Writers must make a major decision before they start writing: which viewpoint do they use?

Most authors go for the conventional…

Following on from my previous blogs on creating characters, a word about minor characters and the care you need to take when creating them.

But why spend unnecessary time on insignificant characters in the first place? Some may be so negligible that they won’t even get names: the…

The Wigtown Book Festival is nearly upon us with loads of brilliant events and some big name authors making an appearance at the Dumfries and Galloway town in late September - check it out at http://www.wigtownbookfestival.com/

Tickets have gone on sale for the Crime Writers’ Association’s dinner on October 25 when all ten winners of this year’s CWA Daggers will be revealed. The event is at the Grange City Hotel in Cooper’s Row, London at 6.30pm for 7pm.…

There is a debate within writing circles about what has become known as ‘show and tell’.

No, this is not about small children excitedly showing manky things found on the beach to their classmates, rather an important writing technique.

The argument goes like this: for you to truly engage your reader, you must make them feel that they are there when the action is happening, rather than someone telling them about it later.

It matters because if you fail to draw your reader…

The programme has been announced for the excellent Durham Book Festival. The festival takes place in and around the beautiful city of Durham each October.

Events are held in a range of iconic venues including the historic Durham Town Hall, Durham…

One of the things that fascinates me is the way that writers tackle difficult subjects.

There are various reasons for embracing tough subjects, one of which is, of course, that difficult subjects make for dramatic stories.…

Emotion is something of which some writers are wary, preferring to produce work without revealing too much of themselves. However, for many other writers, there cannot be fiction without a sense of themselves in it.…

Are you a budding writer with an interest in the coast and the natural or historic environment? Or do you work with young people or adults who are interested in writing?…

Seeking inspiration for your writing? Fancy writing in a 160-year-old house on a hill? Looking to learn more about how writers draw inspiration from their surroundings? Like to find a peaceful corner of a garden to write (weather permitting!)? And all with delicious home-cooked meals?…

The idea for my DCI John Blizzard novel A Breach of Trust, published by the Book Folks, grew through my experiences as a newspaper journalist in the eighties and nineties.

During that time, I reported on many business closures, from mines to factories, shipyards to shops, and witnessed the devastating effect that they had on people and communities.

As a newspaper man I myself worked at several titles which went through rounds of job cutting and each time strong emotions were…

Continuing my recurring theme of evoking reactions in your reader, I think that good writing is about triggers - words, phrases, images, places, sensations that reach deep into the reader’s mind.

That reaction will be based on something the reader has actually experienced, or maybe something that the reader dreads ever having to experience. It is why horror and…

I recently taught a creative writing course part of which focused on the unreliable narrator, a character who tells a story that the reader cannot take at face value.…