Write about what you know. I would like a dollar for every time I have heard this advice. And it does have value. Just don’t be fooled into thinking you are limited to writing only about your familiar everyday surroundings. Start to tap into this source by creating a list of WHAT I KNOW. Start […]
Try Collaborative Writing!
Convention has it that writers work alone, in isolation. But the truth is, every writer is part of this larger conversation between writers and readers. This quote was how I finished my last blog, and I was discussing the relationship between the writer and the reader. But why not a far more immediate conversation? What […]
Conversations
Conversations in fiction are fun to write, and a wonderfully effective technique to build tension and propel the story forward. But what about a conversation between a writer and a reader? A conversation that weaves through and under the text of the book or story? Is this possible? I think it is not only possible, […]
Why we do what we do
Creating characters is perhaps the most exciting, the most satisfying, and yet the most challenging aspect of the fiction writer’s craft. As a writer, you need to know the answers to all the journalistic questions about your fiction character – who, what, where, when, how and above all, why. Why is this character behaving in […]
How does it feel?
Who has not been inspired by the media coverage of the Paralympics? Such uplifting stories, such an astonishing plethora of challenges faced and overcome. Utterly inspirational. And yet, despite the range of Paralympians, sports, and challenges, the question most often asked by reporters starts ‘How does it feel…?’ How does it feel to win gold/silver/bronze? […]