tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-708596471320915007Sun, 15 Sep 2024 03:03:34 +0000100 Beginnings For Writersnoreply@blogger.com (Newton Saber)Blogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-708596471320915007.post-1720810729540922850Wed, 14 Jul 2010 03:09:00 +00002010-08-16T14:54:33.054-07:00What Is This Blog About: 100 Beginnings For Writers<strong>What Is This Blog About?</strong><br />For my first entry on this blog, I'll tell you how 100 Beginnings for Fiction Writers works.<br /><br />Would you like to kick your fiction writing abilities up a notch or two?<br />This blog will teach you to write better fiction. Specifically better beginnings, but better everything (dialogue, characterization, pacing, and more) as we survey 100 published novels.<br /><br /><strong>What books are included? </strong><br />There's <strong><span style="color:#006600;">everything from dime-store novels to Pulitzer prize choices</span></strong>.<br />Here's a partial list of the books (and authors) that will be analyzed (in no particular order):<br />1. The Partner (John Grisham)<br />2. Eragon (Christopher Paolini)<br />3. Fox's Earth (Anne Rivers Siddons)<br />4. Rabbitt Run (John Updike)<br />5. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (Campbell Black)<br />6. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (Michael Chabon)<br />7. Closed Circle (Robert Goddard)<br />8. Empire Falls (Richard Russo)<br />9. The Old Man and the Sea (Ernest Hemingway)<br />10. Valhalla Rising (Clive Cussler)<br /><br /><strong>How Does This Blog Work?</strong><br />Here are the steps I will follow as I analyze each of the passages that we survey.<br />1.) Read the sample passage from the book as a first-time reader (FTR). This means you should <span style="color:#ff6600;"><strong>read the passage as uncritically as possible</strong></span> to simply obtain a feel for the piece. During this first reading you simply want to judge the piece on the basis of whether or not you liked it.<br />2.) Read the sample passage again, noting specific parts of the writing that you thought were extremely good or bad.<br />3.) Read my analysis of the piece. The analysis will describe the best/worst sentences in the example and describe why the writing works or not.<br />4.) Re-write the sample, attempting to communicate the same story, but in a better way.<br />5.) I provide a re-written sample of the piece to show how to capture the author's voice and style to learn more effectively how you may incorporate the fictional elements into your own stories.<br /><br />Are you interested? I hope so. See you next time, when we'll survey the beginning of one of my favorite books, The Partner, by John Grisham.2010/07/what-is-this-blog-about-for-my-first.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Newton Saber)0