My Favourite Authors: Dick Francis
Those of you who know me, know that I am a great fan of Dick Francis . Those of you who don’t know me will probably be wondering why, since his work is neither science fiction nor fantasy, being set firmly in the real world. It’s not romance, and it contains no supernatural or paranormal elements at all. The answer is because Dick Francis is a master storyteller, and one of the few storytellers who was a master of both the short story and novel forms. His work is something I know I’ll have a great time reading, and it contains some of the best lessons a writer can learn: It shows without telling. Characters are described with brevity and accuracy, and in such a way that they are easily visualised. Character personalities are painted with clarity, and an economy of words that almost always puts me in awe. Sense of place is evoked… dare I say it… with no word wastage or long, dragging paragraphs. Pacing. While Dick Francis’s work is full of action, it’s also full