The truth about the world, he said, is that anything is possible. Had you not seen it all from birth and thereby bled it of its strangeness it would appear to you for what it is, a hat trick in a medicine show, a fevered dream, a trance bepopulate with chimeras having neither analogue nor precedent, an itinerant carnival, a migratory tentshow whose ultimate destination after many a pitch in many a mudded field is unspeakable and calamitous beyond reckoning. The universe is no narrow thing and the order within it is not constrained by any latitude in its conception to repeat what exists in one part in any other part. Even in this world more things exist without our knowledge than with it and the order in creation which you see is that which you have put there, like a string in a maze, so that you shall not lose your way. For existence has its own order and that no man's mind can compass, that mind itself being but a fact among others. The truth about the world, he said, is that anything is possible. Had you not seen it all from birth and thereby bled it of its strangeness it would appear to you for what it is, a hat trick in a medicine show, a fevered dream, a trance bepopulate with chimeras having neither analogue nor precedent, an itinerant carnival, a migratory tentshow whose ultimate destination after many a pitch in many a mudded field is unspeakable and calamitous beyond reckoning. The universe is no narrow thing and the order within it is not constrained by any latitude in its conception to repeat what exists in one part in any other part. Even in this world more things exist without our knowledge than with it and the order in creation which you see is that which you have put there, like a string in a maze, so that you shall not lose your way. For existence has its own order and that no man's mind can compass, that mind itself being but a fact among others. The truth about the world, he said, is that anything is possible. Had you not seen it all from birth and thereby bled it of its strangeness it would appear to you for what it is, a hat trick in a medicine show, a fevered dream, a trance bepopulate with chimeras having neither analogue nor precedent, an itinerant carnival, a migratory tentshow whose ultimate destination after many a pitch in many a mudded field is unspeakable and calamitous beyond reckoning. The universe is no narrow thing and the order within it is not constrained by any latitude in its conception to repeat what exists in one part in any other part. Even in this world more things exist without our knowledge than with it and the order in creation which you see is that which you have put there, like a string in a maze, so that you shall not lose your way. For existence has its own order and that no man's mind can compass, that mind itself being but a fact among others.

Write Better Fiction

Get Help With Writing & Publishing Your Book Choose a course
MENTIONED IN:

HI, I’M JOHN FOX

I create online courses for writers to help them write better fiction. 

Using my background as an editor, I’ve written almost 1,000 posts, which more than 3 million authors read annually.

Check out my nonfiction book for writers, “The Linchpin Writer: Crafting Your Novel’s Key Moments” and my short story collection – “I Will Shout Your Name.”

HI, I’M JOHN FOX

I create online courses for writers to help them write better fiction. 

Using my background as an editor, I’ve written almost 1,000 posts, which more than 3 million authors read annually.

Check out my nonfiction book for writers, “The Linchpin Writer: Crafting Your Novel’s Key Moments” and my short story collection – “I Will Shout Your Name.”

hands typing

WRITING COURSES

hands typingNeed help writing your book? These courses give practical, step-by-step guidance on plotting, characters, dialogue, and marketing.Learn more

GET EDITING

Get copy editing and developmental editing for your novel, children’s book, short story, or nonfiction.Find an Editor

PUBLISH BOOKS

We make publishing easy, by helping authors with cover design, formatting, ISBNs, ebooks, and distribution. Publish Now

THE RESULTS?

John Fox helped me enhance the things that were already good and showed me how to shore up my weaknesses. He is particularly good at structure, pacing and the development of characters. If you want someone who understands quality, then John is your man!

 

– Susan LaDue, author of “Tropical Temptation”

One of the best courses I’ve ever taken, on any topic. Specific, concrete information and examples. This course will save you hours of researching various aspects of book marketing, such as book cover design, obtaining reviews, timing of steps, etc. The return on investment of taking this course is huge.

– Jim Roberts

His presentation of the material was fun and easy to understand, and dramatically improved my writing. The lectures are short, he reads examples from authors and provides PDF handouts. I learned more in this course than reading numerous books and paying three times the money for another course.

– Kay A. Klotzbach

Writer Testimonial
View all courses

LET’S FIND YOU A COURSE

But remember that forgiveness too is a power. To beg for it is a power, and to withhold or bestow it is a power, perhaps the greatest. Maybe none of this is about control. Maybe it isn’t really about who can own whom, who can do what to whom and get away with it, even as far as death. Maybe it isn’t about who can sit and who has to kneel or stand or lie down, legs spread open. Maybe it’s about who can do what to whom and be forgiven for it. Never tell me it amounts to the same thing. But remember that forgiveness

WRITE YOUR BEST NOVEL

Read more
But remember that forgiveness too is a power. To beg for it is a power, and to withhold or bestow it is a power, perhaps the greatest. Maybe none of this is about control. Maybe it isn’t really about who can own whom, who can do what to whom and get away with it, even as far as death. Maybe it isn’t about who can sit and who has to kneel or stand or lie down, legs spread open. Maybe it’s about who can do what to whom and be forgiven for it. Never tell me it amounts to the same thing. But remember that forgiveness

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO WRITING DIALOGUE

Read more
But remember that forgiveness too is a power. To beg for it is a power, and to withhold or bestow it is a power, perhaps the greatest. Maybe none of this is about control. Maybe it isn’t really about who can own whom, who can do what to whom and get away with it, even as far as death. Maybe it isn’t about who can sit and who has to kneel or stand or lie down, legs spread open. Maybe it’s about who can do what to whom and be forgiven for it. Never tell me it amounts to the same thing. But remember that forgiveness

HOW TO WRITE A SENTENCE

Read more

TIPS AND TRICKS TO GET YOU STARTED

13 Strategies to Create Character Names

Most people have trouble coming up with cool character names, which is why some kids end up with names like Vagena (true story) or Gaylord (Gaylord Focker is truly the worst name ever). But for fiction writers it’s harder because you have to come up…

Read more

12 Steps to Write a Bestselling Novel (in less than 6 months)

Hi, I’m John Fox, and as an editor I’ve helped hundreds of authors write, edit and publish their novels. If you’re planning on writing a novel, you’ve come to the right place. Let me guide you through the process. Now, you’re probably intimidated to write…

Read more

20 Strategies to Write Your Novel’s First Paragraph

I looked at the first paragraphs of more than 1,000 novels to make this list. The first paragraphs below are the ones that shocked, surprised, and delighted me. The paragraphs that made me want to read the rest of the book, the paragraphs so memorable that I…

Read more
View all articles