Image courtesy of Charles Schulz and www.snoopy.com
What Readers Never See: Behind the Scenes of Writing
A lot happens when a person writes. A reader sees the completed product. A writer sees all of the hard work that has gone into that product including the hours/days/months/years it may take to write. That time includes planning the story and creating in general. It also includes rewrites, revisions, research, struggling to find the words, etc.
The work involved in writing can be compared to the hours of training an athlete does to prepare for an event. An athlete typically plans out their training. Some writers also plan out their stories in advance. Some might plan by writing out ideas, others might write as the ideas appear, other might use a mix of the two. There is no wrong way to write.
This libguide briefly covers some of the preparation involved in writing fiction. This includes basic terms and information for stories. Some points include:
- Outlining and World-building
- Characters
- Conflict
- Setting and Timeframe
- Plot
- Theme
Four Paths to Reading
Readers may like many things about many different stories. Below are four main examples of things readers may be interested in.
- Plot
- Character
- Setting
- Language or Wording