Tag Archives: writingtips

Is ‘Save The Cat! Writes a Novel’ a formula or a framework?

Hey, writers. I’ve got some questions for you about the very popular writing craft book: ‘Save The Cat! Writes A Novel’ by Jessica Brody. 💬 Here’s what the Amazon blurb says about this book: ‘Novelist Jessica Brody presents a comprehensive story-structure guide for novelists that applies the famed Save the Cat! screenwriting methodology to theContinue reading “Is ‘Save The Cat! Writes a Novel’ a formula or a framework?”

Do you need a comma with ‘so’?

If ‘so’ means ‘therefore’ — YES. If ‘so’ means ‘so that’ — NO. And why am I sharing this post? Well, three reasons: To share this tip far and wide. Feel confident about the placement of this comma – Share this post so others can learn from it too. To let you know I shareContinue reading “Do you need a comma with ‘so’?”

Could you make a ‘permeance’ slip? It depends on your process.

Step 1: The creative writer is hammering the keyboard at speed. There’s a slip of the fingers and ‘oops’: they type ‘permeance’ instead of ‘permanence’.Step 2: The writer finishes the manuscript and runs a spell-check. But the spell-check does not see a misspelling.Step 3: The writer self-edits and reads what they ‘think’ is there ratherContinue reading “Could you make a ‘permeance’ slip? It depends on your process.”

What’s the difference between an antagonist and a villain?

🔥 Antagonist or Villain: two words for the same thing? Christopher Vogler doesn’t think so. In The Writer’s Journey, he explores the distinct dynamics between a hero and an antagonist versus a hero and a villain: “Antagonists and heroes in conflict are like horses in a team pulling in different directions, while villains and heroesContinue reading “What’s the difference between an antagonist and a villain?”

Get Your Novel Editor-Ready free webinar: registration closes soon

Early-career writers. Sitting on the fence about whether to join the Get Your Novel Editor-Ready webinar tomorrow? Here’s a taster from our last session in January.* 🔎 We show you examples of writing craft gone awry to help you fine-tune your radar for spotting glitches in your own writing. Tomorrow we will cover POV/Perspective asContinue reading “Get Your Novel Editor-Ready free webinar: registration closes soon”

Mother’s Day or Mothers’ Day? Where should the apostrophe go?

🌷It’s Mothering Sunday here in the UK. And if you’ve been wondering where to put the apostrophe in your card… ✅ I can confirm it should go between the ‘R’ and the ‘S’. Mother’s Day Yes, more than one mum is celebrating a special day today, but it’s convention to treat it as a singular.Continue reading “Mother’s Day or Mothers’ Day? Where should the apostrophe go?”

Notebooks for ‘ink’sight. The KWL evaluation method is a writer’s secret weapon.

Evaluation is a skill you need wherever you are in your writing career. Use one of your many notebooks to identify what you Know, what you Want to know, and – once you’ve looked up the answers to your questions – what you’ve Learnt. If you’ve evaluated that your storytelling craft could use some work,Continue reading “Notebooks for ‘ink’sight. The KWL evaluation method is a writer’s secret weapon.”

‘Show don’t tell’ is a useful rule of thumb. Here are some easy wins.

Struggling to express your characters’ emotions without telling? Let me help! Here’s a sneak peek into a no-stress method. 👉 Negative emotion ‘tells’ to avoid: He felt frustrated. 🚫 They looked uncomfortable. 🚫 She was sad. 🚫 👍 Better to ‘show’: He grabbed his coat and left. ✔ They fidgeted in their seats. ✔ SheContinue reading “‘Show don’t tell’ is a useful rule of thumb. Here are some easy wins.”

Calling all aspiring or early-career SFF writers… Work on your story craft in 2024.

copy-of-calling-all-aspiring-or-earl-career-sff-writers Do you have a spare couple of hours free from the week beginning 29th January 2024? Join a small cohort of like-minded SFF writers for a self-paced, tutor-supported SFF storytelling course. Click here to secure your spot.