I finally got to see Django Unchained at the weekend, a film I’d been looking forward to for a long time since a) I love Westerns, b) I like Tarantino and c) I love Leo DiCaprio. My review is over on my film blog, but I had a few thoughts about what writers could take […]
writing advice
Making Resolutions That Stick
We’re a week into the New Year, and if you’re a writer, you’ve no doubt composed a raft of New Year’s resolutions related to your craft – resolutions that you might find that you’re struggling to stick to now that you’re back into a routine at work and away from your ‘holiday bubble’. While others […]
#GuestPost – Writing a Series
A couple of weeks back I posted my review of Blood Skies by Steven Montano. I’m all about letting other authors use my blog to talk about their craft, and given Steven’s a whizz at writing a series, I thought I’d ask him to write about the challenges of writing a series! Over to you, […]
Lee Child’s Writing Wisdom
Last night, Lee Child made an appearance at the Tyneside Cinema to discuss his newest Jack Reacher book, A Wanted Man, and to introduce a screening of Se7en, his favourite film. I first heard about the Reacher books when my dad started reading them, and I bought the first one, Killing Floor, to read in […]
[Guest Post] Carrie Clevenger on Blog Serials
At the start of August, you might have seen me madly tweeting about the fact I finally had a paperback copy of Crooked Fang by my very good friend Carrie Clevenger. Now, I’m not one for vampires, but I’ve been rather keen on Carrie’s take since I first read the serial she ran on her […]
Looking for Conflict
Writers are forever being told that good stories rely on conflict or drama. “There is no story if the protagonist has to problem to solve!” cry the experts. Apparently the world isn’t full of enough conflict, and we need to inflict yet more arguments, high stakes and the like on our lovely readers. Hell, I’m […]
