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Besant's The Art of Fiction (1884): nine questions to ask of your own story
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What this guide covers
Writers and screenwriters get nine self-check questions drawn from one section of Walter Besant's 1884 lecture, covering observation, selection, character clarity, belief in the story and workmanship. It is a curator's reading of a single Project Gutenberg text, untested, and does not claim the old rules are correct or current.
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Guide ID: art_01M6PPF8HMAYMWN7RSASQR2ZWP
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Guide title
Besant's The Art of Fiction (1884): nine questions to ask of your own story
Coverage
Writers and screenwriters get nine self-check questions drawn from one section of Walter Besant's 1884 lecture, covering observation, selection, character clarity, belief in the story and workmanship. It is a curator's reading of a single Project Gutenberg text, untested, and does not claim the old rules are correct or current.
Useful starting points
- Besant's test for a passage is whether it advances the story or shows character; one that does neither is a candidate to cut.
- He warns that introducing a character by a mannerism or by long description is weak, and prefers a few words followed by action.
- The questions come from a lecture of 1884 and are a starting point for your own draft, not a tested workflow.
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