title: Writing Great Fiction: Storytelling Tips and Techniques
author: Professor James Hynes
description: Whether you're huddled around the campfire, composing an email to a friend, or sitting down to write a novel, storytelling is fundamental to human nature. But as any writer can tell you, the blank page can be daunting. It's tough to know where to get started, what details to include in each scene, and how to move from the kernel of an idea to a completed manuscript.  Writing great fiction isn't a gift reserved for the talented few. There is a craft to storytelling that can be learned, and studying writing techniques can be incredibly rewarding - both personally and professionally. Even if you dont have ambitions of penning the next  Moby-Dick , you'll find value in exploring all the elements of fiction.  From evoking a scene to charting a plot to revising your drafts,  Writing Great Fiction: Storytelling Tips and Techniques offers a master class in storytelling. Taught by award-winning novelist James Hynes, a former visiting professor at the famed Iowa Writers' Workshop, these 24 insightful lectures show you the ins and outs of the fiction writer's craft. Get tips for developing believable and memorable characters, explore how to craft plausible dialogue that serves the purposes of your narrative, compare the advantages of different points of view, and more. A wealth of exercises will inspire you to practice the many techniques you learn. Professor Hynes is an able guide, showing you what has worked for him and other novelists, and pointing out pitfalls to avoid.  Writing Great Fiction is truly an exceptional course for anyone interested in storytelling.
zlib_text: ## FOREWORD
  
  
  ### Every Wandering Thought
  
  
  So finally, after penning the outlines for the McCoy and Spock novels of the
  Crucible trilogy, I arrive at the Kirk tale. And this one event, this
  crucible, that I had envisioned impacting all three of the main Star Trek
  characters, had affected the good captain in a very clear and obvious way. I
  readily see the story that surely must flow from the events in one of Trek’s
  most popular episodes, and I know just how it will tie in with the overall
  themes of the other two books.
  
  
  I know at once that I can’t write such a novel.
  
  
  Here’s the thing. For good or ill, I like to defy reader expectations. I
  strive in my writing not only to deliver a satisfying story, but also to
  surprise. When it works, that can be a very good thing. But there’s a risk
  involved there too, in that a reader who has strong expectations going into a
  novel might be disinclined to enjoy it if those expectations aren’t met. I
  know this, of course, and yet I nevertheless like