I have written before about the way that characters evolve and I am being given a striking example of that the more that I write of the latest DCI Jack Harris novel.

Main characters fall into two categories – rounded (also known as changing or dynamic) who change throughout the story, and static (flat) characters who don’t. Both can work well as…

Delighted that my good friend Bud Craig has had his latest crime novel published by The Book Folks.

Making A Killing is a British murder mystery featuring Private Investigator Gus Keane, the fourth book in which he has featured. The ebook is available now, the paperback will come in a few days.

In the novel, a…

Novelist John Dean is offering online courses for writing groups who may be struggling to meet in person during the current coronavirus restrictions.

Crime writer John, who is based in Dumfries and Galloway and has been a creative writing tutor for twenty years, will run courses that can be tailored to each writing group’s needs.

The…

As you may know, I have written blogs on the theme of back story before but the subject has come to mind again because I am well into the latest DCI Jack Harris novel for the excellent people at The Book Folks, which involves the detective revisiting events from his earlier career.

As authors, we need to be careful with back story, because, for all a character’s history is an important part of what they are, every instance of us delving into their past can have the effect of slowing…

It’s national Crime Reading Month and a lot of writers are producing blogs etc focusing on their craft and I am no exception.

It’s national Crime Reading Month and a lot of writers are producing blogs etc focusing on their craft and I am no exception.

Writing is a complex business, so many things to consider and each novel represents…

As part of my contribution to national Crime Reading Month, which due to the virus restrictions has gone online this year, I, like many other Crime Writers’ Association members, have taken part in question and answer sessions about everything from creating stories to surviving lockdown. You can read my replies at…

As I have said in previous blogs, you can create the finest landscapes, the greatest stories, the most remarkable writing but you can not make your stories live unless you have vivid characters. And that includes being prepared to let minor characters develop if they are telling you that they have a story to tell.

That is happening to me as I…

Looking to learn a new skill during these times of restrictions?

We are heading through May and that means that we are well into national Crime Reading Month.…

Quite a lot of the Facebook groups in which I am involved are debating the way in which books have been helping people through the current restrictions, and the media have increasingly been running articles exploring the topic on the back of research showing a sharp increase in reading.

As a crime writer, I have always wondered how readers view the genre, why it is so popular when, as authors, we spend our days making horrible things happen. If real-life is tough, why enter a…

I have recently been advising an aspiring crime writer on how to improve her work so that she can prepare it for submission to a publisher. One of the things we corresponded about was dialogue and I thought I would reiterate some of my thoughts on the subject.

Dialogue is crucial to any novel. Good dialogue lifts a story, bad dialogue wrecks it. However, writing dialogue isn’t about replicating a real-life conversation. It’s about giving an impression of it. The role…

I am fascinated by the way the writer’s mind works and particularly how creativity comes about. It may sound odd to say it but sometimes creativity is sidelined in the writing process. Writers get so involved in the craft of writing, pace, point of view, the correct use of words, grammar etc etc that somehow creativity gets bundled to one side.

One of the things that can aid creativity is planning. I have always thought that the time spent thinking in advance of beginning to write is…

It’s May – and that means its national Crime Reading Month! Due to the virus restrictions, the event has gone online this year and you can find a number of crime writers, including yours truly, talking about everything from surviving lockdown to seeking inspiration,…