Anne Skyvington
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      • Structuring a Short Story
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          • The Sea Voyage: a metaphor
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          • What I learnt from writing a novel…
          • Short Story
            • At the Swimming Pool
            • The Night of the Barricades
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            • a funny thing happened …
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    • A Change of Blog Title
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    • Discovering Karrana
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    • Randwick Writers’ Group: Sharing Writing Skills
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    • The Agony and the Ecstasy of Change
    • Voices From the Past
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  • Guest Post
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    • A Love Sonnet by Ian Harry Wells
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    • Randwick Writers’ Group: Sharing Writing Skills
    • A Story of a Genteel Ghost told by Roger Britton
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    • Adriatic Romance … Rijeka to Titograd
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    • A Well-Loved Pet
    • Candidly Yours…
    • Memoir Writing
    • River Girl: An Early Chapter of my Memoir in Progress
  • Welcome

Anne Skyvington

The Craft of Writing

  • Writing
    • Craft
      • Structuring a Short Story
      • Alternative Narrative Approaches
      • Genre in Writing
      • A Grain of Folly
        • Novel Writing
          • The Sea Voyage: a metaphor
          • How I Created My Debut Novel
          • What I learnt from writing a novel…
          • Short Story
            • At the Swimming Pool
            • The Night of the Barricades
          • Poetry
            • a funny thing happened …
            • An ancient mystic: Rumi
            • A Window into Poetry
            • The Voice of T.S. Eliot
  • Publishing
    • A Change of Blog Title
    • 5 Further Publishing Facts
    • 5 Facts I Learnt About Self/Publishing
    • Highs and Lows of Self Publishing
    • A Perfect Pitch to a Publisher
    • A Useful Site for Readers and Indie Authors: Books 2 Read
  • Book Reviews
    • A Story of a Special Child
    • Discovering Karrana
    • A Young Adult Novel: My French Barrette
    • Randwick Writers’ Group: Sharing Writing Skills
    • The Trouble With Flying: A Review
  • Mythos
    • Ancient Stories from Childhood
    • Births Deaths and Marriages
    • Duality or Onenness: The Moon
    • The Myth of Persephone and Demeter
    • Pandora’s Box
    • 7 ancient artefacts in the British Museum
    • Symbolism of Twins
    • The Agony and the Ecstasy of Change
    • Voices From the Past
  • Australia
    • A Country College Residence
    • A Kit Home Goes Up in Vacy
    • A Sydney Icon or Two
    • 5 things about Coogee
    • Moree and Insistent Voices
    • Things To Do in Sydney
  • Travel
    • A Bird’s Eye View
    • A Tuscan Village Holiday
    • Back to Cavtat in Croatia
    • Travel to Croatia
    • 5 or 6 Things About Valencia
  • Guest Post
    • a father’s tale … by Ian (Harry) Wells
    • A Guest Poem: “First Loves” by Roger Britton
    • A Love Sonnet by Ian Harry Wells
    • “Snakey” by Roger Britton
    • Randwick Writers’ Group: Sharing Writing Skills
    • A Story of a Genteel Ghost told by Roger Britton
  • Psychology
    • Creativity and Mental Illness
    • Networking and Emotional Intelligence
    • C.G.Jung’s Active Imagination and the Dead
    • Psychology as a Field of Study
    • Western Influencers Down Through The Ages
  • Life Stories
    • Adriatic Romance … Rijeka to Titograd
    • Always something there to remind me…
    • A Well-Loved Pet
    • Candidly Yours…
    • Memoir Writing
    • River Girl: An Early Chapter of my Memoir in Progress
Writing

Keeping It Real

written by Anne Skyvington September 27, 2012
sydney harbour north

An editor at a recent workshop stressed the importance of “keeping it real”, when writing fiction.  That is, at least partly, why I started off on the writing journey with memoir. From there I moved on to writing memoir using fictional techniques of characterisation and events.  From this sort of creative memoir, I graduated to writing fiction.

In the beginning, I felt that non-fiction equalled “realness”, authenticity. And I feared that I would fall prey to artificiality, if I used my sole imagination in writing fiction. My fiction would come across as unbelievable, the opposite of the French word ‘vraisemblable’. 

I have now come to the realisation that this is not entirely true.  Many writers seem to cut loose from memoir and use their imagination when writing fiction. However, even if the connection is unconscious or tenuous, writers will always draw from what they know.

And one needs to employ fictional or creative techniques in writing non-fiction, too. That is if you want it to be good or accessible to the reader.

So the trick is to write about what you know, while at the same time employing the literary devices, such as narrative techniques, characterisation, dialogue and imagery.

Photomontage - Composite of 16 different photo...

Photomontage – Composite of 16 different photos which have been digitally manipulated to give the impression that it is a real landscape. Software used: Adobe Photoshop (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It is usually obvious to a reader when a writer of fiction is going “over the top” in terms of language, plot or descriptions.  Of course, sometimes this is warranted by the genre or the type of writing, however in general it is best to conjure up the appearance of reality by choice of words. Relying on sensationalism is usually not a good idea. Nor is the overkill of too many adjectives and adverbs.

Our editor friend explained the situation by saying that richness in content is OK, but not wordiness in style. For example, a very painful experience in someone’s life does not become more powerful through the use of many adjectives. It is better to choose one apt or original one, rather than to lay them on thick like jam. So the need to cut and tighten are often paramount when it comes to a writer’s first manuscript. And sometimes it will be a whole paragraph, or a whole scene, that are causing the flab, or are wasteful.

Editors and publishers are also looking for honesty and originality. So write about what you know.  If you are uncomfortable, or “haven’t faced up to your demons” it may be better to not go there yet, as you can’t pull back once you have started on a particular pathway.

The session ended on a positive note with the call to list what you know, as you don’t always know what you know.

Many of the ideas here are gleaned from the presentation given to our group by Catherine Hammond, a freelance editor with valuable experience in the publishing area, whose input is always appreciated.

My photo of Sydney Harbour is only slightly air-brushed using Photoshop, which I am trialling at the moment.  If I made too many changes, it would result in something verging on artificial. Like the hyperbolical texts referred to above.  I see my creative writing and photography going hand-in-hand, as I enjoy the challenge of improving in both areas.

Related articles
  • How writing a story is like building a house (kendrakandlestar.wordpress.com
  • Differences in Writing in a Historical Fiction Genre (tracykauffman.wordpress.com)

Keeping It Real was last modified: February 28th, 2018 by Anne Skyvington
believable versus sensationalismhonesty and authenticity are neededhow can a writer keep it real?too man adjectives and adverbs can be overkill
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Anne Skyvington

I have been a reader/writer all of my life as far back as I can remember. Blogging has opened me up to another world, where I can share my skills and continue to create through word and picture. Writing is about seeing the world and recreating it for others to see through different eyes.

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About The Author

About The Author

Anne Skyvington

Anne Skyvington is a writer based in Sydney who has been practising and teaching creative writing skills for many years. You can learn here about structuring a short story and how to go about creating a longer work, such as a novel or a memoir. Subscribe to this blog and receive a monthly newsletter on creative writing topics and events.

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About The Author

About The Author

Anne Skyvington is a Sydney-based writer and blogger. <a href="http://anneskyvington.com.au She has self-published a novel, 'Karrana' and is currently writing a creative memoir based on her life and childhood with a spiritual/mystical dimension.

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