Writing Secrets: Verbs are not always “doing” words
Verbs, we were taught at school, are doing words. We began to think of all verbs as busy little words, virtuous and strong. We never learnt that some verbs are […]
Monday Motivation: Walking the tightrope of too much or too little
It’s a delicate tightrope we walk. On the one hand, if we provide too much information, we run the risk of turning a suspenseful story into a ho-hum record of […]
Writing Secrets: What is your writing addiction?
My name is Jo-Anne and I’m a dash-aholic. When you mentor a number of manuscripts each month, you begin to notice that every writer has certain habits – little tics […]
Monday Motivation: Suspense in Sweden
I’m reading an exceptionally deft and intriguing Nordic thriller written by a distinctly unNordic former inhabitant of the East Midlands, Will Dean. It’s true, though, that he’s since married a [...]
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Writing Secrets: It’s not boring to write “small”
One of the participants in our Creative Writing Course responded to a dialogue exercise recently with a scene containing a domestic argument between newlyweds. It was riveting – and raw. […]
Monday Motivation: A new form of fiction for the age?
“The Palazzo Falconieri stands on a promontory on one of the smaller Italian lakes…” So begins a novella by Luke Jennings called Codename Villanelle. It’s a thriller, and it could […]
Discover the secret to writing great stories in Stow-on-the-Wold
Explore the mysteries and the craft of creating story in that most charming of Cotswold market towns, Stow-on-the-Wold. Join a group of eight or ten like-minded souls for the weekend of 21 […]
Writing Secrets: Don’t neglect the most evocative of the senses
When new writers are “using all their senses” to show us a person or landscape, they often neglect smell. And yet, it’s the most evocative of our sensory experiences. Emotions […]
August Newsletter: Writing can change your life – here’s how
Writing’s a real life changer Adalbert Ernst was passionate about English, but became an anaesthetist. It was during a period of burn-out that he realised he’d been “robbed of something [...]
Monday Motivation: Good idea, but where’s the blood and guts?
I’ve been accused of being a cold fish, of imagining that a logical or intellectual argument is the right response to an emotional crisis. Well, it’s not for me to […]
Devil’s advocates speak up: June/July writing challenge results
Some excellent responses to our June/July challenge. Remember, we asked you to play devil’s advocate with regard to some belief you hold dear, and write a conversation in which a […]
Writing Secrets: The case for showing, rather than telling
There’s been a great deal of discord about showing and telling in recent years. It’s a truism of good writing that we should always show, rather than tell. Recently, though, […]
