Some of these points will occur in most series. It is the manner and context which determines whether the point is well handled, neutral or indicative of a bad series.

Writing is like any other skill in that you have to do a lot of it to get better. There isn’t any way around that, but you can identify mistakes common to new writers and learn to stop making them before they become habit.

A man came to me last week because he needed help writing his book. He told me that he’s had this project on his to-do list for years, but he just couldn’t seem to get started. He’s literally been staring at the task-start writing my book-almost every day, and when he came to me, he [...]

It’s been said that you should “write about what you know”. It’s also been said that doing that condemns you to a life of boredom as you’ll never grow beyond your current limitations. Not very helpful, is it?

Now, I did say by reading this that you would learn how to write “anything,” right? That’s a tall order. So you’re thinking, “Yeah, right.” Well, I’ll tell you right now why you should not only read this article but print it out and refer to it often for all the writing you’ll ever do. [...]

The more I read how the successful authors do it, the more I realise that, like successful people in all walks of life, they all do things in common that contribute enormously to their success. So how can we learn from successful authors to ensure our own success in 2008 and beyond?
We can start by [...]

The vast majority of fiction writers write short stories, whether they write for their own pleasure, for the writing circle they belong to, a competition or whether they aim to get them published. The temptation to bring in lots of exciting characters can be irresistible. But are they necessary?
In a short story you have between [...]

Congratulations! You’ve plucked up the courage to enter a short story competition. You’ve had a go at a few short stories in the past and you’ve been wanting to tackle a novel for ages, but the idea was way too daunting so you’ve just shoved that to the bottom of your life’s “To Do” list. [...]

Why should the creative writers get to have all the fun? Using these techniques borrowed from the literary world not only makes writing more interesting, it will make you and your business stand out among the competition.

Brimming with confidence, you’ve just signed the check purchasing the rights to adapt John Doe’s fabulous, but little known novel, Lawrence of Monrovia, to screenplay form. Suddenly, panic sets in. “What was I thinking? How the devil am I going to convert this 400-page novel to a 110-page screenplay?”