All writers, in all viewpoints, must choose which information and scenes will be presented, and in which order. In that sense, the author is always represented as a point of view in a work of fiction. His hand can always be detected by the discerning. Nancy Kress Read Quote
Novels have much more space than short stories, which gives you more leeway with the number of characters you can include. Even ‘furniture’ characters can be described and given speaking parts to develop background or atmosphere. Nancy Kress Read Quote
Overpopulated fiction can be so confusing that readers put the story down. Under-populated novels can seem claustrophobic or boring. You want the right number of characters for your particular work. Nancy Kress Read Quote
How many times have you opened a book, read the first few sentences and made a snap decision about whether to buy it? When it’s your book that’s coming under this casual-but-critical scrutiny, you want the reader to be instantly hooked. The way to accomplish this is to create compelling opening sentences. Nancy Kress Read Quote
Pace, like everything else in writing, involves a trade-off. If you’re not offering the reader a lot of action to keep her interested, you must offer something else in its stead. Slow pace is ideal for complex character development, detailed description, and nuances of style. Nancy Kress Read Quote
Exposition has legitimate uses. It’s the most efficient way to summarize background information, including necessary information about a character’s history. It can set the stage well for a major dramatized event. Nancy Kress Read Quote
