So you followed the first part of this course on ideas and the seeds of your next great story are beginning to grow. That’s great, so long as it doesn’t turn out better than mine. Now you have the germs of your story, you’ve progressed to the next logical step, creating characters. That’s not just Read more about 5 characters every story needs[…]
Everything begins with the idea. Simple as that. It doesn’t matter if you can craft beautiful dialogue. If your prose makes people accept the existence of God. Or if your metaphors are good like chocolate cake. That was a simile. Even if you have all that, it doesn’t matter. Not if the best idea you Read more about 5 ways to generate ideas[…]
An introduction to ‘how to win at authoring’ Overview Every budding author needs to understand the key steps that will allow them to rise to the top despite their obvious lack of talent. Via the use of underhand tactics, lying, cheating, and other activities that will make your mother cry with shame this course will Read more about About the course[…]
The problem with blogging is once you start, you can’t stop. At least, not if you want to be an effective presence on the internet. And if you’re a writer, as I am, you kind of need a blog. Or, at least, it’s important in this modern writing landscape we find ourselves in. Your blog Read more about 5 reasons continuous blogging is harder than you think[…]
So far in this record-breaking series (most hate mail generated; least shits given; and the erroneous and unexplainable best series of blogs about apple tart), we have discussed how to turn your ideas for a story into a fully developed novel and how to insert character ideas into a story. Now comes the final part. Read more about Developing that initial idea (pt. 3 – World)[…]
Since the first blog in this series dropped, I’ve been getting a lot of mail through the letterbox from ardent fans, begging me never to write again. Surprising though this is (how do they know where I live?) It’s just the motivation I need to keep going. After all, it was my mother’s pleading that Read more about Developing that initial idea (pt. 2 – Character)[…]
Ideas come at writers in different forms. A new character will hit you harder than the boyfriend of that cute blonde you’re checking out. A storyline will appear faster than that rash after your last night out. A new world will spread around you like the blood of that hooker you murdered “by accident”. I’ve Read more about Developing that initial idea (pt. 1 – Story)[…]
Calling a professional writer a writer is like calling an MP a liar. Sure, lying is a big part of what they do, and their ability to lie well is probably the reason they’re an MP in the first place. But there’s a lot more to being an MP than just lying, like making terrible Read more about 3 ways a professional writer is more than just a writer[…]
The question asked and answered a billion times. Everyone has thrown in their three pence on this, telling you what to do. You don’t need any more advice. Luckily, that’s not what I’m about. I don’t care about you; I’m here to talk about me. The Then: Thrill of the Plan In my two decades Read more about Should I plan my novel?[…]
Having been banned from at least three writers groups, I know a lot about their value. Today I would like to discuss how you can use (/ exploit) them to further your career. But you’re thinking: “Mark, why would I join a writers group? Writing is a solitary art and, if the rest of the Read more about 3 steps to making a success of writers groups[…]