By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills

Reminders about our craft burst our imaginations into creative mode. From A to Z, we find sources of inspiration to keep us writing. I’ve chosen the first word that entered my mind as a means to keep my imagination in full gear.

A – Adventure

Penning our stories is an exciting journey for the writer and the reader. 

B – Bestseller

We all want to have bestseller after our name, so now is the time to commit to learning as a lifelong project.

C – Character

All great fiction includes superbly crafted personalities. Without these life-like people, our stories fall flat.

D – Dialogue

Readers are excited to read what our characters have to say and how they say it. This includes body language and gestures.

E – Edit

An award-winning story needs rounds of editing to ensure the writer’s best is presented to the world.

F – Foreshadow

How a writer hints of what’s to come is a talent, one that great stories incorporate for success. 

G – Genre

A writer determines a particular literary category for two reasons: 1. To brand the writer’s style and 2) To meet the reader’s expectations of the story’s contents.

H – Habit

Writers develop their routines according to their personality and methods of approaching life.

I – Inspiration

We all need to feel the urge to create a stellar writing project.

J – Jump-start

Establish different ways to energize your writing day.

K – Keep

Writers must backup their projects regularly to avoid loss.

L – Love

If a writer doesn’t have passion for a story, neither will the reader.

M – Magical

We strive to make our stories enchanting and incredible, no matter the genre.

N – Narrative

The narrative of our stories is written to bridge time by giving valuable information in a concise and engaging manner by using sensory perception.

O – Organic

Many writers choose to write organically by allowing the essential parts of the story to rise out of character and thus eliminating an outline.

P – Plot

This is a novel’s storyline, the main events of a fiction work. 

Q – Quirky

We writers hold this as a description of ourselves, and we’re proud of it.

R – Romance

Writers never forget the majority of book buyers are women who enjoy a thread of love and affection.

S – Setting

Bestselling writers establish settings that are antagonistic. A scene’s environment may look charming and alluring, but it has a deceptive motive.

T – Theme

The one idea that relates to the character’s life and appears subtly throughout a story. 

U – Unique

Each story contains a one-of-a-kind happening or concept that is distinct and remarkable.

V – Viewpoint

Writers choose two considerations for point of view: 1) First, second, or third person and a variation and 2) Who is the point of view character in a particular scene? What character has the most to lose?

W – Wrench

Writers toss an unexpected event or change into each scene to raise the stakes for the point of view character.

X – X Factor 

Writers long for the significant, note-worthy quality about their writing style. This drive keeps them involved in the whole writing process.

Y – You

A writer’s voice determines the you feature in a story. Only you can do the work involved. Only you can string words together in a special fashion that sends a reader on a magic carpet ride.

Z – Zany

Writers are known for their idiosyncratic manner of experiencing life. Humor is a part of our remarkable traits. Use it. Embrace it.

Fiction writing from A to Z. Other defining attributes of writing came to mind while writing this. What are some of yours?