A Writer’s Journey

A Writer’s Journey

Working the werewolf story once more. A writer’s journey is not necessarily linear, even with a map. Well, mine isn’t, anyway. Up hill and down mudslide. I made my first animated GIF to celebrate wiping out 1500 words of progress to change the storyline....

Working Wattpad like a pro

Wattpad writers! Ever wondered how the high fliers on Wattpad get those stratospheric reader numbers? Not 10k, not 100k, not 1m, but shed loads of millions? Want to know how they do it? So do I. (Got you there for a moment, didn’t I?) Toggle out of writing mode...
How to start writing fiction

How to start writing fiction

I’m pleased to publish this guest post by Shirley Williams, who previously contributed Thoughts From a Reader (link in text below). In this post, she discusses various approaches to writing fiction, as presented in the Future Learn course, Start Writing Fiction....
Movie Mash Ups

Movie Mash Ups

Truth is stranger than fiction? In the magical world of movies, fiction is fighting back. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, for heaven’s sake I was reminded of the idea of movie mash ups by the announcement of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, the latest...
Ogres onions and layers – Part 2

Ogres onions and layers – Part 2

Let’s start with the unsubtle. I’m no expert on all this stuff. In Ogres onions and layers Part 2 I’m merely passing on to you what I’ve learnt to date. There’s so much I don’t know, but I hope I can save you time and tears with...
What to do when a market doesn’t pay its way

What to do when a market doesn’t pay its way

I met Michelle Barber online when we crossed paths writing content for a big hungry web site. Over the years, we learned we had a lot in common in the world of creative writing and became friends. Michelle is a talented witty writer of all kinds of fiction. My...
10 top sites to post your work

10 top sites to post your work

Trying to make your name as a writer in any niche these days is hard. Whilst the web is a rich resource, it’s a busy place and users suffer from information overload. Here are 10 top sites where you can post samples of your work and short pieces for free to...

Costa Book of The Year Award 2015

The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge has won one of the UK’s top literary prizes, the Costa Book of The Year 2015. Frances beat strong contenders with her children’s book, the first of this genre to win since Philip Pullman’s The Amber Spyglass from the...
Story structure, plotting and free flow

Story structure, plotting and free flow

Screenwriters and novelists, it’s not easy to turn out a good tale. A writer will get more criticism over story structure, plotting and free flow, than any other components. Why is structure so hard? I put the question to screenwriters, and unleashed a river of...
How do I live a creative life?

How do I live a creative life?

I was fortunate enough to come across producer and screenwriter Alan Denman on twitter, about the time I was thinking of learning screenwriting. Alan has been my tutor in this impossibly difficult craft. Here, Alan explains the personal philosopy that drives his work...