NaNoWriMo is the acronym for National Novel Writing Month. It’s a 30-day write-fest in which you write 50,000 words of a novel in 30 days. It happens every November. Breaking this down, you have to nail 1667 words a day, on average, for each day of the month. Weeks one and two are mostly great. […]
Tag: fiction
Screw Everything Just Write
Second Skin, With Warts Calloused old hack I may be (fingers not soul, we hope). I think I’ve grown the extra skin of resistance every writer needs to survive the slings and arrows of outrageous feedback, but even I find it hard these days not to be pulled every which way by the wealth of […]
2016 Take-Aways
Writers work most effectively to a plan. Set your goals for 2017 to achieve more.
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. Shirley is Professor Emerita and National Teaching Fellow at the University of Reading, in the UK. […]
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 favourite of hers is Will Blyton […]
Ogres onions and layers
Ogres, onions and layers – Part 1 Shrek is our favourite celebrity ogre, right? And he has a message relevant to your writing. Remember when Shrek and Donkey set out on the quest to rescue Princess Fiona from the dragon’s castle? They trudge through a field of sunflowers, bickering as usual. Shrek states, “Ogres are […]
What is a theme?
Q. What is a theme and must I have one? A. The theme is the moral discussion or proposition of your story, for example, “Love conquers all,” (Rome and Juliet), or “People get what they deserve,” (The Scottish Play). Not every writer chooses to include a theme, but it can make your story powerful for […]
3-Act Structure
Q. What is the 3-act-structure and should I use it? A. The 3-act-structure is the beginning, middle and end of your story. This principle is said to have originated with Aristotle in his work The Poetics. It’s the most commonly used structure for a novel, short story, play or screen play. A successful work hangs on a […]
First novel
Q. I’m an unpublished author seeking representation. How long should my first novel be? A. You should keep it under 100,000 words. A longer novel is considered unwieldy and expensive to produce for an unestablished author. Within the limit, your novel will vary according to genre. For example, a novel for young adults (YA) is […]