What is your author voice? How do you develop it and bring it to the fore? It’s a tricky question and one many authors struggle with. I myself struggle to reconcile what I know to be good writing practice with injecting distinction and personality into my writing. I went to a | Read more…
The classic advice to writers is to write what we know, or the more accurate alternative: “Write what you know, or can research.” There’s an inference in the quote above, that information you research is inherently different from information you know. Which, I suppose, may be true, depending on your definition of knowing. | Read more…
I’ve been having a think about what makes a good piece of flash fiction, and while I don’t think I can say it any better than David Gaffney does in this article – Stories in your pocket: how to write flash fiction (which came out just before the very first National | Read more…
It’s two thirds of the way through April and Camp NaNoWriMo and I’m slightly behind on my targets. Although I’m not technically behind on average, I have less time to write over the next week and a half, so hitting my 60,000 word goal is going to be a stretch. | Read more…
Tomorrow I start the mammoth task of turning my 70,000 word manuscript into a finished novel. I may not finish in the month of April, but I plan to put a shed load of work in. 60hrs or more. I had a little personal celebration moment today and indulged my | Read more…
My main goal for Camp NaNoWriMo is to spend at least 50 hours editing my novel, Mime. I currently have an incomplete rough draft of 70,000 words. Now I say edit, but a more accurate term might be revise, more accurate still might be re-write but let’s stick with revise. | Read more…
There’s less than 1 week until writing starts at Camp NaNoWriMo! My challenge during April 50 hours of editing time on my novel, Mime 10k words of new material in the form of short stories, to include… 30 pieces of micro fiction That’s a whole lot of work but I | Read more…
I recently started writing a book review and found myself thinking that I have no idea whether I am doing it “right?” What makes a good book review? What elements are essential? Is there a specific structure I should be following? I realised that I’d never studied the matter and | Read more…
As writers, it’s easy to slip into being isolated. To working within your own little bubble. Attending classes and seminars are a great way to remind yourself you’re part of a huge community and there is always something new to learn, new ways to explore writing. For instance, next week | Read more…
With only 14 days till the start of Camp NaNoWriMo (April 2015) I’m going to spend a little time each day preparing. Today’s task… tidy my desk. Yeah, I should point out my “office” currently shares one half of my bedroom with The Great Escape prop store. I unburied it… | Read more…