Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Writing Fiction: a Hands-On Guide for Teens: Us Edition
    Writing Fiction: a Hands-On Guide for Teens: Us Edition
    Writing Fiction: a Hands-On Guide for Teens: Us Edition
    Ebook107 pages1 hour

    Writing Fiction: a Hands-On Guide for Teens: Us Edition

    By Heather Wright

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    How do I begin my novel? How do I write convincing dialogue? Where can I get an idea for a story? How do I keep motivated?

    If youre a young writer, answers to these questions and more can be found in Writing Fiction: A Hands-On Guide for Teens. Written by a writer for writers, this book was created just for you by someone who believes in young writers and who also likes to have some fun along the way. Heres a sample of what youll find inside.

    Stuck for a Story Idea?
    Who, What, Where, When
    Who: Your Characters
    What: Your Plot
    Where and When: Your Setting
    Ways to Start a Story with Character, Action or Setting
    Writing Description That Even You Will Want to Read
    Connecting With Other Writers

    And much more

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisheriUniverse
    Release dateAug 20, 2010
    ISBN9781450240703
    Writing Fiction: a Hands-On Guide for Teens: Us Edition
    Author

    Heather Wright

    Heather Wright is an Amazon bestseller and busy freelance writer. Heather writes for three audiences: 1) business people looking for tips to help them become better communicators in print and in person, 2) writers of all ages, and 3) teachers of English and Language Arts. Heather worked for many years in companies, both local and global in scope, and now runs her own freelance writing business. Through these experiences, she developed her own communications skill set that she now shares in her Better Business Communications books and with her students, in the classroom, as well as, in the workplace. Heather's stories for children and teens have been published in Kayak: Canada's History Magazine for Teens and by Carmel Tree Publishing. Heather enjoys presenting writing workshops for writers of all ages, and has done many over the years through her associations with the Canadian Authors' Association and the Professional Writers' Association of Canada. She is the author of 201 Writing Prompts, Writing Fiction: A Hands-On Guide for Teens, Writing Fiction: A Guide for Pre-Teens, as well as fiction for teen and pre-teen readers. http://www.wrightingwords.com Heather has received three Writer's Reserve grants from the Ontario Arts Council for ongoing work on books for teens.

    Read more from Heather Wright

    Related to Writing Fiction

    Related ebooks

    Reference For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Anna-Marie McLemore Speaking in Magic

      Aug 16, 2021

      A family of tightrope walkers with feathers growing in their hair. Five queer Latina cousins creating the lush estate gardens that reveal their shared love for the same woman. A girl appearing from an enchanted water tower. Magic is often how I write

      2 min read

    • Article

      Deadlines

      Feb 15, 2023

      A prize of $25,000 is given annually for a poetry collection by a living poet published in the United States during the previous year. The winner also receives a 10-day residency, free of charge, at the Glen Hollow cottage in Naples, New York. Copies

      25 min read

    • Article

      Set the Hook With Great Beginnings

      Oct 18, 2021

      As a novice fisher, I’ve only caught a few fish, but I’m already thinking about better ways to hook more. Likewise, as a writer, I think a lot about how to write beginnings that will hook readers. Just as fishing advice abounds, so too does writing a

      4 min read

    • Article

      Character, Know Thyself: The Essentials Of Character Awareness

      May 8, 2019

      Early drafts are an exercise in getting to know your character and her story—you are, in essence, telling the story to yourself first so that you can figure out what to add or omit when fine-tuning the story for readers. I encourage you to pen more p

      8 min read

    • Article

      Common Publishing Terms

      Aug 16, 2021

      ACQUISITIONS EDITOR – A person who acquires book titles for a publishing house. ARC – Advanced Review Copy; a copy of the book that is sent to reviewers and influencers before publication. BLURB – Complimentary quotes from other authors and experts t

      1 min read

    • Article

      Where Should Your Character Be at the Beginning of Your Story?

      Dec 21, 2021

      What’s at stake? That’s the key question writers are exhorted to ask about their characters’ motivations. And it’s a great question! After all, if nothing is at stake for the main character, there is no story. For example, Jocelyn, a police detective

      4 min read

    • Article

      Pro Tips

      Aug 16, 2021

      Hank Phillippi Ryan, author of Her Perfect Life, explains, “My editor calls my approach ‘the Hank tucking method.’ To begin to set the backstory, I tuck in a phrase, or a memory, or a reference in the midst of something else. Phrases like ‘I wished m

      1 min read

    • Article

      Pantser Or Plotter?

      Jan 29, 2022

      When you write a story or a novel, you’re undoubtedly focused on turning out a good one. That’s the product. But what about the process? Are you a so-called plotter, one who creates summaries and outlines before clicking out your story or novel? Or a

      10 min read

    • Article

      Submission Calendar

      Dec 14, 2022

      Submission Calendar
      2 min read

    • Article

      Romance Writing Academy

      Dec 18, 2021

      Romance Writing Academy
      3 min read

    • Article

      The First Five Pages

      Jan 7, 2021

      The First Five Pages
      5 min read

    • Article

      Potpourri For The Pen

      Aug 16, 2021

      Create a story by filling in the blanks in this passage from Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. First, create a list of words following the suggestions below without taking a peek at the fill-in-the-blank section. When you are finished, use your list to f

