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How can writers create quality fiction?

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    How can writers create quality fiction?

    I would like to exchange ideas concerning fiction writing for self-publishing purposes. There are multiple platforms to self-publish a novel, novella, or short story. I do not believe the platform is relevant to the content. The content of the eBook must attract the attention and interest of the reader regardless of platform. My fictional writing relates to the fantasy or apocalypse genres and often combines the two. Countless resources and advice exist for use in perfecting grammar, spelling, editing, structure, and formatting. These are the framework. A quality eBook of any length will have the correct framework. I do not feel there is really any excuse for a writer, self-published or not, to have mistakes in the structure of their eBook. Grammar, spelling, and formatting errors are not acceptable. A self-published eBook containing such errors shows laziness or an inability to use available resources on the part of the author. The framework and structure of the content should be satisfactory so I do not believe such aspects of writing are a variable separating poor, mediocre, and exceptional work as every author should be equal in that sense. The difficult aspect of writing fiction is creating characters and a story to engage a reader. The pinnacle of fiction writing is the ability to prompt real emotions on the part of the reader as a reaction to the characters and story conveyed to them. This is by far the most difficult aspect as well. Other writers can only provide a limited amount of help and advice in achieving a story to capture hearts of the readers. A book can be written perfectly with every relevant detail included, a well-defined plot with no in-discrepancies, and a carefully constructed story line, yet it can easily fail to provoke any reaction from the reader. It requires a talent of a different caliber to write fiction the reader will care for. What can aspiring authors do to improve this talent in themselves? Is it a talent that can be improved or developed or do some authors possess it naturally? I am asking such a question because I can easily see this ability in the works of other authors and it is immediately apparent whether the author possesses such a talent or not. I am not entirely sure if such an ability can be learned, as some authors write prolifically and are obviously trying very hard, but they never achieve this factor. They write and publish and try over and over but never create anything that is not immediately forgettable. What are some of your thoughts on this topic?

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    Axion

    Axion

    I believe your response rate as a writer has a lot to do with your personality. A very social person might find it easy to trigger emotions on another using fewer word than a less social person would. Therefore long lasting memories can be created in just very few pages of a book. Good news is.. this skill can be developed by noting other writers' system of plot.
    6 years ago

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    Adesuwa08

    Adesuwa08

    I don't agree with this theory, your personality have nothing to do with your writing and thought provoking, emotional characters.

    You can gather these information through reading it as well and not only being social, I am not that social to those who know me well, all I do with my life is read/write and swerve on net that's how I gather my information and emotional reality in relations to my fictional character development.
    6 years ago

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    treecko142

    treecko142

    I agree with this. While your personality does help you in writing about things that you are more familiar with due to your life experiences, it does not limit anyone from writing any work of fiction.
    6 years ago

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    SiamSEO

    SiamSEO

    It doesn't limit, but makes it very, very hard - a total uphill battle. For example I wouldn't be able to write about very prominent, yet completely non-issues such as the "wage gap" in the West, because the whole thing is nothing but fabrication for supremacy. I would say that my personality for the search for truth wouldn't allow me to write about misleading stuff like that.
    6 years ago

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    treecko142

    treecko142

    It's always better to stick
    to your forte or your comfort zone when writing, but it doesn't hurt to step outside your boundaries every once in a while and research on other subjects through history books/TV shows/movies on the genre to broaden your horizons.
    6 years ago

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    ballyhara

    ballyhara

    Writers have tons of ways to get inspired. Some may go to open spaces, some other won't even look outside. In the end, doesn't matter the topic, they have to get inspired to let ideas flow. There are writers that got their ideas after dreaming, some other after doing a trip, some may even tell you they got ideas after getting drunk. And for sure a writer needs to be inspired to write fiction, because he has to make us believe something is possible, even if it doesn't exist yet.
    6 years ago

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    mar06

    mar06

    There are a lot of writers who have their own strategy and scheme to create how great quality fiction they create. It depends upon their style how can they make it. Writers are good at that because that is who are they. They knew a lot of things about that things because that is their professions.
    6 years ago

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    Corzhens

    Corzhens

    I agree that it depends on the style of the writer. There are writers who do immersion. If they are going to write about street children, they would roam the streets to be with the streets children and learn the culture and street lingo as well. Some writers watch movies not to copy but to get some ideas about the subject that they will write. I think the best is to be with the characters that you intend to write or to be in the place of the setting.
    6 years ago

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    jaymish3

    jaymish3

    Writing fiction can be tricky I agree.However I think this talent like any other can be developed. You have to develop your creative juices. I know some countries have lessons in creative writing, I don't know if these are available in your country.If they are I would recommend that you take classes.

