the business and craft of writing
Fiction writers can learn a lot from screenwriters. The bottom line is that they both deal with story construction. Over the next few months I will be bringing you posts on what the two can learn from each other. My first offering is hosted over at the More Than Writers blogspot and discusses characterisation and saving that darned cat!
http://morethanwriters.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/save-cat.html?spref=tw
The Crafty Writer has been taking a bit of a back seat lately due to the launch of my new books (which I’ll be telling you about in future posts). But as so many of you enjoy all of the advice you receive from The Crafty Writer I thought it was time to get back in the saddle (if you’ll excuse the mixed metaphor). I have asked Sunday Times best-selling author Mel Menzies, who has just brought out a new psychological mystery, Time to Shine, to give us a masterclass on developing character. Continue reading ‘Developing Character for your Story’
I recently received some advice from a publisher friend. He said:
‘The days of the one-off novel are over. If you want to get published, you should consider a series.’
Now while I hope it is not entirely true that the one-off novel will no longer find a place on the shelf (one would think literary novels would still flourish in the singular) I see the marketing wisdom in conceptualising a series of novels. Seeing the two series I’ve been involved in are children’s picture books, I thought it best, when talking about novels, to ask someone who knows what she’s talking about. Come in, Ruth Downie! If you don’t already know, Ruth, who is an old friend of the Crafty Writer, has written a bestselling series of Roman mysteries known as the Ruso novels. Continue reading ‘Writing a series: tips from Ruth Downie’
Well I’ve finally bitten the bullet and released a novel on Kindle. The actual process of getting it up on the site was relatively simple, but it took a few goes as I needed to ensure that the source Word doc was as visually close to publishing as it could be with all of the correct style ‘tags’ in place. Yes the Kindle software formats your document into e-book form but it takes its cues from your original document and it is only when you review the Kindle version and see odd lines in odd places that you realise something has gone wrong in the source document. So if you’re going to follow my footsteps and get your book onto Kindle, take the time to get it right. And if you’re looking for a new book this autumn, why not download The Peace Garden now?
“When Natalie Porter starts investigating plant theft in a suburban cul-de-sac, she never dreams it will lead her on a terrifying journey from the gardens of England to the townships of Apartheid South Africa; and a far darker secret than the whereabouts of a missing azalea. A romantic thriller doused in political intrigue, racial tension, international terrorism and … gardening. If you like your romances gentle and your thrillers intelligent, then you won’t be able to put down The Peace Garden until the last breathtaking page.”
One of the most time-consuming task of any freelance writer is looking for and following up leads on new markets. I’ve just come across a website that helps you find paying outlets in fiction, poetry and non-fiction writing. You can also sign up (free) for a weekly newsletter that provides you with a round-up of market opportunities. Visit Worldwide Freelance Writer for more information. There is also a dedicated European sub-division called EU Writer.
For all you LOTR buffs, there’s a new website that delves into the fascinating links between Tolkien’s fantasy and real historical events and places. Christine Ahmed has put in an enormous amount of work to chronicle the references to Scottish Border and Northumberland history and culture at www.lotrandthescottishborder.net
He shot him twice in the back, and the figure jerked each time. Petrovitch watched the man start to turn, then slip heavily to one knee. The strange green-glowing eye of night vision rested on him. Their guns came around, and Petrovitch fired first, straight into his face.
(From ‘Equations of Life’, Simon Morden)
Science Fiction writer Simon Morden writes violent novels. Another War (2005), was shortlisted for a World Fantasy Award, and 2007 saw the publication of The Lost Art which has been shortlisted for the 2009 Catalyst Award for best teen fiction. He’s currently writing his next novel, ‘Equations of Life’, which he tells us is set in a future London packed with refugees, armoured nuns, Stalin-lookalikes, and seriously hard-core science. So how does he do it?
Continue reading ‘Writing violence – ‘easier than sex’’
Rosalie Warren was born in West Yorkshire but lived for many years in Scotland before moving to Coventry in 2002. She has two grown-up children, a PhD in cognitive science, and was a university lecturer before taking early retirement to pursue her lifelong dream of being a writer. She has had two novels published. The first, Charity’s Child by Circaidy Gregory Press; the second, Low Tide, Lunan Bay by Robert Hale. We asked her to talk to us about writing romantic suspense, a genre she said she ‘stumbled into’.
Continue reading ‘Writing Romantic Suspense – When Love Gets Mysterious’
In her third and final post on Writing Historical Fiction, RS Downie tells us why using fact in fiction is like wearing underwear. Ruth is the author of Ruso and the Disappearing Dancing Girls (’Medicus’ in the USA) and Ruso and the Demented Doctor (’Terra Incognita’ in the USA), the first in a series of historical crime novels set in Roman Britain.
In 1541, if you came from London, you considered Yorkshire to be a barbarian land. Once you turned off the Great North Road, the journey to York was a ‘wretched track’. The woods contained boar and wildcat and the locals still shared thatched hovels with their cattle.
Continue reading ‘Writing historical fiction 3 – using fact in fiction’
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