How to Write: Time & Motivation

How to Write: Time & Motivation

There’s two hard parts of being a writer…sitting down to write, and actually writing! How do you find time to ensure that you write? And how do you make sure you use that time effectively? When do you work best? For me, it’s mornings and evenings, with a slump in the afternoon. I know that…

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How to Write Characters

How To Write: Characters

I was asked recently how to make characters more individual; how to make them unique, colourful and distinctive. How do you get the different quirks of humans into a piece of writing? Major characters Sometimes it feels as if you could have robots as your main characters and it wouldn’t make a bit of difference.…

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How to Write Plot

How to Write: Plot

Ever read a book where you. Just. Don’t. Care? There’s danger…and ooh, the hero saved the day. Big surprise! You guessed that from the start. So here’s some ideas to make your plot a cliff-hanger and drama-filled rollercoaster… 1. Two bad choices Give your protagonist a choice…but make both of the options bad. Save the…

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How to Write Query and Cover Letters

How to Write: Query and Cover Letters

Cover letters are usually sent with submissions, either to publishers or agents. They’re intended to say something about the item you’re submitting and about you as a writer and person. However, for something that sounds simple, they can be surprisingly annoying to get right. Here’s some advice from Joanne Hall, who is submissions editor for Grimbold…

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How to Write the First Five Chapters

How To Write: The First Five Chapters

When you send a submission, different publishers ask for different things. However, it will usually be at least the first 10,000 words, which should be your first 3-5 chapters. This is what the editor will read and what they will use to decide if your book is any good, and then decide if they want…

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Five Stages of Publishing your Book

The Five Stages of Publishing Your Book

I’ll start with a disclaimer and some credentials; I’m involved in the submissions and editing process for Grimbold Books, my publisher. It’s a small indie press, which in many ways is wonderful – anyone involved get to do a bit of everything! But it’s really made me realise that when I first started submitting writing…

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