The Technology of Fiction : write great novels and stories

WHAT IS THE TECHNOLOGY OF FICTION?

Writing a truly fantastic novel, or a diamond sharp short story, is hard. Why?





To make anything worthwhile, from a gothic cathedral to an Apple iPhone, we have to master the use of many technologies. Not just physical technologies like carving stone, but mental technologies, like the maths that allows an engineer to make buildings that stand up.

Novels and stories are made of dozens or even hundreds of technologies. Forms of written fiction have evolved over centuries of time, and become more sophisticated and more complex as writers invent new and more powerful technologies of fiction. Great modern novelists like Haruki Murakami or Margaret Atwood write powerful novels using technologies they have mastered over decades.

The Technology of Fiction explores how to write great novels and short stories by looking in detail at how writers use each technology they have mastered. Every writer has a different toolkit, that they use in their own unique way.

Enjoy this series of talks by writer and teacher Damien Walter as he explores the "technology of fiction" by diving into the work of great writers.