All Write - Fiction Advice

Firstly, what do we mean by internal dialogue? Internal dialogue is the name we give to the technique used when writers show their character’s thoughts, as opposed to actual dialogue denoted by quotation marks. It’s also known as internal thought or inner dialogue. With inner dialogue, the reader is privy to your character’s thoughts, but of course, the other characters will not know what your character is thinking. This makes for a really interesting perspective within any story. Why is it used? Internal thoughts are a great way of revealing character. It lets the reader become part of the character’s personal and intimate thoughts and therefore they learn what your character is really like, what they truly think and feel, but it also gives the reader their true motivations. These thoughts give the reader some insight into the character that wouldn’t normally be revealed in the narrative. Often they can reveal the real character – deep personality traits emerge, inner

Writing is a constant learning process. It is always evolving and therefore writers also evolve. Being a good writer isn’t enough. We all have our own strengths where our writing is concerned. Some of us are brilliant at description. Some of us can do realistic, snappy dialogue. Some of us are meticulous plotters and planners and some of us are good at all aspects of writing. But whatever that strength is, there is always room for improvement. Writers are always striving to be better, so how can you build on your strengths as a writer? Read – a lot The more you read, the more aware you become aware of writing techniques, individual voice and styles and the way writers set out their narrative and dialogue. Reading other famous authors is still the best way to gain an insight into how it’s done. Long before the internet was invented, most writers learned their craft by reading lots of different books. The more you read different genres, the better your understanding of fictio

This is one of those questions that writers – particularly beginners – always ask, but the answer can depend on the type of story you are writing and the amount of characters you have. Firstly, writers should understand what we mean by ‘storyline’. A storyline is another word for plot, which is at the heart of your story. The plot is the main storyline; it’s what your novel is all about. A novel will have one main plot and several smaller storylines to accompany it. Think of these little storylines as story threads. Character Storylines Having more than one storyline is not uncommon – in fact, your main characters will have their own storylines within the overall plot. If they didn’t have their own stories, the novel wouldn’t be as fully fleshed out as it should . Important characters will always have their own story to tell and certain parts of the novel should reflect this. For instance, one character might have a particular background story that relates to the main s