A big part of what makes books such vivid, cinematic experiences is the way the author moves from sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph, and chapter to chapter. From choice of words to the sequencing of events, the arrangement of a manuscript is what makes it flow from one beat to the next. Sometimes that […]
How to Transition from One Moment to the Next like a Parkour Champion Read More »
Writing is hard. So much hard work goes into getting words down onto the page that the thought of erasing them, any of them, can feel like sacrilege. Especially when you’re desperately trying to hit a certain target, like a word count or the end of a novel, any action that moves you further away
How to Delete an Uncomfortable Amount of Hard Work and Feel Good About It Read More »
If you’ve ever managed to stick with a long-form piece of writing for a while, you’ve likely found that who you were at the beginning is quite different from who you are now. By the time you’re even halfway through, the version of you who thought Julian Ayriss was a cool name for your self-insert
Keeping Track of a Million Daring Decisions Over Years of Writing Read More »
Our prayers have been answered: it’s finally over. As fireworks illuminated the night sky, we said farewell to what was for many of us simply the latest in a line of challenging years. However much stock you place in the turn of the calendar, a new year is as good an opportunity for a fresh
Writing Into the New Year with Grace, Aplomb, and Style Read More »
Welcome, friends, to the accoutrement for this week’s Writer’s Connect, issue 72. The theme of this edition was time, or a perceived lack thereof. To many of us, the mere suggestion that we have time to do more than we’re already doing is borderline offensive. We are perpetually overburdened to the point of nigh on
The Most Common Enemies of a Writer, and How To Avoid Them Read More »
Several days removed from Writer’s Connect newsletter 71, I hope you’ve been ruminating on this issue’s scandalous top tip. This week, you were not only permitted but encouraged to look over at the smart kid’s exam paper and ‘take some notes’. While this might sound like terribly irresponsible advice, consider this: that little shill has been
How Do I Steal Someone Else’s Idea And Get Away With It? Read More »
The debut novel of American fantasy author Brent Weeks, The Way of Shadows is the first book in The Night Angel Trilogy. First published by Orbit in 2008, this incredible little novel was lent to me by a close friend of mine in my eleventh year of high school. Let’s call him Jug. Why Jug,
This week saw the release of Writer’s Connect newsletter 70, which cautioned our lovely readers against making an ass (out of) u (and) me. You might think you know how to string a sentence together … but it’s been [a flattering number of years] since primary school, and that’s [frankly, more than enough time] to forget a
Back to Basics: The Pre-Writing Checklist That Will Save You Time and Money Read More »
Think of the last book you read that stole your heart—that kept you awake at night, anxious to find out how it was all gonna go down. I’m willing to bet that the first thing that came to your mind was the daring protagonist, the tortured anti-hero, or the unrepentant villain. Sure, plot and setting
The Three Secrets of Writing Engaging, Memorable Characters Every Time Read More »
Earlier this week, Writer’s Connect newsletter 69 was lovingly signed, sealed, and delivered direct to your inbox. Today’s post dives a little deeper into this issue’s top tip, which was to steer clear of ‘the boring bits’ in your work. But what exactly are they, and how do you know if they’re slowly metastasising in
How (And Why) Too Much Narration Kills Your Manuscript Read More »
