Amanda Patterson Use these lists of 350 character traits to help you select the positive and negative traits you need for the characters in your stories. What Is A Character Trait? A trait is a distinguishing quality or characteristic, typically one belonging to a person. It can be a genetically determined characteristic. Traits are formed …
by Amanda Patterson Many writers struggle with plotting. In this post, What Is A Plot?, we define a plot and tell you how to use it in a story. What Is A Plot? A plot is a series of events that make up a story. Plots have beginnings, middles, and endings. The first quarter of your …
After exhausting himself with work, author Benjamin Myers was sent over a literal edge and into the River Derwent. He recalls his recovery and hunt for a cure. Benjamin Myers Last summer, in the midst of promotional chaos surrounding my new novel The Offing, I cancelled my own London book launch and instead drove to …
Midge Gillies and Tony Benn Viewpoint As you start to write your style will emerge. Before you begin you should have some idea of how much of you will appear in the book. If you’re writing a memoir nearly all of it may be written in the first person and yours may be the only …
Linda Newbery, Michael Lawrence and Lauren Child The main characters in fiction for children and teenagers tend, not surprisingly, to be children and teenagers, though it’s not hard to find exceptions, such as Philip Pullman’s Once Upon a Time in the North. To write convincingly, whether in first- or third-person, you need to position yourself …
Linda Newbery Writing for children is not an easy route to becoming published, today’s tutor Linda Newbery explains why Books can change lives – we know that. And if you’re lucky enough to write and publish books for children, there’s the potential of changing young lives in various ways. Yours might be the book that …
Some practical, straightforward advice for the non-writers who want to get better. Dimitri Halkidis Not everyone can write. This is something I learned gradually, over a period of decades. And while the timid and anxious part of me struggles with admitting this, I am — objectively — a good writer. But I wasn’t born with …
We all need to be reminded of the simple things sometimes. Jeremiah S Blanchard Writing is a tough job. It’s an art that takes far more practice than anyone considers — especially the beginning writer. You know it’s tough because you’ve been typing and scribbling away for a while now, and you haven’t caught any traction. You …
Debut novelist Karin Abarbanel shares four writing tips for contemporary novelists she discovered from studying the plays of the Bard for 365+ nights. Karin Abarbanel “And as imagination bodies forth The forms of things unknown, the poet’s pen Turns them to shapes and gives to airy nothing A local habitation and a name.” from A …
Flawed characters and antiheroes make for fascinating protagonists—but their behavior can risk alienating readers. Follow this blueprint for flawed-yet-relatable heroes who can still provoke empathy. David Corbett ILLUSTRATION © GETTY IMAGES: LUCIANO LOZANO Not so long ago it seemed every writer agreed: Protagonists must be “likable.” Then something curious happened. Everyone began to realize that …
