Tag Archives: writing tips

ALWAYS PROOF READ CAREFULLY

Posted on December 14, 2015 by [email protected]
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HOW AGATHA CHRISTIE WROTE HER BOOKS

Posted on December 8, 2014 by [email protected]
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the joys of research #1: BIG CHUCK IN LITTLE CHINA

Posted on October 6, 2014 by [email protected]

I was finishing the research for SILK ROAD. We were on a train from Xian to Kashgar, three days that would take us south of the Great Wall, skirt the Taklimakan desert and on towards the Pamir Mountains and the … Continue reading →

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IS TOM SWIFTY RUINING YOUR STORIES?

Posted on September 27, 2014 by [email protected]

When writing dialogue in your stories the golden rule is to keep to just ‘he said’, or ‘she said’ as an attributive. Elaborate too much and you focus attention AWAY from what your characters are saying onto what YOU are … Continue reading →

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STUCK FOR A TITLE FOR YOUR NEW BOOK? TRY THESE

Posted on September 5, 2014 by [email protected]

The part I find hardest about writing a book is settling on a title I really like. Most times they never seem quite right for me. Other times I want to say like it really is - just like they … Continue reading →

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An interview with Julia Robb

Posted on July 14, 2014 by [email protected]

I’m absolutely delighted to have Julia Robb as my guest on the blog today. Julia and I have never met and we don’t even always see eye to eye on things, but I love her take on life and I … Continue reading →

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TIPS FOR A LONG TERM WRITING CAREER

Posted on February 12, 2014 by [email protected]

Does writing get any easier after forty books? You might be surprised at the answer. This week I talked to Joanna Penn at The Creative Penn about writing historical fiction and tips for a long term writing career. You can … Continue reading →

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ARE THESE THE WORST 12 OPENING LINES EVER?

Posted on December 4, 2013 by [email protected]

1. “She strutted into my office wearing a dress that clung to her like Saran Wrap to a sloppily butchered pork knuckle, bone and sinew jutting and lurching asymmetrically beneath its folds, the tightness exaggerating the granularity of the suet … Continue reading →

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THE BEST 43 OPENING LINES IN NOVEL WRITING HISTORY

Posted on November 30, 2013 by [email protected]

They say you can’t judge a book by its cover. A good cover may make us pick the book up and think about buying it. But it’s the first lines are crucial in helping us decide whether we are going … Continue reading →

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15 GOOD REASONS WHY YOU SHOULDN’T WRITE FOR A LIVING

Posted on November 25, 2013 by [email protected]

Do you want to make a career out of writing? Here’s 15 damn good reasons to think again, straight from the trenches, from those who have been there before you. 1. Coleridge was a drug addict. Poe was an alcoholic. … Continue reading →

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