Planning a novel
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Which Setting? An Inspiration to Write
Choosing the right setting for your novel is vital but how do we do it? Familiar or Imaginary If we choose a familar location it has loads of advantages: You can imagine each scene and the descriptions flow effortlessly as you write Your audience loves to read about places they know Promotion is more straight forward because your…
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The Tapestry of Writing
I was talking to a friend the other day and he likened writing a story to weaving. This is a quote from Wikipedia about weaving a tapestry: “Tapestry is a form of textile art, woven on a vertical loom. It is composed of two sets of interlaced threads, those running parallel to the length (called…
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Watch the word count 85,000, 90,000, 100,000…
I was interested to read an article in the newspaper recently which discussed the new fashion of shorter novels to fit in the the e reader life style. Novellas are coming back into fashion, as are short stories, bite commuter sized reads to while away the hour travelling by train. When I wrote ‘Riduna’ I did not think…
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Which Setting? – An Inspiration to Write
Choosing the right setting for your novel is vital but how do we do it? Familiar or Imaginary If we choose a familar location it has loads of advantages: You can imagine each scene and the descriptions flow effortlessly as you write Your audience loves to read about places they know Promotion is more straight forward because your…
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Choosing a Setting –Real or Imaginary
I chose the title ‘Riduna’ for my debut novel because I felt that the name summed up the magical image of the island of Alderney, which I held in my imagination. So much has been written of the Second World War and the tragic circumstances in which the island became a German concentration camp once…
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What’s in a name? An honest Blunder
Just a quickie to let you know of a pit I have fallen into with names, not just once but twice. In the past families have often named son after father or grandfather and it is still commonplace to name a baby after a friend you admire or someone you love. That’s all very well…
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Researching for Historical Fiction- A personal journey
I’m still a bit in awe of other people’s blogs with 10 tips for …….. and you must remember these key points when you………I’m afraid I find the advice a bit daunting, although extremely useful. If you are not a full time author – do not despair. You will reap your rewards from your diligent…
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Planning a novel – a personal experience
When I began to think of writing a novel I knew little of the plethora of advice out there for aspiring authors. I was not aware of websites, forums or magazines for writers. I knew there were creative writing course and I taught how to plan stories at work, but never considered attending a course…