Planner or pantser – what sort of writer are you?
Do you plan your writing or ‘fly by the seat of your pants’? Which is right and why does a mix of these two approaches lead to success?
Planner or pantser – what sort of writer are you? Read More »
Tips
Write what you know … and other myths exploded
I spent my Manchester years stumbling from one bar and bed to another. If I’d written only of familiar things, my debut novel would have told a very different story.
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Six ways for a writer to handle the Covid pandemic
I can’t be the only writer unsure how (or if) to deal with an unpredictable global pandemic. COVID-19 didn’t exist when I started work on my upcoming novel – and given a whole chunk of the action hangs off events at a seaside cafe, I could have done without it hitting.
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Writer’s block – yet another writer with yet another tip
Writer’s block is painful. Everyone gets a form of it at some point, and most writers have ways of dealing with it. A frequent fix is to ‘just write anything’ until the feeling of being blocked passes.
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Writing: it’s my job to point things out
A frequently quoted ‘rule’ for writing is to write something every day. No matter if it’s good. No matter if it’s bad. Set yourself a window – anything from ten minutes to every waking moment – and sit in front of a screen or an empty piece of paper and write. The idea being if
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Phoning in the dialogue
I’ve never claimed to be anything but an ill-informed Luddite when it comes to mobile phones. Or phones, as I believe the youngsters insist on calling them, refusing to believe there was ever a day when we tied them to a supporting wall with wires. Or that ‘the house phone’ once lived on a special
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Ban ‘real life’ dialogue – My first act as leader
It’s my mission to correct any idea you might have that dialogue on the page should reflect the conversations you have or hear every day!
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Who’s doing the laundry?
It’s been a while since I did one of those ‘writing tip’ posts, so I decided to pick on my pet hate ‘laundry list writing’. It ought to be a crime.
Who’s doing the laundry? Read More »
Getting choppy with standup
Mr Fanning picked up my set and put on his ‘let me show you how it’s done‘ face. He started to read and within seconds I was shouting out. He was adding words here and there. Doing the thing my comedy teacher warned against.
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Have I created too many characters?
The struggle for me lies in showing the same economy of story I’ve learned to show with words. I could wrap this baby in 1000 words and move onto the final scenes that drag me across the finishing line. But that means culling the bit part actors.
Have I created too many characters? Read More »
