BUILDING BLOCKS OF FICTION YIELD AUTHOR TOOLS
by zentao

This lesson uses both the lesson on THE END BEGETS THE BEGINNING WHICH BEGETS THE STORY ITSELF and the adjunct information contained in STORY CATALYST VERSES BOOK BEGINNING

There is a concept in fiction writing that, although perhaps at first hard to grasp, seasoned editors use to decide if they wish to pursue reading on in a well-written, well-formatted, well-constructed manuscript. This is a very useful tool for the editor...and for the author. It can prove very useful, especially when you need that effective beginning or, later in your writing career, when, having mastered story construct, you want to conceive a unique but sublimely effective story delivery where the most seasoned mind is intrigued and driven to actually read the story all the way through because the story's ending cannot be seen, and the story is, in fact, at least interesting if not riveting.

Take any work of fiction, and here is what a studied eye can see: the riddle's answer, the entire story, usually resides or is at least intimated somewhere within the beginning of the work, many times within the first few paragraphs. That tool allows the editor to quickly read the first few lines and decide whether to read on.

But what tool can this give the author?

1. If you have written the entire story, but the beginning just doesn't work, then, knowing the entire story allows you to design an effective beginning using what you know about your story
2. If you haven't yet written the story, but know….

TO CONTINUE READING THIS ARTICLE, YOU MUST BE A MEMBER

SORRY, DUE TO LACK OF INTEREST, WE ARE NO LONGER OFFERING MEMBERSHIPS AT:

• $4.99 PER MONTH
• $49.95 FOR A YEAR'S SUBSCRIPTION

New articles are added every few days.

© Copyright 2006 zentao

Lesson TOC (Table of Contents)...4

Benefits of Joining

Access to all lessons, plus access to both editors, zentao and womblin, to whom you may pose questions.

Join Now & Save

Right now, for a limited time, we off a special introductory membership fee of only $49.95 per year, regularly $60. Save 20% by signing up now, and get that introductory price “grandfathered in,” locked in for as long as you remain a subscriber.

FICTION WRITER'S RESOURCES

FWW editors critique you

AAR Literary Agents

Preditors & Editors

Ms. Snark

SlushPile.net

The Editorial Department ($2/pg) & will fix your mss

20 Worst Agencies

ONLINE FICTION

The Atlantic Monthly

The Deepening

The New Yorker