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The Story Question is Vital

October 15, 2016 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

The story problem and the story question are vital components of any fiction. A discussion of the importance of the story question for readers.

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Welcome Students and Educators

September 8, 2016 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Links to useful articles on grammar, punctuation, and writing fiction, especially helpful for students and educators beginning a new school year.

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Smiling or Laughing Dialogue—A Reader’s Question

March 30, 2015 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Explore novel ways to look at the use of dialogue tags, especially at “said” and other verbs, such as laugh and smile, used as dialogue tags.

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Writing Novels vs. Telling Tales

March 13, 2015 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Tales and novels have different structures and purposes. Explore the differences and learn why telling tales in the middle of a novel is often not a good idea.

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Writing the Query Letter

March 17, 2013 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

A query letter is short and powerful—it’s often a writer’s first contact with an agent or editor. Here are the basics for query letters and a few do’s and don’ts.

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Second Bananas and Sidekicks

December 2, 2012 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Secondary characters are vital for adding depth to stories. Few men, no matter how hard they may try, are islands unto themselves. This is true for fictional characters as well as real people. Explore the importance of secondary characters in fiction.

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Sampling, Borrowing, Homage, and Plagiarism (Writing Essentials)

November 1, 2012 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Plagiarism is an issue for writers and teachers and anyone with ties to the writing profession. A look at plagiarism—what it is and how to avoid it.

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Defining Genre Part 2 (Writing Essentials)

October 29, 2012 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

This is Part 2 of Defining Genre. Included here is a breakdown of the major fiction genres and sub-genres.

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Defining Genre Part 1 (Writing Essentials)

October 27, 2012 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Fiction genres have conventions that allow readers to know what they can expect from a novel in the genre. An in-depth look at fiction genres, including reasons for writers to use genre conventions as they write. An article from the Writing Essentials.

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Point of View—Part Three

July 26, 2012 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

An exploration of the omniscient POV. This is part three in a series on point of view.

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