Writing Secrets: Cut the crap
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 take writing from clunky to elegant. When [...]
Monday Motivation: If you must use exposition…
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: John surveyed the terrain ahead of him. He [...]
Writing Secrets: You’re the doorman, not the bouncer
Mine is the first of All About Writing’s blogs to be featured on our brand-new website so, welcome! Please have a browse around. We think it projects a sharp new look that we’re [...]
Monday Motivation: Watching the world whirl by
I’m sure I share at least one idiosyncrasy with many millions of my fellow human beings: I love to watch people. I could quite happily spend an entire morning on a sidewalk café simply eyeing my [...]
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The secrets behind the practice of good writing: Characters shouldn’t think too much
Don’t let your characters think too much. It can be a cop out. I had this discussion with a writer friend, who tries to avoid using “inner life” in his novels because “it feels like cheating”. He [...]
The secrets behind the practice of good writing: You can’t hurry drama
Like love, drama can’t be hurried. As she walked into the apartment, a bomb exploded in the lounge, killing its three occupants and causing carnage. Okay, as I showed a couple of weeks ago, the [...]
