09 Jan Problem-Solving: ‘It’s Not Singing off the Page’
It can be tricky when you’ve worked hard on a piece of writing but it still comes over as flat. ...
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05 Mar Fashion in Fiction Writing
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Over recent weeks I’ve been editing several crime novels from new fiction writers and the comment I’m making most is: this style of writing would have been fine some decades ago, but not now. It’s not the fashion and publishers don’t like it. If anyone had told me before I started in the industry that an ephemeral, essentially unimportant thing like fashion could dictate how a piece of writing was judged, I would have scoffed in disbelief quickly turning to outrage. Fashion is that important in writing style? Really? Yes, I’m afraid so, as I’ve come to learn and as I now...
11 Feb Writing a Winning Synopsis
What’s the point of a synopsis? Why do agents, publishers and competitions ask for one?...
11 Oct Bespoke Book Marketing Course
Posted at 09:55h
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Maybe you’ve not finished your novel yet, but you’re sensibly looking ahead. Or maybe your novel is completed and edited, your cover designed, the book ready to go. Maybe you have an agent and contract, maybe you’re publishing independently....
11 Oct Writing a Query Letter
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Writing a query letter is tricky, striking the crucial balance between informing and persuading. Hard facts rather than verbosity are your best ally here and these are the points an agent or publisher will look for you to cover in your query letter....
25 Mar Approaching an Agent
Posted at 17:08h
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Fiction Feedback hints for impressing an agent...
25 Mar Showing and Telling: Times for Both
Posted at 17:06h
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What’s the single biggest flaw I see in writing? It has to be telling and not showing. Both on a micro and a macro scale. Show not tell is perhaps the piece of advice most handed out to writers. But what does it actually mean? Here’s a few pointers...
04 Feb How to Win Writing Competitions
Posted at 15:39h
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The benefits of entering competitions are significant. They can be career-enhancing and even life-changing. So here's our top five reasons for entering competitions. Our last reason may surprise you, and it applies to all writing competition entrants, not just the winners. ...