Fundamentals of fiction writing

INDEX

Academic methods of teaching fiction: 5, 10-4, 38-9, 42-4, 51, 108, 134-5, 154-5, 168-9, 171-2, 180-96.

Action: 96, 129-30, 135-7, 205-16.

Ambiguity: See Words.

Art Process, The: 17-25, 217-26.

Art: 17-21, 127-32, 217-26.

Beginning a story: 75-6, 167-9, 176.

Big words: See Words.

Brackets: See Frames.

Brevity: 87, 113-7, 147.

Chapter headings: 110-1, 119.

Characters: 76, 168-9, 170-1, 175-6, 179. (See also Characterization, Proper Names.)

Characterization: 100-1, 113-4, 117-8, 127-32, 132-9, 143-5, 170-81, 212-3.

Classical references: See References.

Classics, The: 208-10.

Clearness: 21, 70-86, 88.

Coincidence: 104.

Color: 57, 58-9, 59-62, 75, 77, 89-90, 105, 117-8, 197-204.

Condensation: See Brevity.

Contrast: 150-1, 160-5. (See also Relief Scenes.)

Convincingness: 38, 52, 94-108. (See also Illusion.)

Copying: See Imitation.

Dialect: 62, 77, 89, 105, 106.

Dialogue: 76.

Distractions: 52-69, 88.

Dramatic element: 109-19.

Editorial offices: 227-43.

Ending a story: 147-50, 165-7.

Fiction, What it is: 17-24, 32-4, 64-6, 127-32, 140-2, 154, 212.

Fiction as a vehicle: 24, 32-4, 64-6.

Fictional references: See References.

First-person narratives: 68, 104-5, 151.

Force: 22.

Foreign words: See Words.

Frames or brackets: 68, 91-2, 104-5.

Friends as critics: 55, 63, 72-3, 198.

Happy endings: 123-5, 165-7.

Historical references: See References.

Horror story, The: 123-5.

Illusion, Imposing and preserving the: 10, 23-5, 30-45, 52-181, 197-204.

Imagination response: 197-204.

Imitation, Evils of: 102-3, 104, 187-8, 191-5.

Improbabilities: 95-101.

Individuality: 118-9. (See also Imitation.)

Individuality vs. technique: See technique, Academic methods.

Literary, Being: 51, 195-6, 205-12, 214-5. (See also Literature.)

Literature: 1-3, 25-9, 80-2, 85, 195-6, 215. (See also Literary.)

Literature vs. Magazine fiction: 25-9.

Manuscript reading by editors: 182-4, 227-43.

Manuscripts, Preparing and submitting: 227-43.

Market, The: 227-43.

Material: 88, 95-101, 105-7, 117-8, 123-7, 143-5, 217-26.

Mistakes, Effect of on reader: 62-3, 77-9, 105-7. (See also Convincingness, Improbabilities.)

Models: See Imitation.

Moral values: 136, 139-45.

Motion pictures, Effect of: 115-7, 140.

Mystery stories: 92-3, 111-2.

Obtrusion of author: 66-9.

Overstrain of reader: 7, 87-93, 112.

Plot: 39, 79, 88, 93, 96-100, 101-3, 109-19, 145-7, 149, 154-69, 171, 212-3.

Plot, positive vs. negative: 145-7.

Proper names: 59-62, 73-5, 75-6.

Readers, Your: 7, 20, 22, 46-51, 71-3, 105-6, 120-3, 150, 151, 153, 160-5, 197-204, 215-6. (See also Illusion, Imagination Response.)

Realism: 126-32, 133-4, 140-1, 161-5.

References, Classical, historical, etc.: 59, 75, 89.

Rejections: 227-43.

Relief scenes: 90-1, 112-3.

Repetition: 86.

Repression: See Brevity.

Rules: 44-5, 51, 121-3, 134-5, 150-1, 154-5, 160-5, 172-5, 181, 182-96, 226. (See also Technique, Academic.)

Sentence length: 88, 117, 220.

Setting: 117-8, 152.

Simplicity: 1-2, 8, 22, 79-86.

Slang: 77, 89, 105, 106.

Structure: 23, 156-7. (See also Plot.)

Style: 27, 38-43, 44-5, 63-4, 64-9, 79-85, 104, 117-9, 121-2, 150, 191-6, 217-26. (See also Technique.)

Surprise: 111, 160-6.

Suspense: 110-1, 151.

Sympathies, Enlisting readers': 22, 120-53.

Tags: 175-80.

Technique, Over-emphasis on: 10-4, 38-44, 182-96. (See also Academic.)

Titles: 119.

Unconvincingness: See Convincingness.

Unity: 23, 157-8, 222-4.

Unusual words: See Words.

Words, Ambiguous: 73.

Words, Big: 55-8, 79-85, 117.

Words, Foreign: 58-9, 75, 89, 105, 106.

Words, Technical: 75, 89.

Words, Unusual, 55-62, 89.

Words, (See also under Slang, Dialect, Proper Names.)