Daryl Harrison
Author of The Waiting Game
Hit Independent Author
Daryl Harrison is the author of the indie hit The Waiting Game, a suspense novel about a burnt out detective who seeks the truth while awaiting trial for a crime he didn’t commit. Harrison burst onto the scene with this hit after a brief career as a school teacher in Omaha, Nebraska. Harrison has sold hundreds of thousands of copies of his book despite striking out with the big publishing houses.
Email: darylharrison549@yahoo.com
Location: Omaha, NE, United States
How to Write Fiction - Dialogue
Dialogue in fiction is always a balance of the mundane and the important. You want your characters to have realistic conversations and interact with each other in realistic ways, but you don’t want to waste page space by writing out each conversation they have that day. Most of the conversations in our day-to-day lives are earth-shattering, they mostly cover how we’re doing that day and the weather. In order to make your dialogue compelling, you have to balance between the mundane details of everyday life, and those moments that change the course of history forever.
Daryl Harrison is a self-published author who saw great success with his first novel, The Waiting Game. Harrison has mastered the craft of creating tension and raising the stakes for his characters by their interactions and dialogue. Harrison plans on teaching fiction writing at some point in his career as an author.
How to Write Fiction - Kill Your Darlings
Fiction teachers in college classes and elsewhere teach their students to “kill their darlings” to create interesting characters and plot points. A strange phenomenon occurs in the writing process of even some of the most experienced fiction writers in the world. They get too attached to their characters, and the tension and conflict comes too easy. Teachers use the “kill your darlings” adage to challenge writers to challenge their characters. Sometimes the most compelling books feature characters who go through terrible trials in their pursuit of their goals. As a fiction writer, you have to be brutal to your characters. The best writers put their characters through hell in order to show the readers their characters’ true selves. This makes the characters feel more real and injects more tension into your book. We don’t really know ourselves or others until we see what they’re capable of when the chips are down, and the stakes are the highest.
“Kill your darlings” is another way of telling writers to not pull their punches when they’re developing their characters. No one wants to read a book about a character who goes through life with no challenge, no obstacle to overcome. Make your characters compelling by writing down what happens when they’re desperate, when they’re in pain, when success is not certain.
Daryl Harrison is a successful self-published author of the novel The Waiting Game, a mystery thriller about a detective waiting for a trial for a crime he didn’t commit, and the discovery he makes while investigating his own case.
How to Write Fiction - Read Like a Writer
All serious writers are avid readers. Some can put down dozens of books a year. While you don’t have to read at an insane pace to be a successful writer, you do have to read all kinds of writing by writers of all abilities. While some writing veterans frown on reading second or third-rate books, reading these can be beneficial because they can show you what not to do when you’re writing your own stories.
When you’re reading whatever genre by any author, be sure to keep your eyes out for how the author builds characters, shows facts, describes scenes, and relays dialogue. There are elements of these aspects in all kinds of writing. As a writer, keep an eye out for what you consider “good” writing and ask yourself why you liked it. What makes an article in a newspaper or other periodical compelling? What makes mystery compelling? A horror story? A romance? Reading widely gives you the fuel you need to generate your own content and make your own stories. Treat your reading time as you would your writing time. They are both important for creating excellent prose.
Daryl Harrison is a self-published author whose debut novel, The Waiting Game, sold hundreds of thousands of digital and print copies throughout the United States beginning late last year. Harrison says that his life revolves around writing and reading, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Harrison is from Omaha, but after he published his first book to great acclaim, he moved to the publishing capital of the world, New York City.
Writing a Good Fiction Setting
A good setting and atmosphere is all about the mood, whether it is creepy and eerie, or friendly and upbeat, you need only to establish a setting that is consistent. Now keep in mind that the setting can obviously change depending on where you are in your fictitious world. The only real rule in fiction writing is that you don’t contradict yourself, anything else goes.
