Writing Secrets: What subtlety can do for your characters
What is it that makes a character come across as a caricature, rather than a finely drawn person we can believe in? Well, clearly, two-dimensionality plays its part. If you […]
Writing Secrets: Writing makes us humble
My golf-mad parents used to say: There’s one thing about the game. It keeps you humble. How much more is this true of writing? It’s easy to let an early […]
Writing Secrets: Story can’t exist in splendid isolation
Story exists because of characters – and what those characters want. This was brought home to me again recently by an exercise we set in one of our courses. We […]
Writing Secrets: Believe in it – at least, if you expect us to
We’ve had someone on our mentoring programme who has been struggling for months with a story, which just hasn’t been coming together. The main character didn’t ring true. We couldn’t […]
Writing Secrets: Fiction makes us better human beings
We all know people who think themselves morally or intellectually superior for reading non-fiction instead of fiction. And recently, the numbers of non-readers have been swelled by the digital [...]
Writing Secrets: The enemy within the subordinate clause
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 […]
Writing Secrets: Writing in a time of global connections
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: […]
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 […]
Writing Secrets: Making the intentions work for you
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 […]
The secrets behind the practice of good writing: If you want for nothing – it’s the end of your story
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, […]
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The secrets behind the practice of good writing: Tears and snotty noses
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 […]
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 […]
