Indiana jones. Sherlock Holmes. Juliet Capulet. The dream of every writer is to create a character that is so real – so believable – they take on a life of their own. From a commercial perspective, a great character will drive demand for more stories with that character in them. From a personal perspective, imagine [...]
[WARNING: This article contains spoilers for a selection of famous novels.] Throughout our lifetime, almost every one of us will read at least one book that changes us. A book with characters so life-like, so relatable, that you don’t want the story to end. And if you’re deeply connected to these characters, a sad ending [...]
When you lift the curtains on your story and welcome readers into your exciting new world, there are multiple challenges you must overcome in those initial moments. First, there’s the challenge of creating a strong first page – an instantly gripping opener that convinces the reader that yes, this seems like a journey well worth [...]
Comedy… why do we like it so much? What makes it different from other genres? And how can you add some funny scenes into your story to provide a bit of light relief? Briefly, comedy is what makes people laugh – but it’s also treacherously subjective. Home videos of people falling off trampolines can have [...]
Oft-quoted advice for writers is to write what you know. But what if you want to write about medieval Europe during the Black Death? Do you have to invent a time machine and pop back through the centuries with a backup supply of modern antibiotics? That might take a while – and possibly break some [...]
As you may well know, just because you’re writing fiction, it doesn’t mean you make up absolutely everything. Successful fiction usually comes from the art of weaving reality with imagination. A good writer lures readers in with imaginative details, but makes them stay with believable plots and people – and a single content or contextual [...]
