Writing Secrets: It’s good for you – and it’s fun
Reading fiction is good for us – and that’s not one writer’s opinion, but the conclusion of neuroscientific research. Studies have shown that the language of fiction: imaginative metaphors, [...]
Writing Secrets: It might feel magical – but it’s not a mystical process
“Wow, that was like watching a movie.” This was the response of a participant in my Creative Writing Course to the writing of a fellow – and it came as a revelation to her. They all wrote [...]
Writing Secrets: The power of the specific
Use specifics to draw us in. That’s the key to writing well. Give us the particular, we’ll expand it, if necessary, to visualise the whole. I find this type of paragraph in a great many [...]
Writing Secrets: Listen for your character’s place in the world
Develop a character’s voice well and we’ll immediately understand more about their world view and their place in the world. Last week, I spoke about the importance of voice for showing age, [...]
Writing Secrets: It’s voice that allows us to share their highs and lows
Develop your character’s voice if you want us to share in their highs and lows, get to know them and care about them. But what does that really mean? Sure, people sometimes have speech quirks. [...]
Writing Secrets: What’s the secret to getting published?
I was asked this again just the other day, and my heart always sinks: “How can I get my book published?” I understand, I really do. I know the feeling of desperation to have a manuscript noticed. [...]
Writing Secrets: Tips for making reading an immersive experience
A character is running through a crowd. She elbows passers-by, bumps into someone, shoves aside a group… Okay, we know what she’s doing, but we’re not there with her. Not unless we see (and [...]
Writing Secrets: It’s often the case – solving one problem creates another
Here’s a conundrum. One of our mentoring participants tried to solve one problem and, in the process, created another. As I mentioned last week, you should try to avoid long, static [...]
Writing Secrets: Long conversations can be boring – in life and story
It’s a perennial problem for writers – the long conversation which reveals essential information. The solution? Well, the short answer is: try to avoid them if you possibly can, [...]
Writing Secrets: The silver thread between your character and you
Be aware of your connection to your character – that silver thread that attaches you to them – and you’ll write better. I believe this and I’ve seen it again and again. Consider this paragraph, [...]
Writing Secrets: Scenes are like links in a chain
Each scene in a story is linked to one that came before it – even if not directly before it. Something happens in one scene, which causes a development in one that comes after. That gives a [...]
Writing Secrets: A lesson in using detail
If we read like writers, we find constant lessons – both good and bad – which will aid our writing. Here’s a lovely one from one of my favourites, Maggie O’Farrell. In This Must Be the [...]
