The Best Book on Writing Emotion in Fiction
There are a lot of books that will teach you how to write fiction. And the best ones not only address the craft of storytelling but the issues beneath the story's surface. A main character's wound, the overarching theme, internal versus external conflicts. But the key to a really compelling novel is expression emotion in fiction. And that's the hardest piece to put on the page.
Neil Gaiman’s Old New Year’s Wish Is Still Fresh Today
I’m a super fan of Neil Gaiman. Not only do I love his stories but I love his prose and I love the upstanding man he is. He broke through in his career with the urban fantasy Neverwhere and has most recently given us the darkly witty Norse Mythology. What I admire about him is he’s a genius who doesn’t think he’s a genius. He just writes from a place of inspiration and ends up entertaining the world. I came across his New Year’s Wish from 15 years ago on…
A Lesson From Neil Gaiman in How to Write Emotion
Neil Gaiman’s novel Neverwhere is a funny macabre urban fantasy that focuses on a regular everyman named Richard. One night, he accidentally gets sucked into a magical world beneath London. And when I say beneath London, I mean in the sewers. It’s a mucky dank world where most people are out for themselves as they barter, plot, and kill. Richard’s sole motivation is to get home to “London Above” as he goes on an adventure with a ragtag group seeking an angel named Islington who may or may not be able…
