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Page Turner Awards
Get published with Page Turner Awards! Enter your completed, unpublished fiction or non-fiction manuscript for our panel of literary agents to judge your work One writer is guaranteed a publishing deal! There is also a £20K prize fund to be won Entries are now open for a limited time! For full details and entry, go to the Page Turner...
read moreWhat’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 non-fiction, television, movies, even video games. History can be a constant source of inspiration for writers, but so are personal experiences,...
read moreCopywriting 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 media including Facebook and Twitter, brochures, direct mail, sales letters, press releases, newspaper and magazine advertising and...
read morePeople 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, hobbies, pets, favourite foods and drinks, what part of the world they live in, the type of house they have or the car they drive, even...
read morePeople 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 different likes and dislikes, or specific hopes and fears, things that help to determine our personality. People’s voices are often...
read morePeople 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, ideas for characters can come from just about anywhere – on the train, street, plane, TV, movies, pictures and photographs, historical...
read moreThe Many Benefits of a Writing Coach
A professional writing coach is someone with whom you can consult, ask questions and receive constructive feedback. They act as a guide as you build your career as a professional writer. A coach can help you conquer a stumbling block, regain momentum or make a start on a new project. My program helps you progress as a writer. You decide what you want to work on during a personalized, one on one relationship. I can be your coach for just one month or we can establish a month-to-month arrangement, depending on your schedule and...
read moreSeeing the Light: Writers and Seasonal Affective Disorder – Part Six
Regular physical exercise can help with stress relief and prevent the onset of SAD. Feeling more fit makes you feel better about yourself overall and generally improves your mood. Giving in to those winter blues can also be stressful and lead to overeating, overindulgence in alcohol or other unhealthy pursuits, so you need to take care of your body, watch your diet and get enough sleep. Make time to relax and get away from your writing once in a while, especially if you work at home. And even if you do suffer from cabin fever, make sure...
read moreSeeing the Light: Writers and Seasonal Affective Disorder – Part Five
Many people are adversely affected each year by the winter blues and writers are no exception. There are many ways to combat SAD, including antidepressants and other medications, but bright artificial light treatments are common as a means to give the body more exposure to the light that is lacking once winter approaches. For SAD sufferers, shorter days and long nights can initiate depression, excessive fatigue and other issues. Not simply the ‘winter blues’, Seasonal Affective Disorder is recognized as a form of depression, which can...
read moreSeeing the Light: Writers and Seasonal Affective Disorder – Part Four
In ancient Greece and Rome, the works of Plato, Aristotle, Virgil and others may have been composed at night, with very little illumination. Monks in the Middle Ages would also have worked all year round and such works as Beowulf or the Anglo Saxon Chronicle would never have been written if everyone in the scriptorium had SAD. Did Shakespeare only write in the spring and summer? Candlelight was his only option if he chose to write his plays and sonnets after the sun had set. The same applied to Samuel Pepys, who we can assume wrote at...
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