Fiction Writing 101: A Home Study Course: (especially for homeschoolers) - Paperback

by Mike Dellosso (Author)

Stories are powerful things. They have the ability to enlighten people, enthrall them, convict, encourage, and move at the deepest levels of the soul. And the author who writes the story possesses a great amount of power. And a great amount of responsibility. We-authors-have the power to manipulate a reader's emotions, to roll them around in our hands as easily as a potter molds a lump of wet clay. This home study course was designed to teach the basics to beginner fiction writers. Sections include lessons on: Character: How to create characters readers care about; Protagonists, Antagonists, Secondary. Characters, "Wise Old Sage," Other Characters. Dialogue: How to create realistic dialogue; dos and don'ts of dialogue writing. Description: Using similes & metaphors; describing a scene so it comes alive for the reader. Plot: Story arc; elements of plot; conflict. Pacing: How to keep the story moving; cliffhangers. Point-of-View and Tense: 1st person, 3rd person, past tense, present tense; POV dos and donts. Writing assignments and additional reading are included with each lesson. Though anyone can take the course, it was created with the homeschooled 7th-12th grader in mind. This course was designed to equal 1/2 credit for high school but can be enhanced to equal a full credit.

Author Biography

Mike Dellosso is the author of a dozen novels. Under his real name he writes suspense/thrillers and under the pseudonym Michael King he writes contemporary fiction. He has also written numerous articles for magazines, websites, blogs, and newsletters. Mike is a popular conference speaker and teacher and an adjunct professor of creative writing. Mike is a colon cancer survivor and a lifelong stutterer who discovered that writing helped him overcome his speech impediment. He has been writing novels since 2005. Mike and his wife have five daughters and live in southern Pennsylvania. They homeschool all their children. You can learn more about Mike and his books at his website, www.mikedellossobooks.com, on Facebook, www.facebook.com/mikedellosso, or on Goodreads. His books are available wherever books are sold, online and otherwise.