Whenever I’ve read advice or interviews from published authors, they’ve often begun writing short stories; which they have submitted to magazines. A part of my mind still thinks “that’s what you need to get into writing”. As publishing credits, this …
Prioritising
Every writer is different. Some people plan a story, then outline, before drafting it and then editing. They work on the same piece for months or years and then they have a wonderfully finished piece to begin showing to the …
Hopeful Endings: What Readers Want
As a writer, the advice is constant: create conflict. We are to make our characters overcome one obstacle after another, after another… Because readers want hope. Think about your favourite books or movies. Why do you re-read/watch them? I personally …
Knowing the Details
“It’s only a skeleton.” “He’s eating a biscuit.” “It’s just standing there. It’s not even making woo-woo noises!” At the weekend, I watched the Hogfather. It’s one of my go-to movies in terms of studying story-telling. The characterisation always makes …
The Plan for 2013
It’s May 2013. I began writing my first novel in November 2009. Including that first attempt, I’ve begun seven novels. But it wasn’t until October 2012 that I decided I liked one enough to try and make it work. My …
Lists and Plans
Last week I wrote about seeing my writing as a second career and talked about what I’ve been doing to move things forward. This week, I decided to make a concrete list of steps forward, so that I can measure how …