Are you a Plotter or a Pantser?

Are you a Plotter or a Pantser? Over July and August, I read a huge number of books and this has helped to develop my thoughts about the importance of plotting. People will tend to pigeonhole themselves in one of two categories – they’re either a plotter or a pantser, as in: fly by the […]

Are Adjectives and Adverbs an Author’s Blah?

Are Adjectives and Adverbs an Author’s Blah? There is a lot written about the use of adjectives and adverbs in fiction writing and many editors will advise against using them other than sparingly. A lot of writer’s love their adjectives and adverbs and this blog does not suggest removing them altogether, but it is important […]

How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome

What is Imposter Syndrome? When I first began teaching creative writing, I felt certain that any one of my students would stand up and say, ‘You fraud!’. It wasn’t that I didn’t have confidence in what I was saying, or that I was ill-prepared for my classes. I had an MA in Creative Writing and […]

Are You Head-Hopping, or Writing in Omniscient Viewpoint?

Head-hopping is a subject I’m often asked about and it’s one of the easiest and most frequently made mistakes by an author. Additionally, it’s something which can all too easily slip through the net for an editor. Particularly if the story is so gripping and immersive, or if there are too many other issues to […]

Why Vanity Publishing Might Pose More Problems Than Solutions

Vanity publishing is a term you may already be familiar with. It is often considered to be a form of publishing operated by unscrupulous printers who will provide you with copies of your book, often at a high cost. It’s not advised for authors to go down this route. This month, I wanted to raise awareness […]

How People Watching Can Help Create Compelling Dialogue

People watching can be such a rewarding tool for writers. I have already talked about how it can help set a scene and create compelling characters. Today I wanted to discuss dialogue. Bringing Speech To Life Dialogue should give insight into character and will allow you to introduce present tense ‘show’ into your story. Unless it’s […]

How People Watching Can Help Create Credible Characters

In last month’s blog I was discussing the importance of people watching and how observations about others can help bring a scene in your story to life. It’s such an important element to writing: capturing atmosphere, the sights, the sounds, the smells. Today I wanted to continue to discuss the value of people watching, and […]

People Watching: How To Bring Your Written Scenes To Life

Have you written a scene that sits flat on the page, one that doesn’t conjure any visual imagery? People watching and simply placing yourself in a setting – and then writing from the perspective of your different senses can really help. Additionally, people watching is a great way to add a change of landscape to […]

How To Get The Most From Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)

NaNoWriMo is the National Novel Writing Month, a writing challenge that runs throughout November each year. Authors are challenged to write 50,000 words, which is a daily average of just under 1,700 words. The good new is there is lots of support to help you set your own goals, which can be higher or lower […]