    You also need to find an environment that inspires your creativity. A good example is the coast or nature i.e a forest or a place with greenery. I'm sure you have heard of writers that lock themselves in seclusion to write a book. The main reason is so that they can get creative.
    6 years ago

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    Adesuwa08

    Adesuwa08

    You are right, it takes your own personal improvements to bring forth a wonderful fictional tales, I have attended fictional classes online too so I learnt a lot about it and got grove back, fictional writing is both simple and tricky.
    6 years ago

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    Martinsx1

    Martinsx1

    I think being creative is the best way to write fictional works. It's something that one thinks out from nothing which is not a real life story but some story line that would be interesting enough to hold water in people's lives as a thing for relaxation.

    Finding somewhere to drive inspiration is a way to go about being successful in fiction writing. If you can pick up inspiration from anything that interests you, then it would go a long way in helping you with your fiction writing.
    6 years ago

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    mildredtabitha

    mildredtabitha

    I believe some writers have the natural ability of writing fiction and being able to grasp a reader's imagination. If you want to improve on it, write your own experience. This is because of the emotion touched to it. You can be able to use other characters and exaggerate a little about their feelings and reaction so the reader can be able to imagine the situation.

    It also depends with how open the reader is to fiction stories. Some readers have a lot in mind and it will be hard for him or her to visualize the characters.
    6 years ago

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    Adesuwa08

    Adesuwa08

    If I may say this, the ideal of some writers having natural abilities compared to others is a myth you need to know that, I have had online classes on creative writing and that's exactly what they also said, there is no rules of exception in fiction writing you are the one who should bring up such rules.

    Knowing how to relate and provoke the readers emotions through the writers depends on your own will to, fiction writing is not that big or supernaturally gifted thing as you think, only your efforts, practices and sleepless nights makes it a master piece.
    6 years ago

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    TheArticulate

    TheArticulate

    This is a great point. The best way to improve your writing is to write more. I'm also taking a creative writing class, and it's had a huge impact on how I approach my characters. One of my classmates had a character who shot her own mother out of hate and anger. Our class spend a good 20 or 30 minutes debating whether or not his character actually had it in her to kill her own mother.

    We talked about how it's a powerful act to kill another human being, but to kill your own mother is another thing entirely. We all agreed that his character had not been developed in a way that would allow her to kill her mother. There was a disconnect emotionally between us and his character which raised red flags for us.
    6 years ago

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    Baburra

    Baburra

    I agree. Being imaginative and descriptive can take you very far but as far as making genuine characters and scenarios go, it's best to rely on what you yourself have some knowledge of or have experience with. Even if it's fiction, as long as you are able to convey the emotion of the character or scenario as genuinely as possible then it's not really too necessary that you one hundred percent know the situation but as long as you know how to convey the emotion behind it then you can get away with a lot.
    6 years ago

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    JoeMilford

    JoeMilford

    I think it is great to have a knowledge base which is very sound when approaching your subject matter--however, i think that a huge percentage of great writing is done when the writer is forced research the subject and then delve deeper and deeper into the unknown through the process of content-creation. I think that the reader can somehow intuitively pick up on the inspiration in the writer's language and tone while the writer is exploring new concepts. Just a theory here, but it seems real to me.
    6 years ago

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    Adesuwa08

    Adesuwa08

    Your write up is really contradictory as it's just swinging around like a pendulum, I will suggest you that you do a proper check of your thread due to inconsistency and topic and content shifts especially from the subject at hand, you need to understand the difference between asking a question and going of track.

