Fiction
In Order To Write A Novel You Must Be Dedicated
By gwglass at 22 December, 2011, 12:00 am
Writing a best selling novel is the dream of many, yet very few get started, let alone finish this monumental task. Because you are reading this right now, you are well ahead of the rest of the crowd. The most important thing in any endeavor such as this is determination. In this article, you’ll learn how to keep your motivation high, so you will keep writing, day after day, until you get published.
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Easy Tips To Turbo Charge Your Novel Writing
By gwglass at 21 December, 2011, 12:00 am
Many people would love to be a famous novelist. To walk into any book store and see your name right there on the stack of best sellers that everybody is lining up to buy. To go on all the talk shows on TV and get your face known around the world. Of course, there’s a lot that needs to happen to make this dream a reality. There are certain things that can help, as well. And those are the things that you will learn in this article.
Read More >>Don’t Sacrifice Your Relations To Write Your Novel
By gwglass at 20 December, 2011, 12:00 am
Writing a novel is a serious project. If you’ve already started or are planning to start, then congratulations. You’ve done what many people only dream of doing. You’ve shown that you’ve got what it takes to succeed in the area of novel writing. However, writing a novel doesn’t come without certain costs and expectations. Many people find that your relationships with your friends and family can suffer if you aren’t careful. In this article you’ll learn how to keep that from happening.
Read More >>On Writing: Who Tells The Story?
By duxfordharry at 3 December, 2011, 12:00 am
If it’s a first-person narrative there is unlikely to be a problem. You probably had a clear vision of this character narrating when you first had the idea for the book. With a third-person narrative you have more options open to you. We rarely use the God-like overview of Victorian novelists now. The viewpoint usually narrows down to one specific character, with only a partial view of what is going on. Should it be the chief protagonist? A lesser character who can bear witness to these events, like Lockwood in Wuthering Heights? Although The Writers’ Workshop rightly steers novelists towards a single viewpoint, it is common in children’s books to alternate between two protagonists, often one boy, one girl. This can allow us to know more of the plot than would otherwise be the case.
Read More >>Writing Great First Sentences
By duxfordharry at 29 October, 2011, 12:00 am
If you’ve ever attended a workshop or class on how to make your fiction manuscript more marketable, chances are you’ve heard the presenter stress the importance of a first page that grabs the reader’s attention and refuses to let go. I would take this a step further and say that the very first line of the story must be something really special, something that is uniquely yours. This is especially true when one is submitting work to a potential literary agent or editor. Like most aspects of crafting excellent fiction, it’s far easier said than done. What does it mean to say an opening is ‘strong’? What sets a good beginning apart from a mediocre one?
Read More >>What’s So Special About Writing Children’s Picture Books
By duxfordharry at 26 October, 2011, 12:00 am
A picture book has large full-colour spreads in which to show your story happening through image after image as we turn the pages, revealing surprises, playing with pace, and enjoying games between text and pictures.
Read More >>Writing For Children Or Young Adults – Six Golden Rules
By duxfordharry at 25 October, 2011, 12:00 am
I’ve never been one for categorising, and what you will find is that as many adult adults read Young Adult books as young adults; but you still need to bear in mind a few things if what you are setting out to write is going to be (effectively) a children’s book.
Read More >>How to Get the Most From Feedback on Your Writing
By duxfordharry at 20 October, 2011, 12:00 am
To start with, an admission. When we run writing events, we always make sure that writers get the chance to have one-to-one feedback on their work from a professional book doctor. And after these events, we’re exhausted. I won’t name names, but at least two of my team got up well after 1.00 pm on the Sunday following our most recent event. And one member of our team – no names – spent her day eating M&S ready meals and watching Mutant Ninja Turtles on the telly, because it seemed like too much work to flip the channel.
Read More >>How To Get Feedback on Your Writing
By duxfordharry at 19 October, 2011, 12:00 am
Most events for writers (including the ones we run) have at their heart a set of Book Doctor sessions. Those sessions, if you don’t already know, work something like this. You send in 5,000 words of your book, including covering letter and synopsis. The book doctor reads your work in advance and then, in the course of a fifteen minute face-to-face meeting, goes through their thoughts and comments on your book, including a set of written feedback.
Read More >>How to Cope With Writer’s Block
By duxfordharry at 9 October, 2011, 12:00 am
You know how it is. You’ve spent ages thinking about what you’re going to write, anticipating it, feeling frustrated because other things are getting in the way of it. Finally, you clear a couple of hours from your busy schedule, switch on your computer or get out your pen and paper and… nothing. The words won’t come, or they seem laughably trite or cliched or flaccid. You’re gripped by the urgent need to wash the kitchen floor, track down a sock that’s been missing for the past five years or surf a favourite website. Hey, maybe you could call that research.
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