Articles written by Mike Klaassen

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About me - Mike Klaassen

Author of young-adult novels CRACKS and THE BRUTE. "My goal is to write fiction that even the most reluctant readers will enjoy." I'm currently working on two projects: a novel set during the War of 1812 and a nonfiction book about writing fiction.

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Arts & Humanities > Writing Tips Deciding if one should use profanity in young adult fiction: 1 of 11

Writers make lots of decisions, and writers of young-adult fiction are faced with choices regarding profanity. Like it or not, the use of profanity is an effective device for portraying emotion in fiction, adding realism to dialogue and to a character’s introspection. So how do writers balance the desire fo...
Arts & Humanities > Writing Tips How to punctuate dialogue when writing: 1 of 8

Evan Marshall, in The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing, provides straightforward advice: "Follow the specialized rules of punctuation in dialogue." But in the world of fiction-writing, "rules" vary somewhat, depending on who is dictating them. And in some situations there are allowances for variations in objective...
Arts & Humanities > Thoughts on Writing The major elements of writing fiction: 3 of 15

If you asked ten experts to list the five fundamental elements of fiction, you would probably get ten different answers. When I flip through the how-to books on my shelf, I see that almost all of the authors include character, plot, and setting as basic elements. And most authors who address theme, also include i...
Arts & Humanities > Writing Tips Fiction writing: How to write your character's thoughts: 1 of 5

Introspection, the fiction-writing mode used to convey a character's thoughts, may appear to be simple in published fiction, but the issues facing an author during the writing process are numerous: * Punctuation * Attribution Tags * Tense * Person * Direct vs. Indirect Introspection * Verbs of Thought * Narrative Distance * ...
Arts & Humanities > Writing Tips Tips for writing effective dialogue in fiction: 4 of 15

There's no denying that dialogue makes an incredible contribution to fiction, but the notion that the secrets of effective dialogue may be revealed within a few tips is misguided. In reality, dialogue (as a fiction-writing mode) is quite complicated. Dialogue plays an integral role in each of the major elements of fict...
Arts & Humanities > Writing Tips Tips for writing in the third person: 3 of 11

Writing fiction in third person is a lot more complicated than simply switching the pronouns from I to he or she. The decision to narrate fiction in third person is just one of many choices an author should contemplate prior to putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. In addition to choosing grammatical perso...
Arts & Humanities > Thoughts on Writing Fiction writing: The importance of your character's thoughts: 2 of 7

“One of the great gifts of literature is that it allows for the expression of unexpressed thoughts . . . ,” say Renni Browne and Dave King, in Self-Editing for Fiction Writers. The fiction-writing mode used to convey a character’s thoughts is called introspection. As a means of developing chara...
Arts & Humanities > Children's Literature Writing children's books: Getting started: 3 of 9

WHAT MAKES A GREAT NOVEL FOR CHILDREN? Regardless of the age of the intended audience, great novels have one large common denominator: each is a great story. Great stories share traits that coincide with the five fundamental elements of fiction (character, plot, setting, theme, and style). CHARACTER. According to Donald Maas...
Arts & Humanities > Writing Tips Achieving sense perception in fiction writing: 1 of 3

Sensation is the fiction-writing mode for portraying a character's perception of the senses. Authors are often encouraged to incorporate the five (or maybe even six) senses into their stories. Despite all the emphasis on utilizing the senses, sensation is not widely recognized as a distinct fiction-writing mode. Unfortunatel...
Arts & Humanities > Thoughts on Writing Understanding the importance of scene and sequel in fiction: 1 of 3

SCENE & SEQUEL: The Ebb and Flow of Fiction Scene and sequel are two of the most important components of plot, but they also seem to be two of the least understood. If plot were an engine, scene and sequel would be the pistons powering the drive shaft. Writers striving to turbocharge their writing might want to fine-tune...