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The Writer's Pocket Guide | The Pocket MFA
In-depth craft guides for serious writers
Scenes
Tour Guide
Missing Persons
Ignore this note at your own peril: readers need to know where the bodies are in order to believe your characters truly exist.
Tour Guide
When Reality Bites
There is no such thing as an "objective reality" in fiction. But subjective reality is another story.
Tour Guide
Verb-Tense Time Machine
Essential advice on managing verb-tense usage in exposition and flashbacks.
Tour Guide
Fail at This, Fail at Everything: A Lesson in Clarity from David Foster Wallace
Analyzing a single sentence by David Foster Wallace.
Tour Guide
Narrative Modes: Mix and Match for Texture and Dimension
Are you falling out of love with your story? Is your plot running low on gas? Are your characters flat-lining in the literary ICU?
Tour Manager
Diamond in the Slush
How do you get pulled out of the slush pile and onto the pages of your favorite journal?
Tour Guide
Keep Your Distance: 4 Elements of Storytelling
Juggling 4 Key Elements of Storytelling
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