    Fiction writing does not have any myths, you have to develop it yourself without relenting, everyone have the inborn rules to their own style of fiction writing. Only you can tell a tale you best know, like I said earlier please go back and correct this thread, so many people might not understand your points due to your waving written content.
    6 years ago

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    Judas2018

    Judas2018

    Quality fiction just requires a strong imagination. A good creative mind can cook up a good fiction story at the drop of a hat.
    6 years ago

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    JoeMilford

    JoeMilford

    I have to really fundamentally disagree with you here. Having a good imagination is great--that means a person can play "cool" things on the guitar; however, that does not mean that the person, the creator of the art, can write REALLY REALLY good songs. See what I mean? A good fluent vibrant imagination is a must, but practice, good form, craft, and discipline are even better--just my two cents here.
    6 years ago

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    Judas2018

    Judas2018

    Excellent writing quality and story structure are indeed important, but quality fiction in my opinion? Comes from the writers ability to tell good stories, and to create new and interesting ones. That requires a strong imagination. There are many writers whose work is of the utmost quality, but their newest stories are always very similar to what came before. Er go, people get bored easily with their content. Whereas another writer, who may not be as elite or seasoned - but yet at the same time is quite good in their own right, gets many people to read his or her stories because their 'newest,' is always something fresh, innovative, and first of its kind.
    6 years ago

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    DarthHazard

    DarthHazard

    I agree with you here Joe. Having a good imagination does not necessarily mean that the person can "cook up a good fiction story". There are a lot of different factors that can make up a good fiction story. The person may have some good ideas but they also need to be able to put these ideas on paper in a way that readers will understand and love. That is not always the easiest thing to do
    6 years ago

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    JoeMilford

    JoeMilford

    I hear you--however, I do acknowledge that the imagination is essential, or a writer has nowhere to begin in the first place. I think that good fiction is extremely hard to create. I've tried my hand at it many times over the years only to have a friend or friends of mine find more holes in it than I could ever see by myself. Once again, I guess this is why really famous and established writers have editors. I agree somewhat as well with what Judas2018 is saying, and, as writers, we all have to start somewhere, and the imagination is where those gates open for us in language pursuits.
    6 years ago

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    Baburra

    Baburra

    I agree. A lot of the natural flow of how well a story is written relies heavily on the experience and proficiency of the writer, which a lot of writers do have, but what ultimately will separate you is the uniqueness of your ideas. I guess it is why a lot of people hate on famous writers because their work has gotten so mainstream even though they don't get as much respect, but personally I think these writers more likely had something special because they wouldn't have caught the imagination and attention of the public otherwise, even if others might think they lack a bit of skill in writing or structuring.
    6 years ago

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    Corzhens

    Corzhens

    I had said that to a veteran writer and he said a creative mind with strong imagination is just half of the story and the other half is the substance. He cited one story with a unique setting that he said was based on a real place. That means you need information and details on the setting, the characters and even with the events of your story. Given an ample knowledge and strong imagination, you may be onto a great story.
    6 years ago

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    tiffiecute

    tiffiecute

    To create class A fictional story, I guess one must make it relevant to social reality so viewers can relate to it and keep the interest in the place. Every scene should be of that importance to a prior scene and a happening after. Everything should be logically happening and has a purpose for it to happen.

    The story should be dragging as it would bore one's mind.
    6 years ago

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    Judas2018

    Judas2018

    That's a good idea. Another good idea to create a strong fictional tale is to unleash your imagination. Don't hold back just because something may seem far-fetched or impossible. The more creative, the better.
    6 years ago

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    DenisP

    DenisP

    "…I guess one must make it relevant to social reality so viewers can relate to it and keep the interest in the place."

    I'm not all that familiar with writing fiction, but I think that this is definitely a good point. You can't really expect someone to write a relatable work of fiction if it isn't at least somewhat grounded in reality. I think this is where the idea of archetypes comes into play. There are certain social elements which are universally relatable and these need to be applied to even a fictitious settings for it make sense. A work of fantasy might be fiction, but it still needs to make sense.
    6 years ago

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    mar06

    mar06

    You can make it as long as you have a awesome thoughts. Just think those thing that you want to be true and just enjoy and have fun about it. Don't be so serious about thinking just think as simple as you think and I'm sure that it is a good way to make a nice quality fiction story. How can writers create quality fiction?
    6 years ago

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    treecko142

    treecko142

    When starting, you really have to just let your imagination free and don't be afraid of writing whatever is your idea for a story. You can always reread your story and improve on certain aspects but you have to make it through the initial stage when you doubt yourself if the story will turn out good.
    6 years ago

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    JoeMilford

    JoeMilford

    For one thing, I think that you really have to be careful with pacing. If you come right out of the gate telling your audience too much about the characters or the plot, then you rob them from putting the pieces together as they go along, and this takes a lot of the pleasure out of their reading experience. For example, one should reveal a character as a three dimensional being more through his or her actions than trough author description. Don't get me wrong--description is of the utmost when it comes to characters; however, remember to do it slowly and with craft in style so that your writing is always an act of discovery for your readers.
    6 years ago

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    Tronia

    Tronia

    Yes, that is true. You have to know how to pace the story, the events and how to properly develop characters.

