Category Archives: Writing fiction

Intellectual versus emotional inspiration in the creative writing process

Posted on July 31, 2016 by jerrydunne

Copyright © 2016 Jerry Dunne I include here a definition of these two types of inspiration, offer a practical example of each from my own work and point out some pros and cons of the two approaches. Of course, inspiration … Continue reading →

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Women protagonists/antagonists in the psychological crime story

Posted on December 9, 2015 by jerrydunne

Copyright © 2015 Jerry Dunne Why write psychological crime? explains the category of psychological crime referred to in this post. For female characters to engage in leading roles in our subgenre of psychological crime, it will undoubtedly mean that they … Continue reading →

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Why write psychological crime?

Posted on May 26, 2015 by jerrydunne

Copyright © 2015 Jerry Dunne I have just finished writing my second psychological crime novel, and here I’m happy to explain what I mean by this category of crime writing and why I choose to write in it as opposed … Continue reading →

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A few thoughts on the inspiration behind character development

Posted on March 31, 2015 by jerrydunne

Copyright © 2015 Jerry Dunne Character does not arise in some pure form out of the writer’s imagination. The creative mind is influenced by a myriad of sources that gather in quantity and quality over a whole lifetime and arrives … Continue reading →

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The struggle to finish that first novel

Posted on February 3, 2015 by jerrydunne

Copyright © 2015 Jerry Dunne I get a fair few e-mails from people telling me they’re about to give up on trying to finish their first novel (or have already given up) and can I offer them any advice on … Continue reading →

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Pace the story

Posted on October 31, 2014 by jerrydunne

Copyright © 2014 Jerry Dunne Narrative pace concerns how fast or slow the plot movement feels to the reader as they make their way through the story. Good pace enables the narrative to offer a feeling of smooth and constant … Continue reading →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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