Choosing a Point of View: Understanding Nuance
When we first start writing, the question of point of view (POV) usually seems straightforward. Either we choose to use the default third-person POV or we use first-person POV (as almost no one uses second-person). The choice seems like it’s just a matter of using “she/he” versus “I” for our viewpoint character. But the more […]
How to Write a Million-Dollar Bestseller: Advice from Stephenie Meyer’s Writing Mentor
Want to discover how Stephenie Meyer created one of the bestselling novels of all time? Learn directly from her mentor, David Farland, who guided her journey from aspiring writer to global literary phenomenon.
How Do You Judge a Story?
Author Mike Resnick has won more Hugo Awards for short stories than any other author. So the other day, I asked him “How do you know when you’re writing a story that it is going to be Hugo-worthy?” His answer surprised me. He said, “Usually, somewhere about the middle of the story, I’ll start to […]
Stories as Transformational Literature
Often we think of stories as mere entertainment, but by telling a story we can actually transform a reader: Identity phase A story does not begin until you have a character, in a milieu, with a conflict. At this phase of the story, my goal is threefold: 1) Create a character who audiences will identify […]
David Farland’s Kick in the Pants—Writing the Perfect Story, Part 3
I’ve been talking about some of the attributes that I would look for in a perfect story, whether it be a novel, movie, or short story. In particular, I’ve been discussing some of the attributes that a story should have that novice writers might not think about when they begin to compose. One I’d like […]
Writing a Perfect Story, Part 15
As one looks at perfect stories, there is nothing that is “required” for the ending. The tale doesn’t have to leave the protagonist in a better state than when it started. Some fine stories actually leave the protagonist emotionally and intellectually ruined. Nor are there any devices that must be used. A perfect story doesn’t […]
Writing a Perfect Story, Part 12
The perfect story escalates smoothly from scene to scene, creating a sense of rising action. I’ve spoken before about ways that stories can escalate. There really are only two ways—through deepening a conflict, making it so that it affects the protagonists more profoundly; or through broadening, so that the conflict affects more people. But a […]
Writing a Perfect Story, Part 11
A perfect story guides the reader’s attention—his senses, thoughts, emotions, and imagination. Last night I was reading a story by a new author. The author had a fine imagination in many ways, but was terrible at guiding the attention of the reader. For example, when an important figure was to make a first appearance on […]
David Farland’s Kick in the Pants—Writing the Perfect Story, Part 8
In writing a novel, one must consider, “What makes a perfect character?” Very often I’ve heard writing instructors mention that we should create “strong” characters. After thirty years of writing, I still don’t know what that means—and neither do they! Part of the problem of course is that there are dozens of types of characters—everything […]
David Farland’s Kick in the Pants—Writing the Perfect Story, Part 5
Over the past four days I’ve been enumerating some of the basic virtues that a perfect story—whether it be a movie, novel, or other piece of short fiction—would have. In particular, I’m going to couch this article in terms of writing today. It almost would seem to go without saying that a perfect story would […]
