Writing Better Fiction

By Harvey Stanbrough

This is the only book you need on the craft of writing fiction.

It is an ambitious, comprehensive guide to writing any form from short stories to novellas to novels and novel series and in any genre.

In twelve generous chapters, this professional, prolific fiction writer discusses every applicable general topic on the craft of writing fiction:

• Definition of Character-Driven Fiction
• The Writer's Role in the Story
• Story Ideas (and where to get them)
• Writing the Opening
• Writing the Cliffhanger and the Hook
• Writing Setting
• Writing the Scene
• Writing the Ending
• The Pseudonym (Pen Name) vs. the Persona
• Writing Into the Dark
• It's All Up to You
• A Grammar Refresher and Notes on Punctuation and Dialogue

Throughout, this book is replete with examples of how to write the various aspects of fiction listed above.

Finally, in six appendices, the author adds invaluable information in the form of

• General Tips for Writing Fiction
• Two Fiction Exercises
• An Example of POV and Timeline Indicators
• Rules of Writing from Masters
• My Personal Experience with Branding
• How to Continue Learning Craft

What Writers Are Saying about Writing Better Fiction

 

"Can you be taught to write genre fiction? Yes. If you are one of the lucky few who has shown some aptitude for creating good and entertaining stories, Writing Better Fiction is for you. Take it from one who knows. If you learn how to get it right, there is no better fun you can have with your clothes on than writing character-driven fiction." Vincent Zandri, New York Times bestselling ITW Thriller and PWA Shamus Award winning author of The Remains, The Innocent, and the Dick Moonlight PI series

"[In Writing Better Fiction] the explanations are perfectly clear. There's no question of misinterpretation. And the examples/illustrations are succinct. It makes one wonder how the purveyors of so many myths that run rampant (especially on the Internet) can even pretend that what they are doing is 'teaching writing.' Most everyone who is even attempting writing should know the rudiments of spelling, grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and paragraph construction. This deceptively simple manual shows them what to do with their otherwise basic skills. ... Congratulations on a job extraordinarily well done!" Michaele Lockhart, Author and Copyeditor

"Writing Better Fiction is for the writer who, like Teddy Roosevelt's 'man in the arena,' works faithfully at the craft of writing excellent fiction. It is for the writer who isn't afraid to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard every day to honor the craft of writing. Harvey Stanbrough writes and instructs from the arena. That's where the action is, and where the fun is too. Mark this up as essential reading." Dan Baldwin, Author

"I own several books on writing, most of which take up space on my bookshelf. Being able to look back and consult the commonsense advice contained in this book on each of the parts of a story make it invaluable as a reference. The easy to read, approachable style of Writing Better Fiction makes it my go to reference. It will be allowed space to reside on my desk." David Taylor, Ed.D

• Language: English
• Publisher: StoneThread Publishing
• Release date: Mar 15, 2024
• ISBN: 9798223907305

Harvey Stanbrough

Harvey Stanbrough is an award winning writer and poet who was born in New Mexico, seasoned in Texas, and baked in Arizona. Twenty-one years after graduating from high school in the metropolis of Tatum New Mexico, he matriculated again, this time from a Civilian-Life Appreciation Course (CLAC) in the US Marine Corps. He follows Heinlein’s Rules avidly and most often may be found Writing Off Into the Dark. Harvey has written and published 36 novels, 7 novellas. almost 200 short stories and the attendant collections. He's also written and published 16 nonfiction how-to books on writing. More than almost anything else, he hopes you will enjoy his stories.

Book preview

Writing Better Fiction

Introduction

First, is this book for you?

If you are serious about the craft of writing fiction—whether flash fiction, short-shorts, short stories, novelettes, or novels—then this book is for you.

If you write memoir and want to convey your memories as thoroughly as possible, this book is for you too.

I’ve always said memoir is more closely related to fiction than to nonfiction anyway since it’s presented from your particular point of view. Even close siblings often remember situations and events and even people differently.

