28th October 2008
The correct use of techniques to indicate the transition of time can bring smoothness and excitement to your narrative. Here are some tips on how to move your reader effortlessly from one event to another.
Place your characters in time by some referenc...
07th October 2008
Tension is built up on a wave of emotion. Emotion fuels the tension and vice versa. Every story needs tension to some degree or other because as a rwiter you want to grab the emotions of your readers. Tension is one way to do just that.
So just what is...
22nd September 2008
What kind of story needs suspense? Almost all. From romance to the 'slice of life' short story. Suspense will hold your readers whilst they eagerly desire to see the outcome of the suspenseful ingredient.
But my non-fiction book on vegetable gardening,...
10th September 2008
Confused about conjunctions? Anxious about adjectives? Neurotic over nouns? Tremble no more as here is a simple explanation of all the parts of speech above, and even some you've probably never heard of. To get more intimate with interjections and positiv...
08th September 2008
You've got a great idea for a novel and you've made an enthusiastic start on the first chapter. Easy. But where do you go from here? Once you get into that first chapter you begin to realise you have no road map to take you from A to Z with various stops ...
08th September 2008
You are flying high on the wings of inspiration. The muse has blessed you with vivid characters who have taken up residence in your story. There's Clarissa, Matthew, George Hobgood from the Post Office, Melka the Romanian refugee, Neil, Jose and the lodge...
05th September 2008
You may well ask 'Why is this bloke writing yet another article on how to submit your work to a publisher?' The answer is simple: there are still many writers who don't know how to do it properly. And there are those who think they do but don't. So why n...
03rd September 2008
As a writer you may already keep a journal, or diary, and that's excellent. For those who don't as well as those who do I want to explore some of the exciting benefits of keeping one that you may not have realised.
There is a long line of well known pe...
02nd September 2008
Walk out of any door on any street and before long you will meet someone who has lived through exciting times and experiences that most editors and their readers would love to hear about. Your mission is to find them and record what they have to say for a...
01st September 2008
The mind's a funny old thing. Sometimes it works like a dream, sometimes it goes on strike. Usually at the most inconvenient times like when you want an idea for a story with a deadline looming. But it will respond to some gentle coaxing. Here is a tactic...
22nd August 2008
More than ever before readers are crying out for something to lift them out of the tide of dire news and the pressures of modern life. To be able to bring a smile to peoples faces, or even make them laugh out loud, can prove to be a highly paid talent.
...
20th August 2008
Flashbacks can usefully be employed to create suspense in a story, or develop a character. By interjecting something from the past that has a bearing on the present, tension and conflict can be heightened.
Say you are writing a story and want to start,...
12th August 2008
Should you know exactly how your story ends before you start or leave it to chance? Different writers go about it in different ways. Find out what suits you best.
Here are four ways to arrive at how your story will end:
1. Just do it.
This is wh...
23rd July 2008
If there is one thing that lifts a story out of bland boring narrative it's this: emotion. Yes, you have to have an interesting story to tell, but without showing your characters going through various emotional crises your tale could end up in the shredde...
23rd June 2008
Use the magic of dialogue to grip your readers and keep them turning those pages. OK, you've got to have a good story too, but even a good story can be degraded if your characters don't speak up to good effect. Get this technique right and your readers wi...
