Allaboutwriting

8 tips for writers on how to show and not tell

- Jo-Anne Richards His desk was bare, but for a human skull, with a cigar clamped firmly between its grinning teeth. Immediately, we know a huge amount about this person, without anything having to be explained. By now, the concept of “showing” rather than “telling” is pretty much accepted. But in numerous writing workshops, it’s … Continue reading »

Reading travel writing

On publishing an issue devoted to the best travel writing in 1983 Granta said “Travel writing is undergoing a revival: not since the 1920s and ’30s has it been so popular or so important. What accounts for its sudden appeal? A need for escape? Nostalgia for an experience that means not tourism but adventure? Or … Continue reading »

Ten tips for writing romance

- Jo-Anne Richards Many people think romance writing is a bit like knitting. There’s a pattern to follow and, even if you’re a bit clumsy at first, you can knock off a finished product in a few afternoons while the kids are out playing. If you have approached romance writing with a swagger and a … Continue reading »

Diamonds on the soles of my feet

- Richard Beynon Part of the pleasure of writing is finding places conducive to writing. There are some who can as easily write facing a blank wall, as a seascape. Others seem to work best when they’re surrounded by all their familiar stuff: the desk calendar, the letter opener, the shelf of books, the picture … Continue reading »

Historical vs Contemporary Fiction

- Alissa Baxter Writing modern day fiction vs. writing historical fiction… which is easier? I’ve been pondering this question recently, especially as I have published two Regency novels as well as a modern/chick lit novel. Writing historical novels is far less hazardous than writing modern stories, I believe. Hazardous might be an odd choice of … Continue reading »

The secret to successful writing

- Jo-Anne Richards I sometimes imagine all the unfinished novels in drawers. All the characters who will never finish their journeys; the stories that will never draw to an end. Perhaps that in itself could be the starting point for a story. (Just an idea.) But why is it that so many people start out on … Continue reading »

Dates for travel writing course

There are numerous possibilities for travel writing. Every newspaper and weekly has a travel supplement or section, and they often use stories by freelancers. Join the widely-published travel writer Fred de Vries on the Allaboutwriting Travel Writing Course and learn how to write top-quality travel articles and get them published. When: The course is consists of three … Continue reading »

A shocking discovery

This month’s writing challenge takes place on the way to a picnic… Here’s the challenge: On a trip to a picnic spot, with or without friends, family or lover, you make a shocking or frightening discovery. Show us, in no more than 250 words, how the discovery shattered your expectations of the day. Get your … Continue reading »

April Newsletter

Richard Beynon Flagship sets sail on April 23 The 10-week Creative Writing course scheduled to start on April 18 filled up so quickly that we’ve taken the plunge and scheduled another ten-weeker to begin on Monday, April 23 in Johannesburg. That is already filling swiftly, so if you’d like to join the crew on our journey to … Continue reading »