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Let’s fantasise for a moment. You’ve finished your book, you’ve secured an agent (you only had to write thirty-seven emails to do so), and they’ve managed to place your manuscript […]

Show, don’t tell. It’s one of the most oft-repeated pieces of writing advice, yet it is frequently misunderstood. To paraphrase Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, “Don’t [...]

I’ve sometimes stressed how important it is, in creating the world of story, to use accurate details. Accuracy is really important because it lends credibility even to situations that are, […]

If you’ve been trying to write, you will no doubt have been challenged to adhere to the holy trinity of writing advice: write what you know, find your voice and show rather than tell. The first [...]

“He was drinking brandy, pouring double mouthfuls into a glass that had somehow survived from his grandfather’s time, the glass tinged green and bubbled with the air of the old […]

Two workshops in two towns – as removed as winter is from summer All About Writing split itself in two this past week to offer writing advice on different continents […]

The instant we meet people, we start computing. We take in cues, without even realising it, and come to conclusions. Some of these we’ll adjust with time. Others we’ll confirm. […]

It’s through the small details of a novel that we learn of the large issues, and from which we gain a sense of the world in which it takes place. […]