Fiction

Fiction

Contributors in Fiction

Fiction

A tendency in an author to cut away from a scene when the stakes get high, just as it is reaching its emotional peak, often followed by a lower-stakes retelling or narration of the same events (but ...

Drama

Literature; Fiction

The ability to create powerful scenes, to present conflicts in a way which grips the reader, whether or not the storyline is believable. The tension of conflict forms the bedrock of drama. Drama ...

Economy

Literature; Fiction

At the beginning of a story, the author invests words in introducing characters, premise, plot. The reader invests time. By the end of the story, those elements should pay off. A storey is economical ...

Edges of ideas

Literature; Fiction

The places where technology and background should come onstage: not the mechanics of a new event, gizmo, or political structure, but rather how people's lives are affected by their new background.

Deus ex machina

Literature; Fiction

Miraculous (often offstage) solution to an otherwise insoluble problem. Look, the Martians all caught cold and died!

Focus character

Literature; Fiction

A character who serves a dramatic purpose greater than simply illustrating or illuminating the world — a character about whom the reader cares even when he's offstage. Focus characters have distinct ...

Frame

Literature; Fiction

A structure which puts boundaries on a storey about to be told — as, for example, a character announces to another character, I'm going to tell you a story. Often used in a prolog. Sometimes used to ...