I am used to setting up a make-shift office whenever I am on my travels. Providing the table is the right height and the chair – relatively comfortable, I can set up my laptop or iPad and still keep up to date with my schedule. Whether I am writing for clients, for the Creative Competitor or, purely on a personal creative writing pursuit, there’s no need to miss out on work.
Leave a CommentTag: writing fiction
by Annette Young In my mind, the whole process of creative writing is wonderful, yes, even the good, the bad and the frustrating. I admit I am…
Leave a CommentI am constantly asked how to keep creative ideas flowing and yes, this can be difficult if you feel overwhelmed by the day to day problems in life, feel tired or, just low in spirits. The trick I have found at those times …
Leave a CommentWhen you first start creative writing, it can seem like a mammoth journey to take before you feel comfortable with your writing and can start to believe in your own abilities…
Leave a CommentConflict in Setting…..awareness and observation of life can help you to avoid certain fictional pitfalls….
Leave a CommentEven the most enthusiastic and passionate of writers can murder their chances of being successful in their novel writing efforts if not careful and over the years…
Leave a CommentWant the latest blog post by author, editor Annette Young? Fiction is about escapism. Irrespective of the genre, a good story helps…..
Leave a CommentWhen you start writing fiction, you may find that you write when the creative urges strike. You are not necessarily planning……
Leave a CommentCharacterisation – you prepare to start writing and then, you have to face up to the feeling, you have lost belief in your characters and worse, you don’t even really like them that much.
Leave a CommentIt was a productive weekend in terms of writing and planning however but I’ve always said that the whole creative process is much more than actually sitting down and committing words to paper. Sometimes, it’s the silliest of things that can spark off the imagination and make you think about life in a whole new light….
Leave a CommentWriting and publishing – we live in a fast-paced society, I think you will all agree but, as a writer, I am starting to believe that collectively, there is a worldwide urge to churn out content as if there is no tomorrow. It’s fine to speed-write…
Leave a Commentby Annette Young
When writing a murder mystery story, you have to create far more than an engaging story, after all, your aim has to be to ensure that readers keep turning those pages, and to do so, you have to think about what they really need from your creative endeavours. When a potential reader chooses your book, they will be looking for a number of things – good characterisation, drama, a strong storyline and one written convincingly. They also want to be plunged into a mystery that grips them from the opening pages and where the drama escalates in a convincing way, and where the plot deepens through a series of revelations.
Leave a Commentby Annette Young
I’ve long been a fan of crime novels enjoying the cat and mouse game of murderer versus crime solving sleuth but as a writer, there are important steps to take if you wish to create a killer with more than a dash of evil. When I write, I strip back the layers of characterisation and then replace them but emphasise those darker, alternate aspects so that my character is capable of committing my chosen crime. So instead of the character having reason, logic and empathy, there may only be a deeply rooted need to murder someone whether for pleasure or for some perverted sense of justice. I create a clinical sense of logic and reason – relative only to this character’s goals.
Leave a Commentby Annette Young
When writing fiction, one of the trickiest elements is being able to create the solid building blocks of good characterisation. Even if you are eager to dip into the writing process, you shouldn’t bypass this stage because you will only end up performing an awful lot of re-writes. Failure to consider these building blocks will certainly impact your ability to create characters that seem real. If they don’t act naturally, are not compelling or believable, then you will certainly lose that connection with the reader.
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When writing fiction, I am confident that by sharing emotional angst and being able to portray it in a highly visual way, it will enable your readers to become totally hooked…
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I learned the joys of research, settling into a comfy chair and curling up with a never ending stream of good books. I began to analyse what worked and what didn’t. I learned a lot.
Leave a CommentLife is stranger than fiction and when you start looking at the characteristics of those around you, you can tap into this ready-made material and utilise aspects that will believable elements and that will hook
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One of the most lucrative ways to make a living writing short fiction is to write a series of them. Many readers don’t like buying one story on its own, but by bundling a few together, especially if they all build on each other creating a series, is a good way to get people to buy your work. But where do you start? That’s easy because this article will go over some tips on how to write a series of short stories so that you can start your fiction empire.
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By Sheila C Skillman
So important is the end, that it can spoil an otherwise excellent novel. As a regular Amazon reviewer, I have read novels thinking, This is superb. I’m going to give this novel 5 stars. And then I’ve reached the end, and my potential review slips a star.
Leave a CommentAh, writing. For those of us who love to play with words, it’s like standing in front of a smorgasbord, agonizing over which delicacies to try. You can potter about with your writing as a thoroughly delightful hobby
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For a long time guys got all the glory in fantasy, action, and adventure books, but recently female characters (and writers) have been fighting their way to the forefront of these genres. This is a terrific trend-so long as we’re not doing it by simply slapping heels on our heroes, renaming them heroines, and calling it a day.
Leave a CommentPseudonyms abound in writing circles. What doesn’t abound is clear and insightful advice on how to choose the best pen name for a long-term career in novel writing.
Let’s have some fun. Check out the names of these genre fiction authors: Robin Hobb, Stephen King, Jack Higgins, Rebecca Brandewyne, Issac Asimov, Barbara Michaels, Alistair MacLean, Eboni Snoe…
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You’ve arranged your writing area, you go there every day and churn out x number of words on the story you have set out to tell. Kudos. But along with writing your dream, there are techniques that make a story sizzle and lack of those techniques that make it fall flat.
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How can one write a good fiction story in reverse? This may seem a trick question until you realise this simple fact: a novel is defined by its outcome. Put it in another way; every story has a Controlling Idea; and this idea is embedded in the final climax of the story. You cannot know what you are really trying to say until you have your Controlling Idea. And the corollary of that is: you cannot find out what you are trying to say until you have written your story. So what do you do?
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No matter how much we want and love to write, unless we’re terribly disciplined or have deadlines (or an editor/agent looming over us), our default activity is not writing. In other words, if we have a spare minute, a break between activities, the rare gift of an unplanned hour, do we write? Or do we fill it in with stuff that “needs to be done”? Or take a much-needed nap? Or call a girlfriend and relax? Or make plans for dinner?
Leave a CommentWriting a book can take weeks, months, or even years. There truly is no time limit when it comes to perfecting a story that an author develops. However, this is only the beginning of the process. Before romance novels or any type of book can be published, the author has to first know that the story at hand is well-written, edited properly, and is something that will catch the attention of readers. But before an author can publish a book, he/she must be able to write a book that is powerful, catchy, romantic, and one that truly captivates the reader’s attention.
If you’re a new author or just one who is slowly beginning to write romance books, you may have writer’s block or maybe you just want helpful tips that will allow you to create a piece of literature that is sure to be worthwhile. Below are some tips for you to consider no matter what type of book you’re writing. From romance novels to mysteries, fantasy an
Leave a CommentThe beginning of any creative piece of writing is the word choice. There are obviously many other components of descriptive writing, but it all begins with recognizing who your audience is and then using the words
Leave a CommentDoes writing a sex scene have you feeling a little intimidated? Here’s your solution–a step by step guide that will help you to get your story on the page quickly and easily.
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