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Descriptive Writing
At its best, descriptive writing is thoroughly enriching; at its worst, it’s a flight of fancy that gratifies the writer but bores – and perhaps annoys – the reader. Good descriptive writing is a discipline. It requires close observation and careful word choice. It must always serve its essential purpose which is to take the ... Read more
Tension
Tension – or ‘keeping the pages turning’ Tension in novels is usually constructed from the way characters – big and small – confront situations. Let’s focus for a second on two of those words: ‘constructed’ and ‘small’. By ‘constructed’ I mean that each element of tension needs to be carefully thought through so that it ... Read more
Characters and Plots
I bet you’d remember at least some of these ‘people’ and probably three or four: They’re all characters in books – characters. The plots of the books that feature those characters are harder to recall. Why? Because readers tend to remember characters more than they remember plots and that, in turn, is because people relate ... Read more
Writing tips
Why would you want to spend time reading this blog when there is so much ‘out there’ on how to write and get published? Well for starters, I’m not trying to sell anything or tease you into signing up for anything. I do have a crime novel out – The Crocodile’s Kill – and you ... Read more