November 2018 Blog Posts (13)

Bud Craig on writing

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Added by John Dean on November 28, 2018 at 15:27 — No Comments

When is too much too much?

Although I am a crime novelist, I recently taught a class on horror fiction, as part of a creative writing course I was running.

The session threw up an old chestnut, one that is often debated by crime writers as well. How graphic do you allow your writing to become? Do you leave it to the reader’s imagination or soak them in blood and gore at every opportunity?

It was an interesting debate and we never really came to a definitive answer. However, there was a leaning towards…

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Added by John Dean on November 28, 2018 at 13:12 — No Comments

Creating good characters in fiction

A lot of my teaching focuses on characters (they are at the heart of my classes, they are, after all, our major tools as writers).

So how do you create them? Here’s some thoughts:

* Maybe base them on people you know but beware of the law. Don’t lift your local vicar wholesale and turn him/her into a cold-blooded killer! Make your characters composites of several people

*Describe their physical characteristics You can do it one bit or slot descriptions in as you go. Describe… Continue

Added by John Dean on November 27, 2018 at 11:41 — No Comments

Your chance to protest at plan to scrap school librarians





A decision to replace trained school librarians with pupils has been criticised. The criticism came after it was reported that Sc…

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Added by John Dean on November 26, 2018 at 15:00 — No Comments

I'm in there somewhere!

I have been having some interesting discussions with crime writers recently about emotion.

Emotion is something of which some writers are…

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Added by John Dean on November 26, 2018 at 10:22 — No Comments

Writing a series

Writing a series brings with it its own challenges -…

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Added by John Dean on November 26, 2018 at 9:54 — No Comments

A spot of villainy

An important part of crime writing is creating villains. The golden rule is to make them credible; you have to make them real and not some clichéd villain lifted from the movies.…

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Added by John Dean on November 21, 2018 at 10:57 — No Comments

Audio books prove popular





I am delighted that the Jack Harris audio crime books Dead Hill, To Die Alone and The Vixen’s Scream, narrated by the excellent Nicholas Camm, are proving popular.…

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Added by John Dean on November 20, 2018 at 10:00 — No Comments

Books doing well

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Added by John Dean on November 12, 2018 at 14:18 — No Comments

Encouraging reviews

It is always humbling when readers post good reviews of your work, as has happened with…

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Added by John Dean on November 12, 2018 at 13:18 — No Comments

Book Week Scotland talks

As part of Book Week Scotland crime writer John Dean will be giving talks at Georgetown Library, Dumfries, at 6pm on Monday November 19 and at 2pm at Stranraer Library on Tuesday November 20.

Added by John Dean on November 5, 2018 at 9:54 — No Comments

Concern over library closure plan

Speaking in my capacity as the Crime Writers’ Association Libraries Champion in Scotland, I have to say that this story about proposed library closures is happening far too often – libraries should be treasured not closed…

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Added by John Dean on November 2, 2018 at 13:53 — No Comments

Writers on writing

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Added by John Dean on November 1, 2018 at 14:01 — No Comments

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An exciting character

Author Ian Robinson has a new crime novel out - and it’s attracting plenty of glowing reviews. Criminal Justice (The Book Folks) introduces undercover police officer Sam Batford, a man who walks the narrow line between successful detective and corrupt cop. The novel sees him sent to work with a serious crime team in London in an investigation which sees him play the good…See More
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Authors highlight different ways of starting to write a book

I have just started writing my next crime novel and I have more time to concentrate on it now that Kirkcudbright Book Week, which I help organise, has come to an end for this year.In fact, the subject of how best to begin a story cropped up during Book Week, not least when I chaired an in-conversation event at the Selkirk Arms, featuring crime writers Traude Ailinger,…See More
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Tackling the dreaded blank first page

 I am working on a new DCI John Bizzard crime novel for my publisher The Book Folks, and that means being faced with the dreaded blank first page.So, how do writers get going under such circumstances? How do they start writing their story? Well, in this hectic world, I have always felt that there is a lot to be said for holding back and allowing myself a little time to…See More
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