If you only write fiction as a hobbyist, that is a perfectly fine, legitimate pursuit. If you want to convey an authentic story of whatever length, this book is also for you.

If you only want to write one story of whatever length to satisfy your bucket list—again, a perfectly fine, legitimate pursuit—this book will still help you. But frankly, I recommend spending your money on something that is of greater importance to you than writing fiction.

Second, a disclaimer

This book is not a suppository. Nowhere in this book or in my writing blog will I say this is the only way to write or the only way to enable or use the craft topics covered in this book.

But if you have the temerity and strength to trust yourself and to use the techniques in this book, you will be a successful fiction writer, by which I mean you will write authentic stories of whatever length. If you choose some other way, that's perfectly fine with me, and I wish you all the luck.

Also, if you read anything in this book that does not make sense to you or feel right to you, please don’t use it. If it does make sense, then give me and yourself the benefit of doubt.

What You Should Know About This Book

The first thing you should know about this book, Writing Better Fiction, is that the title is intentional.

You’ll notice it isn’t called Writing Short Stories or Writing Novels.

That’s because the techniques I include here are equally effective for writing short stories, longer stories, or novels. They are also equally effective across all genres, including Literary.

For example, I currently write in the Thriller, Action-Adventure, Science Fiction and Science Fantasy, Mystery, Detective PI, Western, and Literary (Magic Realism) genres in individual novels and novel series, novellas, and short stories.

Additionally, significant elements of Psychological Suspense and Romance permeate my fiction, again across all genres.

If you use the techniques in this book, you can effectively and efficiently write anything from the short-short (as defined below) on up through long novels or even novel series.

These are my personal length divisions for fiction:

Flash fiction, for me personally, is any story up to 99 words, not including the title.

Note: Because flash fiction is tightly condensed, writing it requires a different mindset. I do not cover flash fiction in this book. You can find The Art of Writing Flash Fiction anyplace where ebooks are sold. Search for the title and my name.

The short-short story is from 100 to 1,999 words.

The short story is from 2,000 to 6,999 words. The long short story (novelette) runs from 7,000 to 9,999 words, and the novella runs from 10,000 to 24,999 words.

The short novel is from 25,000 to 44,999 words; the novel from 45,000 to 79,999 words; and the long novel is anything over 80,000 words.

Again, those are my personal length divisions. I use them to price my fiction. How you define those divisions and whether you even use them is solely up to you.

Note: In some genres, regular readers are accustomed to particular lengths. But a good story—which I define as one that pulls the reader in deep and keeps him reading—always carries the day.

The second thing you should know is that this is not like any other book you will find on the craft of writing fiction other than a few by Dean Wesley Smith.

There are no chapters or segments on Outlining or Plotting or Erecting Sign Posts or Character Sketches any other sort of planning. There are tons of books on those topics.

But like real life, authentic fiction is not planned. Like real life, authentic fiction unfolds naturally.

Chances are if you try to plan even your own life, your plans will go awry. Same thing with fiction. But once most beginning writers outline and plot a story, they feel compelled to force the characters to follow that plan even when the story changes.

Hence they end up with a story that is not authentic, one that is not what actually happened in the story their characters are living. That is why I do not recommend any sort of planning.

Will the techniques in this book work for you?

Yes.

Whether you're a would-be writer, a beginning writer, or a seasoned pro, if you read and absorb these techniques—and if you sit down regularly, put your fingers on the keyboard, and Just Write—they will work for you.

But I can't personally guarantee that you will sit down and put your fingers on the keyboard, so I certainly can’t guarantee anything beyond that.

But if you do read and absorb the techniques in this book, and if you do sit down at the keyboard and write, you will succeed as a storyteller. And you will have a great deal more fun than you’ve ever had with your clothes on. So that’s pretty good, right?

Definitions

Different writers and different writing instructors sometimes use different terms for the same thing.

