We tell stories for many different reasons: to entertain our readers; to tell them something new about themselves; to record history in an accessible way. Why should LGBTQ+ stories be different? Why do they need telling?
Category Archives: About writing
Who can write LGBTQ+ stories?
Do you have to identify as LGBTQ+ to write stories? Can you tell an authentic tale without experience? In this blog post, we will look at who can tell stories, how we can do it authentically and how you can ensure you do no harm to the LGBTQ+ community.
Why does a character do that?
When it comes to writing compelling characters, there is one thing that is often overlooked. What is that character’s motivation?
In this blog post, we’ll look at how you can craft a fascinating character that engages your readers from the very beginning.
Novelists learning from playwrights: pacing
In a play, the writer has to be aware of the audience’s attention span. Putting people in comfy seats, turning the lights down low after giving them drinks, it’s not long before eyelids start feeling heavy!
Novelists learning from playwrights: scenes
Just because we can take our readers anywhere, should we?
Novelists learning from playwrights: voice
Both writers of novels and plays have to create characters! It’s the way we, as readers or audience members, connect with a story. After all, what would a play or a book be without characters to follow! We need to empathise, we need to sympathise, we need to hate and love them. Creating compelling characters is the challenge.
Words, vocabulary, language and terminology
Should you be sending your readers to the dictionary for every sentence you write?
Whatever the weather
The weather: cliché or clever? Here’s some hints about deciding what to do with meteorological conditions in your fiction writing.
How much should I write?
One of the most frequently asked questions is: how long should my book be? This week, we’ll look at length (keep the jokes to yourself!).
My self-publishing journey: part one
This is going to be a little different from my normal blog posts. An occasional series of blogs, charting my journey to self-publishing. This isn’t my first self-publishing adventure: I first published in 2016. But now, having done lots of editorial training, I’m going back and re-releasing my first book.
