Earlier this year, my second how-to book, Short Story Focus, came out. It will also be released as an ebook, so I’ll be bringing you news of that soon.
I’m now turning my attention to thoughts of the next book in the series. How about one on writing a novel? As an editor, I regularly see the same issues again and again, so I can highlight these in the book, together with solutions. Or do you have any other ideas for what you’d like to see?
If you haven’t read my how-to books, here’s some more information about them:
Publication Guaranteed (Well, Almost!) is the first book in my A Helping Hand For Writers series:
Fed up with rejection after rejection?
Not sure how to target the right market, or what to write about?
I’ll take you through the necessary steps to gain publication whether you’re just starting out or have been writing for a while.
Topics include writing:
- Readers’ letters
- Fillers
- Articles
- Short stories
- For competitions
You’ll find information on market research, how to set your work out and send it, as well as lots of useful tips, examples and writing exercises to give you ideas and build on your writing skills with the aim of publishing your work.
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The second book in my A Helping Hand For Writers series is all about short story writing:
Short Story Focus
Do you enjoy writing short stories but feel you’re not getting it quite right? Perhaps your opening lacks that necessary spark, or it’s the middle that sags. It might be that you’re not sure how to bring your tale to a satisfying close, or you may be struggling with a range of issues.
I’ll teach you all the ins and outs of short story writing in my second workbook.
These include:
- Hooking your reader at the start
- Ensuring your characters leap from the page
- Which viewpoint and tense to use
- The art of using dialogue
- The importance of tension and obstacles
- How to ‘show, not tell’
- Finishing strongly
You’ll find plenty of examples, tips and writing exercises to try.
Esther Chilton 
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