- Richard Beynon Characters generate their own stories Some writers of fiction regard ideas as the gems on which their fortune will be based. I believe, on the contrary, that ideas are a dime a dozen, available in such profusion that you’re never likely to run short of them. If this proposition sounds ludicrous to … Continue reading »
- 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 »
Gabriel St Claire our resident shrink turns his attention to solving the problems and exploring the motivations of your fictional characters. Want to find out what makes your character tick? Hi Gabriel In my novel, my character finds the quirks of a man fascinating and attractive. They form a relationship, but I want her then … Continue reading »
Here are a selection of Pierre’s columns. Writing as Gabriel St Claire he gives a fascinating take on the psychological motivation of literary characters. Pierre Brouard is a Clinical Psychologist and is currently the Deputy Director of the Centre for the Study of AIDS at the University of Pretoria. His work includes training, research, consulting and writing and his interests … Continue reading »
Here is a potpourri of news, a victory announcement, exercises, reminders, and a writing tip fresh from the pen of one of this year’s Man-Booker prize short-listed authors: here goes! Continue reading »
We have a very busy summer ahead of us with a great array of writing courses on offer for Johannesburg between now and December. Here’s a course designed to rev you up for a challenging writing project – or, more simply, to help you re-engage with your creative self. The Creative Writing Course designed to … Continue reading »
Here’s a writing trigger that we stumbled upon on the internet. Suggested by writer Yvette Amarlyse, it’s a prompt designed to catapult you out beyond the fences that, unknowingly, you’ve erected around you. Continue reading »
Well done to Linda Ravenhill winner of the May Boekehuis gift voucher. Click here to read Linda’s entry. We held our regular monthly Allaboutwriting/continued meeting last week and invite all of you to do the same exercise, under the same conditions. Send in your effort, and you’ll stand in line to win a Boekehuis or … Continue reading »
Allaboutwriting hosts a Character Course in Johannesburg on 24 October 2009. Continue reading »
Sometimes it takes a shrink to work out what really makes a person tick – even if that person is a fictional character in the mind of a writer. Psychologist Pierre Brouard thinks he is probably the first of his profession to be involved in running a writing course. He is co-convenor of a regular … Continue reading »
