The worldview implied by literary fiction is complex and ambiguous, trying to be faithful to the complexity and ambiguity of life. Nancy Kress ambiguityambiguouscomplex Change image and share on social
If you consistently write 'The sun set' rather than 'The sun sank slowly in the bright western sky,' your story will move three times as fast. Of course, there are times you want the longer version for atmosphere - but not many. Wordiness not only kills pace; it bores readers. Nancy Kress atmosphereborebright share on social
Should you create a protagonist based directly on yourself? The problem with this - and it is a very large problem - is that almost no one can view himself objectively on the page. As the writer, you're too close to your own complicated makeup. Nancy Kress baseclosecomplicate share on social
Questions that require answers are what keep readers going - and the place to start raising those questions is with your very first sentence. Nancy Kress answerplacequestion Change image and share on social
Words change over time. 'Condescending,' for instance, was once a good thing to be. It meant that a person was willing to interact politely with people of lower social ranks. In Jane Austen's world, a lady praised for her condescension was receiving a sincere compliment. Nancy Kress austenchangecompliment share on social
Readers want to see, hear, feel, smell the action of your story, even if that action is just two people having a quiet conversation. Nancy Kress actionconversationfeel Change image and share on social
For commercial books in a genre, readers' and editors' expectations may be fairly rigid. Some romance lines, for instance, issue fairly detailed writers' guidelines explaining exactly what must happen in a book they publish (and what must not). Nancy Kress bookcommercialdetail share on social
The process, not the results, have to be the reason a writer writes. Otherwise, creating a four-hundred-page novel is just too daunting a task. Nancy Kress createdaunthundred Change image and share on social
Slipstream fiction is usually defined as fiction with a contemporary setting in which story elements are mimetic (that is, seem real) - except for one or two eerie strangenesses. Unlike outright fantasy, these are not explained or integrated into an alternate-reality setting. Nancy Kress alternatecontemporarydefine share on social
Without coffee, nothing gets written. Period. Nancy Kress coffeeperiodwrite Change image and share on social
