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 …
When approached one step at a time, the dreaded synopsis can become a trusted companion on your publishing journey. Ammi-Joan Paquette explains how to write a synopsis for any novel. Ammi-Joan Paquette The prospect of condensing a novel into a synopsis can intimidate even the most seasoned writers. But when approached one step at a …
by Alex Keegan Fiction is lies. There is the Great Lie, the simple fact that the story is a story and not reportage. Fiction writers, therefore are liars — and they have to be good ones.George Scithers & Darrel Schweitzer, 1988 “The good ended happily and the bad unhappily — that’s what fiction means…”Oscar Wilde …
Via WritersWrite A Mary Sue character is an overly perfect character and/or a character that is clearly a glorified projection of the author herself. The are male versions of Mary Sue. They are known as Gary Stu or Marty Stu. A Mary Sue character is usually an undesirable character. Even your heroes need flaws. An …