For example, what some other writers call a narrative beat I call a tag line or a brief descriptive narrative. If you don’t know what those things are, chances are you would benefit from my book, Writing Realistic Dialogue & Flash Fiction and-or my book, Punctuation for Writers, 2nd edition.

Or you can save the money and find information on writing dialogue and how to use punctuation to direct the reading of your work later in this book in Chapter 12.

Just to be sure we’re on the same page, here are my definitions for the following terms:

Beginning, Middle—In my own writing I never think in terms of the beginning or middle" of the story. I internalized all of that (as have you, without realizing it) long ago. I use them, but not consciously.

I’ll say only that the beginning and the opening are not the same thing. If you need definitions for beginning and middle, you can find them pretty much anywhere, along with unnecessary terms like act and rising tension, etc.

Cliffhanger—This usually occurs at the end of a scene or chapter. Sometimes you can use it inside a scene or chapter, along with a hook, to add tension or suspense.

Ending—This is the final one-quarter or so of the story. This is the final big try-fail or try-succeed scene, the resulting big climax, and most importantly, the validation.

Hook—This is the first striking sentence or paragraph. This is the first bit that compels the reader to read the next sentence, and the next, and the next.

Opening (Story, Scene or Chapter)—This is the first few sentences or paragraphs of a story or of a major scene or chapter. In the opening, the reader is introduced to a character (described) with a problem in a setting (also described).

The opening is usually 200 to 500 words but it can run much longer, though seldom shorter. If your opening runs shorter, you probably haven’t included everything the character gave you and you probably haven't grounded the reader.

The purpose of the opening is to pull the reader into the story via the aforementioned descriptions of character and setting, anything that happens, and anything the character says or does in response.

In a scene or chapter within a novel it's important  to ground the reader in the story again, reacquaint him with the setting, etc.

Scene—This is what happens within a setting.

Setting—This is the specific and general location in which the scene takes place.

A Note on Setting: A popular writing myth says, In description, include only what’s important to the scene.

Nope. You are not in the story. You are a visitor. You’re only recording the story for your characters, and you’re there by invitation. Be polite.

In description, write whatever the POV character gives you (whatever appears in your mind) that the character sees, hears, smells, tastes, touches or feels (emotionally). You can’t know in advance what will be important later in the story. Don’t add anything of your own volition. If you do, you’re intruding.

Story—Whenever I use the term in this book without further elaboration, story refers to a complete piece of fiction, regardless of length. Flash fiction is a story. A short-short or short story is a story. A novella or novel or saga is a story.

Story Idea—Like the story starter, this is a catalyst to get you to the keyboard. Nothing more, nothing less. An idea typically consist of a character with a problem in a setting.

Story Starter—This is not a story idea. This is a catalyst to GET you to a story idea. It can be an idea born whole (a character with a problem in a setting) or it can be only a character. Or a problem. Or the setting. It also can be a lyric from a song or a line of dialogue or a sound or a smell or another physical stimulus.

Validation (Resolution/Dénouement)—This is a few sentences (short story) or paragraphs (longer works). The validation serves to wrap up any loose ends. This is the part of the story that tells the reader in another moment or two s/he can close the book.

How Do I Know All of This?

Or as some would put it, Where do you get off?

I am a prolific professional fiction writer, primarily of my favorite form, the novel, but also of novellas and short stories.

I started seriously writing fiction only ten short  years ago, not quite one month before my 62nd birthday.

As of the publication of this book, I have written 86 novels, 9 novellas, and over 230 short stories. All of that, as I said earlier, across six genres: Thriller, Action-Aventura, Mystery, Science Fiction & Science Fantasy, Western, and Magic Realism.

All of my short stories, novellas and novels are well-written and entertaining. By which I mean they include all the aspects of fiction I have included in this book.

How? I Practiced. I kept putting new words on the page.

