Write to Excite with Peter BiadaszAs President of Total Publishing and Media, I am constantly approached by authors claiming that their book manuscript will be the next New York Times best seller and that their book will land them on one of the coveted spots on Oprah. Because I am an author first, with 15 books to my credit, the advice I usually give to these aspiring writers is to not worry about the best sellers lists or public appearances, but to perfect the craft of writing to express the passion and expertise that lies within them.
As I discuss in Write Your First Book, there are three phases to the successful author experience: writing, publishing and marketing. To reach one’s goals all three phases must be mastered and accomplished in that order. Thus, the mission of this column, “Write To Excite” to explain the first step of the process in becoming a successful author. If you want to discuss the publishing or marketing phases, I would love to talk with you. Feel free to utilize my contact information at the end of this article.
This month we are going to take a look at writing fiction. There are several ways to approach fiction writing. I will discuss just a few.
Writing Fiction Based On A Tue Story
In my opinion, writing fiction based on a true story this is one of the easiest ways to start writing fiction. Simply take a true event in your life which you deem significant and feel passionate about. Write it factually as it occurred and then rewrite it in the way you really wanted it to happen, or in a fashion that is either more dramatic or more relatable to others. You can even rewrite the rewrite several different ways, depending on the target audience you want to reach.
Before you go to bed tonight make a list of events either in your life or that you have been exposed to that you may want to fictionalize. Then pick an event from the list and have fun with the writing process. Let your imagination run wild. No idea is a bad idea. You can always edit later.
Writing Fiction That Could Be Real (but isn’t)
This is similar to writing fiction based on a true story, but starting without a factual frame of reference. After performing the first writing exercise above several times, writing fiction without a factual basis becomes easier. Start with any scenario and just expand it to a logical conclusion. This form of writing allows the world be the way you want it to be.
Writing Fantasy Fiction
If you want to create a totally new world here is your chance. By writing fantasy the only rule is that there are no rules. Actually, the laws of science, or any other laws for that matter, do not matter because you can create new ones, both scientifically and legally. The challenge in writing fantasy is to be original.
I once had a writer come to me with what he thought was a great idea for a fantasy book. He expressed it to me with much passion and in amazing detail. After his presentation he sat in eager anticipation of my opinion. After weighing my words for a few seconds all I could ask was “Doesn’t that sound a lot like Star Wars?” He quickly agreed and I encouraged him to expand the world in which to write fantasy, or try another form of fiction.
Make the decision to write some fiction today. The hurdle I had to overcome in dabbling in the fiction realm is that I even though I publish fiction and non-fiction works, all of the books I had authored were non-fiction. Once I overcame the sense that I was telling a lie when writing fiction, the words flowed very easily.
Feel free to post your comments about writing fiction at the bottom of this article. I hope that as a writer, you not only expand the scope of your writing by performing the exercises mentioned above, but also find more passion in your life as a result of your writings.
Peter Biadasz, author of such books as Write Your First Book (available at http://www.amazon.com/Write-Your-First-Peter-Biadasz/dp/0881444243/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262270868&sr=1-1), More Leads, and Increase Your Sales And Lower Your Golf Score, is President of Total Publishing and Media. To discuss with Peter publishing or marketing your book idea, or to inquire about having Peter speak to your organization or meeting, feel free to contact him at Peter@TotalPublishingAndMedia.com
For more information, please visit Peter's TNNW Bio.
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