F for Fiction : #A to Z Challenge

As a writer, for me F is for Fiction. You know as well as I do as to what is fiction and what is not.  What impresses me most about fiction, both as a reader as well as a writer, is how the writer crafts a story using his/her imagination. There are all kinds of stories. Fast-paced thrillers, melodramatic romances, and of course  humorous ones like those written by one whom I consider to be the finest writer of the English language, Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse. To each his own. There are different genres which could appeal to you. About. com has this article which could help you to choose a particular genre.

Writing fiction calls for endless practice in honing your writing skills. Merely having a good story idea is not enough. You need to write the story in a manner which appeals to the reader. It should fit the expectations of the genre in which your story falls. It would hardly do to write a romantic comedy using the style and language more appropriate for a gory thriller. You get better by practice in honing your writing skills.  There is no other way! Tips from experts do help of course. Suzannah Windsor Freeman, founder of Write It Sideways has this interesting series called, “101 of the Best Fiction Writing Tips.” Study each of them and see how you fare and where you can improve.

It is natural that in writing fiction you will seek to emulate the authors you read and admired. Subconsciously we do try to write like they did. The authors whose books I love are far too many to name but Alastair Maclean, Ian Fleming, Leon Uris, James Hadley Chase, John Masters and P.G.Wodehouse are a few that readily come to mind.

I like this awesome quote about writing attributed to Irving Wallace, the prize-winning author. While speaking of the power of imagination so necessary for a writer of fiction, he said , “You have imagination. Use it. Leonardo da Vinci did not have to attend the Last Supper to paint it.”