    I think there is a fine line between too slow and too fast pacing.

    For me, many fiction books actually tell the story too slow and they lose my interest.
    6 years ago

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    Judas2018

    Judas2018

    @JoeMilford That's not a problem for me. Every time I pent a script or screenplay I always make sure to keep a ton of surprises until the end. I mean after all, if it were to ever be developed and turned into an actual film, that's what the audience pays to see right? Surprise and shock value. Not easy to figure out or easily revealed story points.
    6 years ago

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    Tronia

    Tronia

    I personally believe that almost any talent is possible to develop with some rare exceptions that are genetically dependant.

    Therefore, I think that it is possible to sort of "train" yourself to become a better fiction writer. This, of course, is not an easy journey but it is possible.

    Fiction writing is quite tricky because your story has to somehow relate to the readers and keep their attention wanting more and more.
    6 years ago

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    Barida

    Barida

    Ensuring that what we write keeps the readers glued to read more is all about having the skills to write it with suspense littered over it. I always see myself as someone that can make stories filled with suspense and that is how I got to get my first job as a freelance writer back in those days.
    6 years ago

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    Pixie06

    Pixie06

    I think some people are born with this talent. We are all unique. However, this does not mean that someone cannot develop such skills. If you work hard and believe in your capabilities then you can do anything. I think if you write about your life experiences then it will be much easier. You can also interview specific people and write about their lives. My friend published a book about a famous politician country 2 years back and he was successful. If you read a lot of books then it will be easier for you to get some ideas.
    6 years ago

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    JoeMilford

    JoeMilford

    I tend to think this too--that there is an idea of prodigy or genius out there that is passed down, genetic, or spiritually given--however, this is a very controversial topic and goes back to the timeless nurture versus nature arguments. I think that, either way, even if you have natural born talent that you still need to work hard to hone it and to develop it. I believed in this idea enough to go through college studying writing, and I feel that, at least for me, it really sharpened my skills. There are a lot of fiction writers out there with great advice about how to get better, but most of them just say, over and over, to make sure you write several hours a day or at least a chapter a day.
    6 years ago

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    DenisP

    DenisP

    As the old saying goes, it takes about 10% talent and 90% hard work. I think that certain people definitely have a knack for writing fiction, as their brain simply seems to work that way, but it's a skill that I believe can be developed through practice and planning. That being said, I think that people who are born naturally more empathetic/compassionate can have an easier time writing fiction, because they can easily place themselves in someone else's shoes and write from their perspective.
    6 years ago

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    Barida

    Barida

    Mirroring the things we write across the life experience we have had since existence can be a good way to create quality fiction. The truth is that some of the writers can do this effortlessly while the other people will always have to hone the skills to get better at it. The most important thing to know is that creating quality fiction involves being super creative as well.
    6 years ago

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    treecko142

    treecko142

    Oh definitely, every individual is born with a certain set of skills due to their genes, but it still takes time to nurture the talent and someone without those genes can still work hard and achieve something great through hard work.
    6 years ago

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    Judas2018

    Judas2018

    Gotta be careful about writing too much about your life though. If you put someone into your book and they catch on, they could end up suing you. Happens very often. Even if names aren't initially mentioned in the book, a person could believe you're writing about them, and take action for slander.
    6 years ago

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    Baburra

    Baburra

    I think when writing, regardless of genre, I would follow the basic rule of writing what you know. If it's fiction then I would just make characters that I could relate to and know in real life and just put some fictional twists to them. This way they end up having some realism in them and people can more easily relate to them. I think a lot of writers try too much and stretch so their stories end up too removed from reality and that's what causes the disconnect between their work and the audience.
    6 years ago

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    Adesuwa08

    Adesuwa08

    Nice point, making a reality out of it through adding twist to your characters births fiction writing.
    6 years ago

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    Kakashi2020

    Kakashi2020

    I do agree that each writer has his / her own specialty genre. Those who specialize in fiction has passion to write in that genre. What I'm saying is one can't really write good content if he has no passion in it.
    6 years ago

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