Fearless Prose
  • Events
  • Writers
    • Plan Your Story
    • Write Your Story
    • Edit Your Story
    • Private Coaching
    • Facebook group
    • Resources for Writers
    • Blog
    • Success Stories
  • Readers
    • "Inheriting Fear" book
    • "Combatting Fear" Book
    • Free reads
    • Book Reviews
  • About Sandy
    • Meet Sandy
    • Contact
    • Media Information
  • Client Login

Format Internal Thoughts in Fiction

1/12/2023

2 Comments

 
Author: Sandy Vaile
​First published in Hearts Talk ezine in August 2023
​

How to write character thoughts without irritating readers

One way to bring readers closer to fictional characters is to get inside their heads and show their thoughts, to provide intimacy and insight to readers. But is the only way to do this to italicise them? If not, what other options are available to authors?

Formatting internal thoughts in fiction is a subject that causes a great deal of confusion.

It raises so many questions like: Should you differentiate thoughts from the rest of the narrative? If so, how? And if you don’t use direct thoughts, will it distance readers?

In this article we’re going to explore:
  • What internal thoughts are (and what they’re not).
  • What options are available for formatting thoughts.
  • What thoughts look like in different Points of View.
  • How each method influences the distance between readers and characters.
Picture
To continue reading click 'read more' ...

Read More
2 Comments

Are You Writing a Shiny Idea or a Robust Story?

12/10/2023

0 Comments

 
Author: Sandy Vaile 
Originally published on the Writers In The Storm blog, 8th February 2023


​Too often I see authors enthusiastically start writing a novel, only to run out of steam part way through. In fact, only 30% of people who start writing a novel will actually finish it. It’s heartbreaking when a fantastic concept languishes in the bottom drawer forever.

Why does this happen?

You could be writing a shiny, exciting idea that doesn’t have the substance to support an entire book.

​
A lot of this hinges on the main character, and doesn’t matter if you prefer to plot or discover your way into a story.

A story’s rock-solid foundation comes from knowing who the main character is and what their journey through the story looks like, especially their motivations and “why” everything happens, which provides readers with a deeper understanding of the story as a whole.

This clarity turns your awesome idea into something tangible and purposeful.
Today, I want to explore the very inception of a story and how we can shape those initial ideas into a tale we are passionate to tell. 
Picture

Read More
0 Comments

How to Create Relevant Backstory that Drives (Not Stalls) a Novel

1/9/2023

4 Comments

 
Author: Sandy Vaile 
Originally published in Hearts Talk eZine's March edition 2023

​ 
Creating compelling backstory is essential for developing rich well-rounded characters that capture the interest of readers.


However, the wrong backstory can turn into an information dump that slows a story’s pace to a yawn. Read on to find out how to create backstory that is relevant to the plot, so it won’t detract from what’s important: the story.

It’s not enough to know everything about a character’s past, like where they went to school and what kind of cake they had at their 10th birthday party. While documenting your character’s entire life might be fun (for some) and knowing it certainly enables you to have a comprehensive understanding of who they are and where they came from, a lot of it won’t be relevant to the book you’re writing.

Say what?

Authors get chastised for information dumping when readers don’t see the relevance of the information. You can’t just throw information at the wall to see what sticks.

Backstory must be:
  • Purposeful; and
  • Relevant to what’s currently happening in the story.

But how can you make it so? 
Picture

Read More
4 Comments

Number One Concept to Stop Showing Confusion

8/7/2023

0 Comments

 
Author: Sandy Vaile
Previously published on the Romance Writers of Australia blog 23/08/22
​

‘Show don’t tell’ is one of the most worrisome writing guidelines ever created, but it’s also essential to modern authors. Finding the right balance of showing and telling in your story is like patting your head and rubbing your belly while balancing on one leg at the top of a pole in a river full of crocodiles. (And I never exaggerate.)

Authors get themselves tied up in knots over how much to show and where to tell. It's painful to watch. But there is good news. Take a deep breath, let go of the minutiae that is bogging you down and remember one simple and liberating concept, and you’ll be on your way to mastering this tricky business. 

The One Showing Concept You Need to Know

ACTIVE STORYTELLING
​

This concept is so simple you’ll wonder why the ultimatum of ‘show don’t tell’ was ever given. 
Picture

Read More
0 Comments

Write Better Fiction by Finding its Beating Heart

7/6/2023

0 Comments

 
Author: Sandy Vaile
Previously published on the Writers in the Storm blog 02/11/22


​Every story has a beating heart that gives it purpose. It’s the vision that keeps all the working parts of a novel focused on what really matters, enabling the author to outline more easily and write a purposeful story.
​
But how can you be sure your story has one (and if it hasn’t, grab the defibrillator and shock it into being)?

What is the heart of a story?

Plots are the mechanism for moving characters through a series of events towards a goal. The heart of a story is its very reason for existing. The reason a specific author wants to tell a particular story. It turns a common idea into a unique journey, based on what interests the author and why.
​
At the heart of every story is a theme that runs throughout, which colours the characters and flavours the narrative and conveys the author’s message in a way that affects readers deep in their souls.
Picture

Read More
0 Comments
<<Previous
Forward>>

    Fearless Prose

    Empowering aspiring authors to confidently write novels they're proud to publish

    Categories

    All
    All
    Backstory
    Character Development
    Dialogue
    Editing And Formatting
    Planning & Development
    Point Of View
    Showing And Telling
    Story Openings
    Structure
    Tension And Suspense
    Writing Business
    Writing Exercises

    Archives

    June 2025
    March 2025
    January 2025
    November 2024
    May 2024
    December 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    July 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    November 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018

    RSS Feed

© Sandy Vaile 2012-2024

Contact and Privacy Policy  -  About Sandy

  • Events
  • Writers
    • Plan Your Story
    • Write Your Story
    • Edit Your Story
    • Private Coaching
    • Facebook group
    • Resources for Writers
    • Blog
    • Success Stories
  • Readers
    • "Inheriting Fear" book
    • "Combatting Fear" Book
    • Free reads
    • Book Reviews
  • About Sandy
    • Meet Sandy
    • Contact
    • Media Information
  • Client Login