Scouting for Locations

Think of all the novels you’ve enjoyed, and I’ll bet that a number of them are defined by a sense of place – not just defined, but enhanced. Off the top of my head, I’m thinking any one of the Brontë novels, anything by Thomas Hardy, The French...

On the Eighth Day of Christmas My True Love Sent to Me…

…Eight Maids A-Milking… that’s to say, eight young women doing something typical of their daily lives. When you’re writing fiction and about to introduce your hero or heroine, it’s important to show them in action. There are two reasons...

Help from Your Favourite Heroines

What is it that makes a character in a novel memorable? Perhaps it would help to answer this question by asking it in a different way: who are the characters you most remember? If you can come up with the who, it might lead you to the why and that in turn might be of...
An Alphabet of Better Writing # S

An Alphabet of Better Writing # S

S is for…Setting The setting of a story can be crucial.  It’s certainly never incidental and you shouldn’t underestimate the importance of it.  Apparently writer Catherine Czerkawska discovered to her dismay that publishers wouldn’t take a...