      1 min read

    • Article

      Polishing Your Prose

      Oct 30, 2019

      So you wrote your article or essay and feel ready to click send. Not so fast. Once you have written a piece, it’s important to edit yourself and revise. As an editor, writing coach, and adjunct writing professor at New York University, I teach my stu

      4 min read

    • Article

      Gigi Will Know

      Jan 28, 2023

      Gigi Will Know
      3 min read

    • Article

      Building The Bildungsroman

      Nov 4, 2021

      Building The Bildungsroman
      5 min read

    • Article

      Firing Up Fiction

      May 21, 2019

      Firing Up Fiction
      5 min read

    • Article

      Breaking In

      Jun 12, 2023

      Breaking In
      4 min read

    • Article

      TIPS From The PROS

      Jul 9, 2022

      “Give your characters tough choices that challenge their personal life, their identity, and their worldview, preferably all at once.” “Listen to your characters and let them do as they wish. Follow them. Their life journey will make your plot. The pl

      1 min read

    • Article

      The Third Eye

      Oct 12, 2022

      The Third Eye
      12 min read

    • Article

      All About Omniscience

      Feb 14, 2022

      All About Omniscience
      10 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Writing Fiction

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Writing Fiction - Heather Wright

      Acknowledgments

      I’d like to thank my friend Jean for her ongoing encouragement and feedback. I’d like to thank the Storytellers for their support and the members of the Guelph and Waterloo Region branches of the Professional Writers Association of Canada for giving me the incentive to earn part of my living as a professional writer. I’d also like to thank Mike and Jean Leslie for giving me the chance to write the Write Angles column for What If? Canada’s Creative Teen Magazine, which became the backbone of this book.

      About Me (Or, The Page You Show the Parental Unit So That He or She Will Buy You the Book)

      Why did I write this book? Because, like many writers, teachers, and editors, I believe in young writers. Young writers are capable, talented, and full of rich ideas for stories, and I love to be a part of those stories coming to life.

      Here’s some information about me. I am a teacher, currently teaching Communications at Conestoga College in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. I taught high-school English for over fifteen years. I can analyze Shakespeare and parse a sentence with the best of them. I have a freelance writing business and write for the Web and for national and local publications. I was also awarded a Writers’ Reserve Grant in 2010 by the Ontario Arts Council for a young adult novel in progress.

      I love working with young writers and for four years had a how-to-write column in What If? Canada’s Creative Teen Magazine. I taught a summer writing program at the art camp at the Homer Watson Gallery and have done school visits to talk about the life of a writer. I can’t imagine my life without talking to young people about writing, watching them get motivated and empowered, and reading the great work that they produce.

      I am a member of the Professional Writers Association of Canada and the Canadian Society for Children’s Authors, Illustrators, and Performers and the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrator in the United States. You can check out the professional side of my writing life at www.wrightwriter.com.

      Please visit http://wrightingwords.wordpress.com, which is the site dedicated to this book. There you will find updated links, blogs about the book, a place to just say hello, and instructions for reaching me for virtual or in-person school visits and workshops.

      Those are the bits you need to show the parental unit.

      The rest is between you and me.

      Between you and me, I love to write. Between you and me, the most fun I ever had as a teacher was in writing class. I love what young writers bring to the table. It inspires me, intimidates me, and makes me want to do my best work.

      I’m hoping that my best work is this book, because I believe in you.

      Contents

      Acknowledgments

      Introduction

      Setting Goals

      My Goals

      Meeting Your Goals

      Never make the deadline the deadline

      Set daily or weekly goals

      Make sure to allow time for research

      Turn off the e-mail and MSN

      Forgive yourself

      Brain-Dump System

      Stuck for a Story Idea?

      Suggestion #1

      My What-I-Know List

      Suggestion #2

      Who, What, Where, When

      Who: Your Characters

      Character Sketch

      Seasons Change and So Should Your Characters

      What: Your Plot

      Hero’s Journey in Transformers and Princess Diaries

      Where and When: Your Setting

      Ways to Start a Story

      With Character

      With Action

      With Setting

      Dialogue

      Rule 1

      Rule 2

      Rule 3

      Point of View

      Writing Description That Even You Will Want to Read

      Keep it short

      Keep it personal

      Keep it specific

      Watch the Was’s and Is’s

      Seven Editing Questions and Why You Need to Ask Them

      Where does the story really begin?

      .Is this adverb necessary?

      Is this adjective doing its job?

      Whose problem is it?

      Are the grammar and spelling perfect?

      Have I read my story out loud?

      Have I applied the Stephen King rule?

      Connecting With Other Writers

      Inspiration: Be Ready For It!

      Beat Writer’s Block by Playing Your Cards Right

      The Time-to-Move-On Card

      The What-If Magic Card

      The Manuscript-Reborn Card

      The Reality-Check Card

      The Play-Until-It-Works Card

      The You’re-Not-Alone Card

      The Perseverance Card

      Keeping the Writer in You Motivated

      Last Words

      REFERENCES

      Introduction

      I want to talk to you, writer to writer, about how you can write your best story possible. I want you to feel successful and professional and to have the tools that will help you write something that others will enjoy reading as much as you enjoyed writing. And I want to have some fun along the way.

      This book is designed to hang around on your desk and be used whenever you’re stuck on an aspect of writing or want to start a new project. I hope it’s the start of a collection of books on writing that

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1