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I was recently accused of being the enemy of subordinate clauses. I’d like to make this clear: I don’t hate complex sentences, certainly not as a matter of principle. But when you’re mentoring a [...]

It just occurred to me that, when I began my first book, there was no internet. And only a year later, I saw a mobile phone for the first time: a huge contraption that hung over the shoulder. [...]

Mine is the first of All ​A​bout 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 [...]

Each morning that I sit down to write I think I won’t be able to do it. I know it’s pathetic. I’ve written five books, but when I contemplate a day’s writing, I panic. When that happens, anything [...]

In life people speak about “wanting for nothing” as though it’s a good thing. Actually, in life and in stories, it’s not a good thing at all. It means, basically, that we’re ready for death. [...]

Tears streamed down her cheeks. She wept and wept, sobbing into her sodden tissue until it dissolved and she was left hiccupping… It’s worth making the point again because I keep noticing [...]

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 [...]