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Five Essential Rules For Writing Better Fiction
Writing is an activity with many rules. Some are imposed upon the writer by the conventions of spelling and grammar; others are self-imposed, and arise from observation and experience. The rules below...
View ArticleChipping Away
This morning’s piece of unexpected inspiration comes from DJ and TV presenter Chris Evans. In the postscript to the paperback edition of his autobiography It’s Not What You Think, he talks about the...
View ArticleAll First Drafts Suck
I have a friend I want to tell you about, because the chances are you might know someone just like him. You might even be someone just like him. Now, I don’t want to embarrass my friend on the...
View ArticleQuick writing tip – saving what you take out
When working on a piece of fiction, it is not uncommon for me to decide that a particular scene isn’t working, or that the plot should be going in a different direction. When that happens, I have to...
View ArticleFeel The Fear
I have written a guest post about THE FEAR for Guardian columnist Damien G. Walter’s blog. THE FEAR will plant questions and doubts in your head. It will tell you that everything you’ve ever written is...
View Article5 lessons writers can learn from athletes
Love it or loathe it, the headlines are currently dominated by sport. But while the careers of your average writer and average athlete may seem to have little in common, there are some lessons writers...
View ArticleInternalise the identity
I dislike the term “aspiring writer”. You see it a lot in people’s social media profiles, but to me it seems noncommittal. Either you write, or you don’t. And if you do, please have the guts to say so....
View ArticleArmed With Pens Interview
The Armed With Pens website features a new interview with me, where I talk (at some length) about my writing, what attracted me to the genre, and the attributes I think a good writer needs. “Talent,...
View ArticleGetting Your Zing Back
Everyday pressures can rob you of your creative spark, and leave you sitting at a keyboard waiting for words that simply will not come. You find you lack inspiration. Nothing you write seems good...
View ArticleTHE FEAR
If you want to be a writer, then sooner or later you’ll have to face THE FEAR. However confident you may feel as you start to write your latest novel or story, at some point you’ll look at what you’ve...
View ArticleArticulate the inexpressible
I found this quote from Hemingway: “For a true writer each book should be a new beginning where he tries again for something that is beyond attainment. He should always try for something that has never...
View Article3 Ways To Breathe Life Into Your Fiction
New writers are often given the following piece of advice: “Write what you know”. In other words, concentrate on the things you’ve observed and the things you understand about the world around you. If...
View ArticleWhat if I never write anything again?
Yesterday, I wrote about finishing a novel and wondering what to write next. The part I missed out was the worst part of all: wondering if you can write anything else. Indeed, wondering if you will be...
View ArticleHoarding old junk
During my childhood, my father had a shed, which he filled with things he found. There were green glass fishing net floats, lengths of rope, and pieces of driftwood found washed up on the beach; old...
View ArticleGetting started
Sitting down to write a novel can be a nerve-wracking experience. That first page is one of the biggest hurdles you’re going to face. All that blank white space looks terrifying. You have an idea of...
View ArticleGetting started: the video
So, it turns out I had more to say about starting a novel than I put in my previous post on the subject. Here’s a video with me elaborating. I hope you find it useful.
View ArticleSFX Book Club Archive
Over the past year or so I have contributed several pieces to SFX Magazine’s Book Club. Now, three of those pieces are available to read online: Review: Gateway by Frederik Pohl Review: The […]
View ArticleMinecraft for Novelists
If you’ve played Minecraft, you’ll know that it’s an awesome way to lose several hours. In fact, you may be avoiding it because you’re afraid how it’ll eat into your […]
View ArticleFinding an agent
Earlier today, I had a message from a friend-of-a-friend. He had written a book and was asking if I could refer him to an agent. I’m not sure if wanted […]
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