Getting Started – the tools of the trade. Hoards of people want to write a novel. Just as doctors find that everyone they meet tells them about their ailments, authors find that everyone tells them about the novel they intend to write. Authors generally nod …
Read MoreHow not to do cover art – a case study
I’m sure there are people who approached becoming an indie author with A PLAN and researched how to do it properly before they even started. I didn’t. I became a published author more or less by fluke, and when my publishers folded I found myself …
Read MoreHow to Finish your novel – two essential tips.
Strangely enough, it took me years before these two things occurred to me. Although they’re very simple and very basic indeed, they are my most indispensable weapons in my whole writerly armoury. How to finish a story no.1: Start at the beginning and go on …
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Three Essentials for Fantasy Worldbuilding
I know, you want to write the next Lord of the Rings, or possibly the next Game of Thrones. So do I, to be honest. But I also want to read as many more epic fantasies as can be brought to the bookshop table, and …
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You need to know these facts about fire, or your fantasy worldbuilding will fail.
Clearly there are many advantages to reading bad books. One of these is the inspiration to write blog posts in an effort to make sure it never happens again. There are several aspects of medieval life which are easily researchable, but which sometimes writers think …
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