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Marie Bacigalupo
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How to Structure a Novel for Commercial Success: A Framework by Larry Brooks
by mbacigalupo | Jul 19, 2018 | Advice, Fiction, novel
In Story Structure—Demystified (Amazon), Larry Brooks lays out with clarity and specificity the nuts and bolts of a novel in a blueprint that I find useful and adaptable. I've referred to him before as a guide, but I do so now at greater length. I hope you find his...
Fiction for Fathers
by mbacigalupo | Jun 14, 2018 | Fiction, short story
In honor of Father’s Day, I offer a heart-rending expression of paternal devotion. This story has come to mind often since I first read it decades ago. It was originally published in The Hudson Review (Copyright © 1959, 1987 by Bowdoin College) The Ledge by...
Mother’s Day: A Story
by mbacigalupo | May 11, 2018 | Fiction, short story
‘Tis the month of mothers, and to commemorate Mother’s Day, I’d like to share with you my somewhat untraditional Mother’s Day story, published in Spark: A Creative Anthology (Vol. VII). I hope you enjoy it. Mother’s Day Today must end. Daughter though I am, I can...
How to Pitch Your Novel
by mbacigalupo | Apr 12, 2018 | Advice, Fiction, novel, short story
Answer this question in one sentence: What’s your novel about? The answer is called an elevator pitch, a must-have pithy description short enough to deliver during a three-minute elevator ride. It’s not easy to come up with a concise sentence that delivers the gist of...
How Short Can a Story Be?
by mbacigalupo | Mar 1, 2018 | Uncategorized
Flash fiction as a genre has risen in prominence and prestige since Norton published the first flash fiction anthology over a decade ago. Norton’s most recent anthology includes such notables Ron Carlson, Robert Coover, Amy Hempel, A. M. Homes, Grace Paley, and Paul...
Talking About Love and Raymond Carver
by mbacigalupo | Feb 11, 2018 | Fiction, short story
In this month spotlighting lovers, I turn to Raymond Carver for his struggle to define love, a life-giving but elusive gift. In Carver’s short story, “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love,” the scene is set in a country house with two couples, including the...
On Revision
by mbacigalupo | Jan 4, 2018 | Advice, Fiction, New Year's Resolutions
If you’re caught up in resolution-making this January (and who isn’t?), here’s a suggestion: resolve to cultivate an alternative attitude toward revision. Instead of feeling anxious about it, look forward it. If you’re like many writers, you dread revising your work....
How to Build Suspense
by mbacigalupo | Dec 8, 2017 | Advice, Fiction
Suspense is the essential ingredient in all successful novels; it’s what makes the reader unable to put down your book. But what, exactly, is suspense? And how can you exploit it to captivate readers? The essence of suspense is anticipation, says Brian Klems, a...
How to Open a Work of Fiction—Part Two
by mbacigalupo | Nov 2, 2017 | Advice, Fiction, novel, short story
Last month we covered different ways to open a novel or short story, focusing on first chapters and preliminary paragraphs. Now let’s move on to the beginning of the beginning, your story’s first sentence, your first opportunity to hook readers. Writer’s Digest guest...
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