Between the Lines



Between the Lines: Master the Subtle Elements of Fiction Writing
By Jessica Page Morrell
ISBN 1582973920
$16.99 paperback

Download an Excerpt!

Click here to view or download several pages from Chapter 2: Backstory, in PDF form.

About the Book

Effective storytelling stems from many elements, the most crucial of which are unseen or blended in so unobtrusively that they are difficult to spot and analyze. Still, they are necessary to the wholeness and coherence of a story—to create a work that lingers and resonates in the reader’s imagination.

In Between the Lines, author and writing instructor Jessica Page Morrell shows you how to craft a unified and layered novel or short story by mastering subtle storytelling techniques, such as:

  • Using emotional bombshells, surprises, and interruptions to intensify cliffhangers
  • Enlarging your story world through the use of layered subplots
  • Building suspense one scene at a time to maximize the emotional payoff
  • Anchoring your premise to your protagonist’s character arc
  • Transitioning into and out of flashbacks without interrupting the mood of your story

Detailed instruction combined with examples from well-known authors turn seemingly complex topics like subtext, revelations, misdirection, and balance into comprehensible techniques that will elevate your writing to the next level.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction: A Deep, Deep World
Chapter 1: Art & Artifice: Keeping Readers Spellbound
Chapter 2: Backstory
Chapter 3: Cliffhangers & Thrusters
Chapter 4: Epilogues
Chapter 5: Epiphanies & Revelations
Chapter 6: Flashbacks
Chapter 7: Foreshadowing
Chapter 8: Imagery & Other Charms
Chapter 9: Pacing
Chapter 10: Prologues
Chapter 11: Sense of Place
Chapter 12: Sensory Surround
Chapter 13: Subplots
Chapter 14: Subtlety
Chapter 15: Suspense
Chapter 16: Tension
Chapter 17: Theme & Premise
Chapter 18: Transitions

About the Author

A writing instructor for more than fifteen years, Jessica Page Morrell reaches thousands of writers through her popular Writing Life site (www.writing-life.com), her blog, and her monthly e-newsletter with 2,000 subscribers. She is also the author of Writing Out the Storm and the forthcoming Bullies, Bastards & Bitches: The Bad Guys in Fiction (Writer’s Digest Books, February 2008).

Praise for Between the Lines

Jessica Morrell’s unique talent for breaking down the elements of strong fiction into understandable concepts makes Between the Lines a must-read for anyone facing the daunting task of turning a good story into a great one.
—Lani Diane Rich, author of The Comeback Kiss, Ex and the Single Girl, and Time Off for Good Behavior

Writing fiction may look easy—and in fact it is. It’s writing compelling, readable, publishable fiction that’s challenging. New writers are often told to use techniques like flashbacks and foreshadowing, but they’re not told how to do it. Jessica Morrell’s Between the Lines shows both new and experienced writers how to take so-so fiction and add depth, resonance, and readability. It’s an enjoyable read filled with practical, doable advice and plenty of examples that will improve your fiction.
—Kelly James-Enger, novelist and author of Six-Figure Freelancing: The Writer’s Guide to Making More Money

Jessica Morrell understands the writing process and the writer. Whether you are a beginning writer or a seasoned pro, Between the Lines will instruct, inform, and inspire. This is the essential guide.
—Linda Elin Hamner, Emmy-winning writer for Santa Barbara and author of Letters From Cleo and Tyrone

Between the Lines contains everything one writer could possibly convey to another about the art and craft of writing, while also being a joy to read. Entertaining, personal, accessible, and specific in its advice, Jessica Morrell’s invaluable guide invites the reader to explore every aspect of fiction writing, providing a plethora of ideas, insights, practical suggestions, and techniques that have much to offer everyone from the beginner to the most advanced writer.
—Nancy Hardin, film and television producer (Frida and Noriega), and former New American Library editor