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Let’s look beyond the obvious in the old tenets of writing advice. We all know that “showing” is supposed to be better than “telling”. We know, for instance, that we […]

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. […]

There’s a distinction that writers need to make before they become great. It was a point I made in a university course I taught recently – and I think it […]

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, […]

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, […]

Here’s another lesson from No Country for Old Men… When last we spoke (!) I described Lewellyn Moss’s flight from the implacable hand of Fate, Anton Chigurh. He eventually shakes […]

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 […]

I read a manuscript recently in which the protagonist gazed out at the sun-filled park. Okay, fair enough, perhaps it gives us some sense of his world … but not […]

The skills and insights of creative writing have more applications in the “real” world than we sometimes realise. Politics, for instance, consists largely of opposing narratives. Different [...]

The best writing allows us to see, hear, feel and smell something – but (and it’s a big but) without being too obvious. Give us just enough details, but then […]

Those who have been on one of our courses will know that one of our favourite mantras is: use restraint. This is one of those pieces of advice which can […]

I often rail on about exposition – the explainy part of any story. But it clearly has a place. Take the opening lines of a story about a gory manhunt: […]