Outlining a book
Outlining a book? Why not? Sixty, seventy, eighty thousand words or more. That’s your typical novel. Somehow you have to get to there from a blank page. Unless you’re an accomplished free-writer, that’s where an outline can help.
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Re-boot for 2020
A re-boot for 2020 seems timely. In the current state of lock down, an online spring-clean puts this site as the creative centre.
New sites are up, old projects and sites have been closed down and Everything Express has been put to bed, Proactivity Press has opened for business, while various writing projects have begun or are being dusted off. …
Planning a Series
I set out to write one book and found myself planning a series. I’m defining a series as a number of stories linked by shared characters or settings. Simple, enough? Wrong.
There are different types of series. Oh, goody. Planning a series just got more difficult. …
Five publishing design clichés
BBC Arts’ Tom Churchill mocked up five publishing design clichés that pervade the book stands. From the airport blockbuster thriller, to the fantasy epic, to the literary prize-winner, he pulls out laughably bad real examples that have sold by the truck load. …
It’s World Book Day 2020!
It’s World Book Day 2020 from the charity on a mission to give every child and young person a book of their own. It’s also a celebration of authors, illustrators, books and (most importantly) it’s a celebration of reading. In fact, it’s the biggest celebration of its kind, designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and marked in over 100 countries all over the world. …
No Story without Conflict
It is a truth universally acknowledged, there is no story without conflict. Unlike the opening of Pride and Prejudice, this one happens to be true. Go ahead, argue with me.
Conflict is the crux of storytelling and plotting. Every novel thrives on conflict. Therefore writing conflict is pivotal to crafting a compelling story. Without conflict, there is no drama. Without drama, there is no story. …
World Book Day 2020
World Book Day 2020 continues to promote reading for pleasure and sharing stories. The campaign for 2020, focuses around an ambitious plan to Share A Million Stories. Fifteen new £1 books launch for World Book Day 2020. …
Review: The History of the Future BBC Radio4
The History of the Future is a ten-part documentary on BBC4 Extra.
Juliet Gardiner looks at how cultures of the past viewed the possibilities of the future, and what these visions say about the pre-occupations of the time.
Or as I like to call it – Where’s My Jetpack? …
Review: Crossing Steinbeck’s America
The BBC’s Our World thread continues with Crossing Steinbeck’s America.
As America grapples with a deepening recession, white-collar workers lose their homes in increasing numbers. Paul Mason travels the country down the same road as John Steinbeck’s migrants in The Grapes of Wrath. Visiting homeless shelters along the way, he unexpectedly finds a growing number of middle-class people who have ended up on the street. …
Tips from a Screenwriter
Listen to tips from a screenwriter for TV and movies Jeremy Brock. The co-creator of BBC’s Casualty, writer of Last King of Scotland, Mrs Brown and Brideshead Revisited) appeared on BBC World Service Radio to talk about screen adaptations.
Brock discussed adapting novels and fact-based projects for film. …