Writing Secrets: How to fall in love with a character
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 […]
Writing Secrets: What brings characters to life?
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, […]
Writing Secrets: The creative magic of the soft owl
“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 […]
“When I get stuck, I kill a character off”: All About Writing’s Jo-Anne Richards interviews bestselling author Tony Park (Part 2)
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 […]
Pan Macmillan answers your questions about publishing
The Pan Macmillan local publishing team hosted a webinar with All About Writing on 12 August 2020, which provided our community with an informative view of the publishing process, from […]
Writing Secrets: Write to seek, not to preach
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 […]
Writing Secrets: Don’t be predictable – but don’t come out of left field either
A publisher once told us that, halfway through an unpublished manuscript, she tries to predict how it will end.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, […]
Writing Secrets: Hook your reader and promise them more
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. […]
Writing Secrets: Keeping a weather eye on beginnings
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 […]
Writing Secrets: The self-awareness trap
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. [...]
Writing Secrets: Write for yourself, not for others
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 […]
Writing Secrets: Research 101 for fiction writers
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 […]