Daryl Harrison is a successful author who believes strongly in the importance of a good ambiance and setting.
Creating Direction in Fiction Writing
One of the most exciting things about creating a fiction work is seeing the story unfold to you as the characters and the settings interact in a way that makes a sensible and tangible plot and scenario. Creating a fiction work becomes much more intuitive once you have an in-depth understanding of each player in the story and where they are likely to go. The direction of the plot is what will control the pace of your writing and the interactions of your characters, which is why it is so important to have a good understanding beforehand of where each of your characters were, are, and will be. This will help you to intertwine their stories or even make one event be experienced simultaneously in entirely different ways. This will add a depth and entertainment level to your novel that many writers covet. Creating direction boils down to committing to a path. First you need the compulsion, the instigator that gets all the rest of the parts moving. This plot engine can come in the form of the destruction of a home world for instance, which leads the sole surviving inhabitant seeking revenge in the solar system.
Creating a good direction for each character becomes more interesting when you introduce characters with different motives and alignments. Why would an evil character for instance want to work with a good one? Perhaps they have a common goal with different motivations. This offers depth and makes the world more realistic. It is also a great jumping point for lots of meaningful dialogue between two juxtaposed opinions.
Daryl Harrison is a professional writer who has experienced much success after releasing the book titled, ‘The Waiting Game.’
Writing Tips - Make it Powerful
When creating a compelling work of fiction, it is best to use copious amounts of emotion, something that should never be in short supply in your stories. Remember to keep the struggle alive, there should never be a point where the characters in your novel are not struggling in one respect or another, as it is at that point that the story is over. One mistake that many rookie writers make is that they become so attached to their own characters that they are afraid to make them go through any real trials or dangers that would hurt them. This kind of attachment becomes dangerous for a work because it prevents you from making an interesting and dynamic story with realistic elements simply because you like a character. The fact of the matter is you have to get over that part of yourself that hesitates to bring harm to your precious work. You have to be willing to look at the story and examine what is most likely to happen in the scenario that you created. For instance, say that you have a character who becomes stranded on a dead space station drifting into space with a limited oxygen supply that is running out. Instead of making some very unlikely tale about another ship passing by at just the right time to save them, just kill the character. It sounds hard, but that is the harsh reality of life, so your story should be no different.
If you don’t want to kill the character that much, make it really hard then. Say they spent months aboard the ship on the brink of starvation and insanity until they got caught in the gravitational pull of a planet. Then say they crash land on the foreign and unknown planet, breaking their legs as they stumble out of the wreckage. These are the real struggles that will fascinate your readers.
Daryl Harrison is a self-published writer who has sold thousands of books.
Why Fiction Writing
The reason that people create fiction writing is because sometimes people need to be shown a different perspective and a different world to better understand their own. This may seem contradictory at first glance, but upon closer examination you will find that the best fiction writing shows a contrast of the real world with the imagined one that somehow makes them even more related and meaningful to each other. This unspoken tie between these two worlds is what lends a book its strength. This is especially prevalent in fiction because the books world is usually absurdly different from reality. What makes a fiction piece so powerful is that despite all of these differences, they can still make deep and powerful connections. What this establishes is the idea that there are certain universal truths that exist, ones that are fundamental not just to us or our current situation, but to everyone and everything collectively. Fiction also has the advantage of being able to cover and discuss complex and sensitive issues without pointing any fingers, at least in the direct sense. This kind of anonymity allows for getting a point across without generating a victim, which is very important in the complex modern day world.
Fiction writing is one of those very human outlets that help us to come to terms with our own world and ourselves, helping us to find our place in the kind of social ecology that exists in the universe. By knowing our own place and seeing many different perspectives in life, we can ascertain that we are very small in comparison to all of existence, a sobering but necessary pill to swallow.
