Jan 30, 2022 Posted by Simon Rose

What’s it all about? An excerpt from The Children’s Writer’s Guide

“This is by far the best book I have picked up to help me kick start my writing!” Chapter Four: Where Do Ideas Come From One of the most common questions asked of authors, whether from children during school visits or in interviews, is “Where do you get your ideas?” In so many ways, ideas are all around us – in newspapers, magazines, pictures, photographs, other books whether fiction or... read more

Jan 27, 2022 Posted by Simon Rose

Copywriting for Business

I offer a number of writer services for business. The way in which you communicate with your customers is a vital component of your business and well written content can be the difference between success and failure. I have extensive experience in writing for a wide range of industries and market segments and offer a variety of copywriting services including website content, blogs and newsletters, social... read more

Jan 21, 2022 Posted by Simon Rose

People plotting: Creating unique characters – Part three

A good exercise is to invent two characters based on pictures. Creating a facial description is relatively simple, although you also need to determine if the people are tall or short, their body type, approximate age, and so on. You then need to add as much information as possible about each person – personality, mannerisms, jobs, career path, friends and family, likes and dislikes, hopes and dreams,... read more

Jan 17, 2022 Posted by Simon Rose

People plotting: Creating unique characters – Part two

The best writers create characters that you instantly feel that you’d recognize on the street if they came to life. So what kinds of things make us different? Everyone doesn’t like the same food and some are allergic to certain things. People are sometimes described as dog people or cat people but some might be neither or be allergic to dogs, cats, or both, affecting their choice of pets. We all have... read more

Jan 12, 2022 Posted by Simon Rose

People plotting: Creating unique characters – Part one

Let’s imagine that you’ve thought of a great premise for a story and even crafted a general plot. You then need to develop some characters to inhabit the world you’re intending to create. So where do ideas for characters come from? How do successful authors invent people for their stories, those imaginary men, women, children, and even animals that are a perfect fit for the story? Let’s be honest,... read more