What Is A Red Herring?
In this post, we ask: ‘What is a red herring?‘ and give you examples of red herrings and how red herrings work in books and
Creative Writing
The Book That Started It All
This is a story about the book that started it all – a Christmas story. A book is a gift that you can open again
7 Important Crime-Writing Guidelines
In this post, we have compiled 7 important crime-writing guidelines to help you write your mystery novel.
The Two Main Characters – A Writer’s Worksheet
If you are a beginner writer, use this worksheet to understand the two main characters in your story. See if your antagonist is a match
9 Ways To Make Readers Care For An Amoral Protagonist
What if you have a main character who is truly unlikeable? This post will help you to make your amoral protagonist more likeable.
A Perfect Mess – How We Learn From Our Writing Mistakes
How do we make the most of our writing mistakes? We learn from the messes of experimentation, not from the misery of hoping for perfection.
Find Your Funny – 11 Tips For Writing Humour
It’s difficult to be funny when you write and, in this post, we try to get you to find your funny and offer 11 tips
Rewriting Checklist For Authors
Once you’ve finished the first draft, the work begins. Use this rewriting checklist for authors to help you finish your book.
Plotting – 10 Basic Do’s and Don’ts
What are the most common plotting problems? Here are 10 basic do’s and don’ts for writers to follow when they’re plotting.
Holidays For Writers – Heaven or Hell?
This post is about holidays for writers. Are writers’ holidays a bit of heaven or a sentence in hell?
15 Adjectives To Delete To Strengthen Your Writing Immediately
Do you use too many adjectives in your writing? We look at 15 adjectives to delete or replace that will strengthen your writing immediately.
5 Common Traits Of A Successful Memoir
If you’re writing your life story, use this short checklist to find out if you’ve included the 5 common traits of a successful memoir.
Traditional Publishing – Part Three
This week, Mia Botha continues her interviews with staff members at Pan Macmillan South Africa, who answer our questions on traditional publishing.
10 Types Of Sentences You Won’t See In Good Writing
Are you looking for ways to write better sentences? In this post, we look at 10 types of sentences you won’t see in good writing.
Novels & Screenplays: What’s The Difference?
In this post, we look at the differences between novels and screenplays. We look at collaboration, costs, and choices, and we answer your question: Should
Janet Burroway’s 4 Aspects Of Narrative Time
What is Narrative Time? In this post, we look at how time works in a story through Janet Burroway’s 4 aspects of narrative time.
Traditional Publishing – Part Two
Last week we began our discussion about traditional publishing. This week, Mia Botha continues her interviews with Pan Macmillan South Africa, who answer our questions.
30 Excuses Not To Write Your NaNoWriMo Novel
In this post, our blogger takes a comic look at NaNoWriMo and includes 30 excuses not to write your NaNoWriMo novel.
Forewords, Prefaces, Prologues, & Introductions – What’s The Difference?
What’s the difference between forewords, prefaces, prologues, and introductions? We explain what they are, when to use them, and tips for writing them. We also
Traditional Publishing – Part One
In this post, we begin our video series on traditional publishing. Mia Botha interviews Terry Morris, MD of Pan Macmillan South Africa, who will answer
[catlists tags="publishing,writers-talk,write-your-novel-in-a-year,style,scene,poetry,writing-inspiration,genre,screenwriting,setting,creating-characters,pacing,plotting,beginnings,endings,description,dialogue,viewpoint,show-dont-tell,theme,writers-block,literary-devices,writing-techniques,suspense,crime-writing,writing-resource,nanowrimo,secrets-of-a-memoirist,short-stories,body-language,inciting-moments,rewriting" template=ww_posts pagination=yes numberposts=10]