth, but there are also more complex ways that can also work. How often do you use simile or metaphors? Writers often use similes without realising it, because we naturally like to compare one thing with another when describing things. You’ll spot a simile whenever the words ‘like’ or ‘as’ are used. For instance, ‘ Her voice sounded like a knife on glass’ , or ‘ His skin tingled as though ants crawled all over him’ . Both these similes help create vivid description, because they are comparing one thing to another - in this case, the sound of someone’s voice is compared to a knife scraping across the surface of glass (which produces a high pitched, excruciating sound), and the sensation of tingling skin is compared to a horde of ants crawling all over the body. Similes like this ad...

Part 1 looked at how characterisation, creating immediacy, themes and emotions can develop a sense of depth to storytelling.   But of course, there are many more that every writer should include, which form the basic backbone to any writing. Conflict – in its many forms – gives greater depth to writing, because where there is conflict there are a gamut of emotions. Conflict draws the reader deeper into the story because the main character is often at the centre, but the emotions that stem from such conflicts create reactions within the reader – they’re moved somehow; they’re angry, they’re on the edge of their seat, they’re scared or they’re on the verge of tears.   Deep connections with your characters will create greater depth. One of the best ways to add depth to any story is also one of the most simple, and it all revolves around detail.   Every bit of information, every description and every brushstroke provides an almost limitless depth to your writin...