Category: How To and Tips
Where do Stories come from?
Where do stories come from? – Tracy Fells on the inspiration behind The Naming of Moths and other short stories I love coffee and cake, and seek out great cafés to enjoy them together. One café visit triggered the writing of my most successful short story ‘The Naming of Moths’, which won the 2017 Commonwealth […]
On Co-Authorship and Expanding the Conversation
On Co-Authorship and Expanding the Conversation By Annika Paradise, co-author of WONDER YEAR: A GUIDE TO LONG-TERM FAMILY TRAVEL AND WORLDSCHOOLING The heart of our new book, Wonder Year: A Guide to Long-term Family Travel and Worldschooling, is collaborative conversation. Part inspiration and part how-to, our book demystifies the seemingly outrageous prospect of embarking on […]
The Good The Bad and the Unsympathetic Character
The Good The Bad and the Unsympathetic Character Laura Elliot casts a wry, humorous eye over the creation of fictitious protagonists who are determined to be ‘bad.’ My local railway station is within walking distance from my home. Trains are my usual means of travel so I guess it’s not surprising that when it comes […]
On Making Writing a Process By Rachel Grosvenor
When people hear that I’m a writer, many ask what my process is. It’s a good question and a fair one, and is debated back and forth in writing groups, online, and wherever creatives dwell. Books have been written on it. Thousands of words have been flung into the air, debating the best process for […]
Of Sweet Spots and Near Misses
Of Sweet Spots and Near Misses From the time I started reading chapter books in elementary school, I have loved stories that go on for days. I knew I wanted to write them. The trouble was, I couldn’t think of any stories that were long enough to fill a book. I could think of intriguing […]
Writing Tough Stuff: Five Tips to Make it Easier
Writing Tough Stuff: Five Tips to Make it Easier Last summer and winter I tried (and tried) to write a short memoir essay about a short stint of living and working in a London pub during the late 1980s. The opening scene of the essay, in which, on my very first night there, I wake […]
Your Reader Needs You to Dive Deep By Melanie Dickerson
Your Reader Needs You to Dive Deep By Melanie Dickerson As a writer, don’t save anything, don’t pull any punches, and don’t protect yourself or hold back your emotions. If you want your reader to remember your book, to fall in love with your story and your characters, you must leave everything on the page. […]
Crafting Characters Who Make Your Readers Care By Shannon Hollinger
Crafting Characters Who Make Your Readers Care By Shannon Hollinger Think of a book that made you care, that had you so invested in the outcome that you wanted to cry or shout or throw things when events didn’t go the right way. When you think of that book, what is it that you remember? The […]
Writing a Novel for Adults: One YA Author’s Experience
Writing a Novel for Adults: One YA Author’s Experience A well-meaning friend called me recently to tell me how much he’d enjoyed DEADLY SETUP, my latest young adult novel. “You know,” he said, “you’re such a good writer that I bet you could write a book for adults someday.” My friend meant this as a […]
Inspiration to write Sisters of Wartime England
Inspiration is magic. I have always been fascinated by the achievements of women. Authors such as Jane Austen who wrote six novels in the early 19th century. Two hundred years later they are still giving millions of readers pleasure. Mary Shelley, at only eighteen, wrote Frankenstein. One of my favourite authors is 20th century novelist, […]
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