writing
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Many of you found last week’s compilation of tips useful, so here’s more of the same: Top Tips… For Writing Humour In the current economic climate there isn’t much to cheer us, so a humorous article or funny story comes as a welcome break. But writing humour isn’t as easy as you might think. Here…
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This week’s Monday motivation has an eerie feel to it. Who is the person with the torch? Who, or what is he/she looking for? Let you imagination go and see where it takes you: *** Last week, I gave you the image of an underwater scene. Adhin Shamina felt inspired and sent in the following…
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This week’s writing challenge has a summer theme to it. I’d like you to write a story or poem on one of the following themes: Holidays Adventure Freedom Memories Fun You can choose to interpret the theme in any way you wish. Last week my writing challenge was for a story in up to fifteen…
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The Perfect Paragraph When an idea comes to mind and you’re eager to get everything down on paper, it’s easy to forget about paragraphs and making sure your story has a good mixture of short and longer paragraphs. In fact, sometimes paragraphs can be forgotten about altogether. Read the following passage from a short story:…
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Be consistent We’ve all done it – been so immersed in our writing that we’ve changed a character’s name half way through a story. So a story might start off being about Jake and his annoying mother, only for him to morph into a character called Johnny towards the end of the story. It needn’t…
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Last week, I gave you a visual image to help you get the creative juices flowing: Several of you felt inspired by the image and shared some wonderful ideas, stories and poems. Settle back and enjoy: Stephenie Houghtlin came up with the following idea. I think she should turn it into a full story: Emily…
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My top tip of the week is to never give up. You can be pictures 2, 4 and 6 (left to right, top to bottom)!
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My Monday motivation for you this week comes in the form of a picture of a little girl praying. Is she praying for the safe return of her dad who’s a soldier? Or perhaps she’s saying a prayer for her sister who’s ill. Why she’s praying, who for and the outcome is up to you,…
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Don’t waffle! My top tips have revolved around short story openings over the past couple of weeks. This week builds on this. Remember that your opening few paragraphs need to grab your reader’s attention straight away. It’s no use filling them with lots of waffle. Your reader will switch off and move to another story…
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The Shock Factor Last week, I suggested using dialogue when you open your short story. Dialogue is an excellent way to begin and to involve your reader. Another effective way is to open with a statement. A one line statement makes the opening even stronger and can really draw your reader in. Here are some…
Esther Chilton 