I never outlined or plotted or sought input from critique groups or any of those other time-wasting things. Those things are not writing. Those are ways to put off writing. 

Instead, I pulled aside the curtain on my characters, trusted them and my creative subconscious, and wrote the characters' story as I ran through it with them and as it unfolded around us.

When I finished a story, I submitted it or published it. Then I forgot about it and moved on to the next story. I did not revise (in the way so many gurus say you should revise) and I did not rewrite even once, much less several times.

When I started writing fiction, like many of you, I was focused on words and sentences.

Today, I'm focused only on Story. And I stand behind my work. If you are skeptical, and if you email me and tell me which of the above genres interests you, I will send you a book from that genre in your favorite digital format. Free.

Further, I won't require you to join a list of any kind. I do not capture email addresses. I'm only trying to pay forward what I know about the craft of writing. I only charge for this book because a fee attaches value to YOUR investment in YOUR writing.

I hope you will enjoy Writing Better Fiction.

Chapter 1: I Almost Titled This Book Writing Character-Driven Fiction

Then I realized that was redundant, and just silly.

Staple it to the inside of your eyelids, folks: All good fiction is character-driven.

No matter the genre, fiction isn’t about the science or the problem or the threat. It isn’t about betrayal or addiction or romance or solving a crime.

No matter how perfect the science, the story is about how the characters REACT to the science. No matter how massive the problem, no matter how dark the threat, the story is about how the characters react to the problem or threat.

Perhaps there’s an unexpected betrayal, a devastating addiction, a horribly heinous crime. The story is about how the characters react to the betrayal, the addiction, the crime.

Fiction is about what happens, how the characters react, and what happens as a result of that reaction.

Writing a Romance? In every case, the story is about the characters’ reactions to the romantic entanglement and the problems that are keeping them apart. It’s about how the characters overcome those problems. And it’s about how they overcome the way those problems affect themselves and each other.

It’s also about their individual and collective resolve to be together and how that resolve affects themselves, each other, and maybe even their family members. Because maybe the family members are going to appear as the leads in the next novel in the series. Or even in a new series.

Writing a Mystery? It isn’t about the body you dropped on page one. The body and the murder or other cause of death itself are only the catalyst that brings together the characters. The story is about how the various characters react to the crime, to each other, and to each other’s efforts to resolve it.

Writing Science Fiction? Not if you don’t have characters, you aren’t. Science fiction isn’t about the science, though readers of hard SF are sticklers for the science. And they should be. When I write about science, mechanics or any other specific thing in my stories, the data I convey is correct. The readers deserve that.

But the story is not about the science. The story is about how the human and-or alien characters react to the science, both when it goes right and when it goes wrong. And how they react to the other characters’ reactions.

Writing a Fantasy (High Fantasy, SF, or Other Fantasy)? (Broadly, fantasy is defined as anything that’s outside the realm of physics as we know it.) It isn’t about the magic or the fairy dust or the beam that can dissolve a human to the sub molecular level and reconstruct him elsewhere a few seconds later. It’s about the characters’ reactions to the magic or the fairy dust or the seems-like-science-but-isn’t-really stuff.

The Lord of the Rings wasn’t about a great quest. It wasn’t about dropping an all-powerful ring into a volcano. It was about how the quest revealed the strengths and weaknesses of the characters. It was about the ability of the characters to react to whatever threats or pleasures they encountered along the way. At times, it was even about how they reacted when the enemies they encountered were themselves.

Writing a Western? Again the story is about the characters, the good guys with their flaws and the bad guys with their beneficial qualities. In the Western more than in any other genre (in my opinion) whether a character is a good guy or a bad guy often depends on the setting and the circumstances.

For example, in the early part of my 22-volume Wes Crowley saga, a company of Texas Rangers is pitted against raiding Comanches in the Texas Panhandle. The Rangers, naturally, are the good guys. Right?

Or at least you think so, until you see a great Comanche warrior kneeling with tears in his eyes over the grave