Author Archives: jerrydunne

About jerrydunne

Writer

Well-structured dialogue

Posted on August 31, 2014 by jerrydunne

Copyright © 2014 Jerry Dunne Dialogue is a powerful tool in the development of character, conflict, humour, drama, tension, suspense and pace. But dialogue must be handled skilfully in order to accomplish any of its objectives. Without a proper understanding … Continue reading →

The plan: a bird’s eye view

Posted on July 26, 2014 by jerrydunne

Copyright © 2014 Jerry Dunne Before reading this post it is a good idea to read, The 3 act plot structure for the short story, if you do not understand the 3 act plot structure. This plot structure works as … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing fiction, Writing short stories, Writing short stories for the middle child reader | Tagged planning your story, Plot structure and the short story | Leave a comment

From stereotype to complex character with speed and ease

Posted on May 31, 2014 by jerrydunne

Copyright © 2014 Jerry Dunne Stereotypes are not real people, as real people are multi-dimensional. All the same, with only a few simple but poignant attributes, a stereotype offers an immediate, energetic and powerful impression. By using the stereotype as … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing fiction, Writing short stories | Tagged character and the short story, character development technique, sayings and the short story, short stories | Leave a comment

Inspiration from inside an empty matchbox

Posted on April 30, 2014 by jerrydunne

Copyright © 2014 Jerry Dunne This post demonstrates how conflict fuels and develops a story. An understanding of our simple example will help the writer with both good story structure and the search for new ideas. It’s the ideas angle … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing fiction, Writing short stories, Writing short stories for the middle child reader | Tagged flash fiction, original ideas for short stories, Plot structure and the short story, short stories | 1 Comment

The short story’s storytelling elements

Posted on February 28, 2014 by jerrydunne

Copyright © 2014 Jerry Dunne Here we examine the short story’s storytelling elements and the restrictions placed on them in comparison to those of longer pieces of fiction. The main storytelling elements consist of character, point of view (POV), plot, … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing fiction, Writing short stories, Writing short stories for the middle child reader | Tagged short stories | Leave a comment

The 3 act plot structure for the short story

Posted on January 31, 2014 by jerrydunne

Copyright © 2014 Jerry Dunne The plot isn’t a series of events that move forward in a random way. The events are connected by cause and effect and have a very definite structure to them. The plot for the short … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing fiction, Writing short stories, Writing short stories for the middle child reader | Tagged Plot structure and the short story | Leave a comment

How to write a modern fable for the adult reader

Posted on December 26, 2013 by jerrydunne

Copyright © 2013 Jerry Dunne Here we will look at how to write a modern fable for the adult reader. As this is our first attempt, to make it easier we’ll use one of Aesop’s fables, The Ass, the Cock … Continue reading →

Posted in Miscellaneous, Writing fiction | 1 Comment

How to create a saying

Posted on November 27, 2013 by jerrydunne

Copyright © 2013 Jerry Dunne The type of saying we will look at here expresses nuanced truths in an ironic and often witty way. This might sound like quite a lofty thing to try for but it’s not as difficult … Continue reading →

Posted in Miscellaneous | Tagged create sayings | Leave a comment

Those forgotten great ideas

Posted on September 24, 2013 by jerrydunne

Copyright © 2013 Jerry Dunne This post is about two great ideas I had then lost, why I lost them, whether I even had them, but what I gained from it all, anyway. One night, having twisted and turned for … Continue reading →

Posted in Miscellaneous | Leave a comment

What makes J K Rowling’s Harry Potter so successful?

Posted on August 11, 2013 by jerrydunne

Copyright © 2013 Jerry Dunne We’ll look at Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the first book in the series, which set the pace and standard for the others to follow. Certainly the book’s success partly reflects readers’ love of … Continue reading →

Posted in Miscellaneous, Thoughts on children's fiction | Tagged children's fiction, children's modern classics, great children's stories, great fantasy fiction, J K Rowling, popular fiction for children | 3 Comments