tips for writers
-
Do you find it difficult to start writing? Not sure what to write about? Try writing about the first thing you see when you look around the room. A book of stamps? What instantly comes to mind? A love letter? Who is the letter to? Is the love reciprocated? What if it’s not? Or pehaps
-
We all do it – overuse words like ‘that’, ‘very’, ‘really’, ‘then’ etc. They’re not necessary. Use the ‘find’ facility in Word and you’ll be surprised at how many of these words you’re using in your writing. Then go back through your work and get pruning! ***
-
Make your reader smile Ideas for humorous letters, fillers, articles and stories are everywhere. Something your granddaughter said which left you in stitches can make an ideal anecdote for a reader’s letter. Likewise, an experience abroad, be it braving the kamikaze streets of Rome or trying to make friends with a camel in Egypt, can
-
Wonderful Weather The weather is a useful tool for producing a certain type of atmosphere. A gloriously sunny day immediately conjures up feelings of warmth and joy, where something happy is about to happen. This may be the atmosphere you want to create for a wedding in your story. Though, perhaps it’s a wedding doomed
-
Here’s part seven in my writing dialogue series. Here are parts one, two, three, four, five and six. Now for part seven: Use dialogue to break up big blocks of narrative text. It aids readability, as well as injecting pace into the story. ***
-
By e-mail or post? Most publications accept work by e-mail but some still prefer postal submissions, especially from someone writing for them for the first time. Even if you have had a few pieces published by a magazine, if they ask for submissions to be sent by post, send your work by post. You could
-
If you’re writing something funny, don’t over-explain the humour. It’s very easy to feel as if you have to explain exactly why something is funny. You don’t. Keeping it brief and to the point will ensure the humour comes through. Too long and windy and the humour is lost. *** And here’s a tip from
-
Using The Five Senses In Your Story Sight and sound are often used to bring a scene to life and for impacting upon the tone of a story. But the senses of smell, touch and taste can also affect a story’s mood. A rundown cafe might smell like a mixture of sweaty training shoes and
-
This week’s market is for the non-fiction writers. The Ouen Press Short Story Competition is calling for true travel tales. Here are the details for you: Prizes: 1st Prize: £300 Runners-up x 2: £100 Highly commended entries will be recognised Entry fee: FREE Word limit: Between 3000 – 10,000 words Closing date: 31st October 2016
Esther Chilton 