Jo-Anne Richard’s blog

In my early twenties, I fell in love with Mordecai Richler’s Joshua Shapiro, the protagonist from his novel, Joshua Then and Now, and spent years searching for someone just like him, so I could [...]

I don’t know about you, but there are characters from books that I remember quite as clearly as the people I grew up with. They are as real to me, and they helped shape the person I became just [...]

“Every human situation, every sort of meeting or conversation, is something you have read before or know by heart. But then here comes a story – maybe only a couple of paragraphs in that [...]

I recently spent a delightful hour chatting about all things writing with Tony Park, best-selling author of 18 novels set in Africa, and six non-fiction works. Our virtual Masterclass was set up [...]

I recently spent a delightful hour chatting about all things writing with Tony Park, best-selling author of 18 novels set in Africa, and six non-fiction works. Our virtual Masterclass was set up [...]

Those who are “given the job of telling stories,” according to Italian novelist Elena Ferrante, “should construct fictions that help seek the truth of the human condition”. I love her for this, [...]

A publisher once told us that, halfway through an unpublished manuscript, she tries to predict how it will end. If she succeeds, she will likely pass on the manuscript or, if there is a lot to be [...]

We like to say that the best beginning – of a book or short story – should contain a hook and a promise. Hook your reader, and promise them more. That’s fine in theory, posed one of our [...]

Elmore Leonard famously said: Never start with the weather. “But does this mean I never, ever mention the weather at the beginning of my book?” one of our participants asked the other day. “What [...]

How self-aware should your fictional characters be? It’s a decision that needs some consideration, since it’s part of your protagonist’s make-up and personality. There is no short answer either. [...]

This is a counter-intuitive piece of writing advice.  After all, you want to get your writing out there, I know that. You do want to be read, even if only by family and friends. But I believe the [...]

We tend to associate research with non-fiction writing, and imagination with fiction. But in fact, both are required for both forms of writing. They’re closer than you might think. As writer [...]