For More Detail Visit Here: Daryl Harrison
Fiction Writing Tips - Introducing Your Story
Starting with a summary paragraph is a great way to help you understand what you want to write and what direction you want your book to go in. Your first sentence should give the backdrop and set up the story. The following three sentences should cover major plot items. Your last sentence should be used to sum up the ending of the book.
Many authors believe in a “Three-Act Structure” for novels. The first act sets the stage for the book, painting a picture of the characters and setting as well as setting up for the first major disaster or event to the plot; with the culmination of the event being the end of the act. The second event or disaster should happen mid-way through act 2. The end of act 2 introduces the third event and sets up for act 3, where the story is wrapped up.
This summary should not be used for your dust cover summary. That should only include the first quarter of your story so readers want to buy the book to find out what happens. This summary paragraph can be used for your own benefit to keep on track with the story or for your book proposal to publishers.
However, many authors choose not to go through a publishing house to get their work out. They advocate for self-publishing. Daryl Harrison is the successful author of The Waiting Game, who decided to self-publish.
What A Character!
First off, it’s important to understand what a character is. A character is a participant in the story, usually a person, but can be any identity, entity or persona. There are several different types.
First, and maybe the most commonly known, is the protagonist. This person is the main character of the story. You should try to make your readers identify with this person and care about what happens to them. The protagonist is often referred to as the “good guy,” however there can also be an antihero as the main character.
You can’t have a protagonist without an antagonist. This is the character who opposes the main character. Although typically thought of as the “bad guy” there can be elements of good in an antagonist too. In many stories the protagonist and antagonist have to face off in some type of fight or battle, with the protagonist typically winning.
There is also the point-of-view character. This is the person through whom the story is viewed. Although they are often the main character, they do not have to be.
Daryl Harrison is a fiction writer who lives in New York with his wife, Abby Raines. Daryl is a successful self-published author.
Don’t Use That Tone With Me!
Although tone and mood are often confused they are different. The mood is the atmosphere or feeling shaped by the story. Mood is most often conveyed through setting, voice, and theme. The tone of a work is one of the elements that help set the mood.
Diction or word choice and syntax or sentence structure are two of the most common ways authors set the tone of a story. Using short, broken sentences conveys a very different tone than using long, complex, sometimes run-on sentences. In the same manner the words that an author uses paint a picture of the emotion behind a character’s feelings or actions or the scene setting. A long description of dark and hallow stare of a looming man across the room is very different than the author telling about the friendly and warm gaze of the guy across the room.
The tone, especially when the author describes a character, can help the audience rally with or against that character.
Daryl Harrison is one of many authors who like to use various tones to illicit emotion from his readers. In Daryl’s critically acclaimed novel The Waiting Game, the tone changes throughout the book to pull his readers into the world he paints. Daryl Harrison used to be a teacher before trying his hand at writing. He lives in New York with his family.
The Importance of Thematic Concepts and Statements in Fiction Writing
Theme, along with plot, character, setting and style, is one of the main components of fiction writing. It is the central topic of the work and can be divided into two categories. Thematic concepts are what the readers believe the work is about. Thematic statement is what the work says about the subject.
Themes can often be summed up into a single word like love, betrayal, death, lust. These themes can include tales of nostalgia, ambition, conflicts with growing technology, coming of age tales and issues with individuals within society.
A book may even have several themes. They often explore ethical questions and have cross-cultural ideas. The author will not usually ask these big questions explicitly but pepper remnants of them throughout the story, often having the characters wrestle with the dilemma.
Themes can help you learn more about yourself and how you view the world. Authors will, at times, leave the final takeaway up to the reader, like ending a book just before the main character chooses between love and money. Readers are able to put themselves in the character’s shoes and decide, offering insight into what they value.
Daryl Harrison is the author of The Waiting Game. His book shows the internal struggles of a wrongly accused detective, searching for the truth before it’s too late. Daryl touches on the themes of issues with mental illness, a battle that Daryl has personally fought. Daryl now lives in New York where he is pursuing his writing career.