The pure hell of writing a synopsis
Nobody likes writing a synopsis. How about if I told you it could actually help you create a better book?
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When leopards change their spots
What happens when you decide to change the personality of a supporting character midway through writing?
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Putting the rom into com
When is the right time to reveal that your comedy has a romantic twist? When is it too soon and how do you avoid the cliches?
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It’s all about me – writing in the first person
How practical is it to write a novel in the first person. How do you avoid ‘head hopping’?
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Passive Aggressive Master Class
Uncovering mild passive-aggression is easy. Simply jump a queue, stand on the wrong side of an escalator, or try to pay for anything with a twenty-quid note.
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Writing Tip #2 – Five red flags for writers
Some words should be an automatic red flag to a writer. The second you find yourself typing, writing or otherwise using them, a voice inside ought to scream stop. Here are five that I watch out for. Search your works in progress and eliminate at will.
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Exchanging gifts
I’ve sometimes been asked what became of Lisa Doyle, the main character from The Armchair Bride. So for a change, here’s a short story for Christmas to bring you up to date on her life these days. Two years on from the end of that book, Lisa’s home with Brian for a family Christmas and about to encounter a ghost from the past!
Writing Tip #1 – Pump up the volume
All too often the temptation when writing is there to have a character do something other than simply ‘say’ their words. It’s a topic to which I’ll return later, but there is certainly some scope to use a few more descriptive words (such as whisper, mutter or whine) now and then. Just don’t go overboard.
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Back in the old town
Time heals, and just recently, I felt able to return to Amsterdam for my 50th birthday. Three years, they say, is how long you should always leave between visits to places that mean so much.
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Book blurb
After many edits and the joy of a focus group, the blurb seems to be ready … Caitlin Allen knows that marrying her childhood sweetheart is nothing more than a form of distraction. It’s a fairytale wedding, but when the music stops she’ll turn and run. Bored of her life, Cait dumps a nine-to-five routine
