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‘How do I edit my own writing?’ 5 easy steps
In mentoring writers, I’m often asked this about editing: ‘Do I really need to hire a professional editor?’ When you are busy writing your first draft, you can definitely edit your own work. An editor...
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Infographic: How to build a book audience
Our previous guide on how to build an audience for your fiction included practical tips on using social media, getting active in your local book-reading community and more. Now you can read and share...
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How to write a series: 8 novice mistakes to avoid
Series are particularly popular in genres such as fantasy and mystery. Learning how to write a series presents several pitfalls. Here are some points to keep in mind: Fantasy and science fiction...
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What is literary fiction? How to develop a literary writing voice
What is literary fiction? A valid question. People often make distinctions between genre and literary fiction although the division is not always as clear as it might seem at first glance. Perhaps the...
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Six secrets to writing a series
Writing a series of books can be difficult to manage: Not only do you need to sustain your plot and character development over a longer arc. You also need to consider the time-line of how often you...
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How to write a villain: Writing a more human antagonist
Characters are what drive the reader to care about what happens in your story. If your readers can relate to your characters or at least recognise familiar real world human traits in their behaviour,...
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Writing terrible first drafts: Why a bad first draft is fine
‘My writing sucks. I’ll never be published.’ It’s easy to be hard on yourself when writing a book, but writing terrible first drafts is more than inevitable: It’s necessary. The different stages of...
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Writing a novel: Why it will increase your happiness
Finishing a novel can have many benefits, but can it also increase your happiness? Even though there is a stereotype of artists, including writers, as tortured, unhappy souls, there are plenty of ways...
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How to plot a romance novel
While every romance novel is about the relationship between two main characters (or, in some instances, about a triangular love situation) that is not the same thing as the plot. A strong plot is the...
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How to write believable characters
Knowing how to write believable characters is vital for any fiction writer. A character that seems like a stock character – the hero, the villain, the orphan, the unwilling saviour – can easily become...
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How to create tension in writing: 8 methods
Tension maintains the narrative drive in a novel. If you want to know how to create tension in writing, look no further than these 8 methods for raising tension to white-knuckle levels. They’ll help...
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11 tips: How to write even when you don’t want to
This week we have a guest post for you by writer and blogger Ben Schmitt of The Authors’ Nook. Ben offers some practical advice on how to write a book when you’re lacking in motivation: Do you enjoy...
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How to write a fantasy series: Do’s and Don’ts
The great fantasy door-stopper and long fantasy series are popular with both readers and writers, but how do you avoid falling into the clichés of the genre? Here’s how to write a fantasy series that...
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How to write better characters: Clothing choice
To write better characters, it’s wise to make every detail of each character – from body language to verbal tics to clothing choice – convey something vivid and real. In real life, people make...
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How to write novels ready for the screen
You might have often heard good books describes as ‘unfilmable’ and wondered how to write novels ready for the screen. Sometimes, films of good books are disappointing: but why is that? There are...
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How to write a book: 151 must-visit writing websites
While there are some excellent books on how to write a book, the web is also filled with terrific sites on the topic. Here are 151 of the very best writing websites, and they’re organised for you by...
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Creating fantasy worlds: Social critique
Creating fantasy worlds can be an excellent means for social critique because writers have the opportunity to imagine worlds that are entirely different from our own. This allows highlighting its...
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Plotting a novel series? Plan your world and characters
Plotting a novel series involves planning longer character and story arcs and creating a fictional world that will sustain multiple books. Your readers should want to keep reading about your world and...
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How to start a book so you are sure to finish
The number of people who begin writing a book is much larger than the number who manage to finish. There are many preparatory steps you can take to ensure that you finish your novel. Here are some...
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How to write a novel: Story beginnings, middles and ends
We all know that stories have a beginning, a middle and an end, but as writers, it can be surprisingly easy to skimp on one or all of these sections. Here are some ways that writers learning how to...
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