Storytelling is the oldest and most important art in the world. And today storytelling is more popular than ever. There are stories in movies, stories in games, and stories in novels and books. And here on Fiction Earth we cover it all.
We love storytelling. And we are deeply passionate about it. That is why we’re sharing our love of stories with you. Whether you are interested in self publishing a book, writing a screenplay, or creating a story for a game, we’ll help you to create amazing work. And if you’re a fan who simply loves stories, we will share our insight with you so you can see stories in all their beauty.
How To Come Up With Novel Ideas That Will Make Money
If you are trying to get a novel published, or simply write a novel for your own sake, you have to start with the basic idea, or premise. The central idea of a novel is its core. And it has been said that a good idea that is poorly written can still sell millions (Twilight, anyone?). But a bad idea will never work no matter how well written it is. You always have to start with the idea.
Do you dream of finding the perfect novel idea that will sell millions? Then why not read my guide to coming up with ideas for a novel.
How To Come Up With A Story Premise
Once you have the basic idea of a story you need to turn it into a premise. And here is one common mistake. An idea is not a premise. A premise is a very specific thing. There is a very precise function that a novel premise (or game premise / movie premise) must fulfill. Getting your premise perfect is one of the absolute most important things you must do when writing a novel / movie / game. And I would like to help you get it right.
Read my guide to creating a premise for a story.
How To Expand On A Novel Idea
Once you’ve found the perfect idea for your novel, game, or movie, you will need to do a lot of work on expanding that idea. “A boy goes on a journey through space and wins an intergalactic war” is a fine idea. But it isn’t a story. And of course I am talking about Star Wars here. That idea has to be expanded on to become the full story of Star Wars. And your story idea will need to be expanded on too. Let me help.
Read my guide to How To Expand A Story Idea.
How To Write Good Characters In Fiction
Whether you’re writing a novel, a game, a movie, or a TV show, you need to know how to write good characters. Characters are the living soul of any good story. But how do you create a good character? Let us show you.
Read How To Write Good Characters In Fiction
The Unbridgeable Gap Between Story And Gameplay
I love video games. I believe they offer a unique way of telling a story. But it has often been said that there is an unbridgeable gap between telling a story and playing a game. Gameplay interferes with story. How do you make the two work together?
Read my guide to The Unbridgeable Gap Between Story And Gameplay
Why People Get Addicted To Reading And How To Take Advantage
Have you ever noticed how almost all extremely popular products are based on addictions? Sugary treats. Addictive. Video games? Addictive. Internet? Addictive. Facebook? Addictive. If you want your readers to keep coming back for more and more, you need to know how to get them hooked. Let me show you how.
Read my guide to Why People Get Addicted To Reading.
Whether you’re writing a novel, screenplay, or the story to a video game, there are 39 storytelling tips and techniques that will guarantee you write your best story. These tips and techniques have been proven time and again. They are the secrets to what really makes a great story. And Read more…
When it comes to novel writing, plot is king. When you write a gripping plot that keeps flowing from one page to the next, you create a real page turner that readers will love. It starts with having a great idea. Once you have the idea and a solid premise, Read more…
Writing characters that work together as an ensemble cast, and that develop together throughout the story, is a real art. It’s about contrast, balance and psychology. Use the following 8 tips to create an ensemble cast of characters who grow together throughout the story. 8 Tips For A Strong Read more…
Writing emotional stories readers care about is a challenge. It’s also the most rewarding thing any writer can achieve. When you make readers feel what your protagonist feels. When you change your readers by taking them on a spiritually enriching story. When you make your readers cry, laugh, scream, or Read more…
A good story should be full of conflict. And the conflict should build as the plot progresses. Without high conflict readers will nod off to la la land. But writing conflict in a story is more complicated than simply having characters shout at each other and throw punches. You’ve got Read more…
When it comes to writing a novel, screenplay, or game story, the fictional world is your home. When you write an exceptional fictional world, such as those in Avatar, Final Fantasy VII, Middle Earth or Westeros, you create the equivalent of a fantasy-vacation: somewhere readers, players or viewers can escape Read more…
There are many powerful life lessons stories teach. Not just moral lessons, but psychological lessons, spiritual lessons, and life lessons.When you grasp the core concepts of storytelling, you’ll understand why stories are so powerful. You know where you want to go in your life. You feel the burning Read more…
“Imagination is a force that can actually manifest a reality. Don’t put limitations on yourself. Others will do that for you.” — James Cameron quote. James Cameron says Avatar was inspired by his dreams. Our dreams are one of the most potent sources of inspiration. There are many techniques we Read more…
In this free tutorial you will learn how to design a book cover that you can be proud of. And it will take less than an hour. I love the creativity of indie authors. There are many fantastic indie novels on the market. But there is one area where Read more…
In this feature article I look at how method acting works and how and why both actors and writers should use the technique. Whether you’re an actor or writer, or a fan of the arts, I hope you enjoy this article. My mission on Fiction Earth is to share my Read more…
As much as we authors hate to admit it, the marketing of a book is as important, if not more important, than the book itself – at least as far as sales are concerned. Want proof? Fifty Shades. There’s your proof. But seriously. Take a look at the top 100 Read more…
Today I’m going to be discussing how to expand on a novel idea. If you read my post yesterday about How to come up with novel ideas then you will have seen that I created a few ideas off the top of my head. The idea I’ll be working with Read more…
Keys to writing a good story, book or novel 1) Premise The premise is basically what the story is all about. Though there are many different definitions as to precisely what a premise is, it can be widely thought of to be the overarching theme of the Read more…
You’ve got five minutes to spare. So you head online and take a gander at the latest articles. Then something happens. You get sucked into a vortex. One article becomes two becomes three, four… before you know it you’ve spent hours reading random online articles. That’s a nightmare for readers. Read more…
Writing a novel requires mastery of many different aspects: dialogue, scene descriptions, plotting, narrative voice… but perhaps the single most important skill is the ability to write good characters. The reason is simple. Of all the things people are drawn to, they are most drawn to other people. It’s the Read more…
In this section of our complete guide to writing a novel, I’ll be discussing how to create a premise. But, it seems that the word “Premise” has multiple understandings (three major ones), all of which we need to get to grips with. Here are the three understandings of a premise. Read more…
Today I’m going to be discussing how to come up with ideas for a novel, but not just any novel, a novel that will captivate readers and sell in the millions… or if not in the millions, at least enough to see a bit of a peak in your finances. Read more…
Could The Garden Of Earthly Delights Hold The Key To Storytelling In Video Games? Watching the prologue to Ori And The Blind Forest earlier today I found myself thinking back over my gaming life. Thirty years ago, the vast majority of games didn’t have anything even closely resembling a Read more…
It;s my honest opinion that any writer worth their salt should study body language and know precisely how kinesics work. If you want to know how to write character emotions that are believable then you need to know how people naturally covey emotions. It’s scientifically proven that 93% of all Read more…