24 June 2019 - What's new
24 June 2019
- The first draft - 'The toughest part of the whole process is going from the outline to the first draft. When you are writing the outline you can do anything from changing the gender of a character to reseting the whole thing in Egypt. You are all-powerful. After you have made those decisions, you come to the stage where each sentence in our outline has to be turned into four or five pages of prose. This is where the real imaginative work comes in...' Ken Follett, author of The Kingsbridge Series and The Century Trilogy from the Masterclass on his website. Our Comment.
- The Aesthetica Creative Writing Award 2019 is open to writers across the world. Entry fees are: Short Fiction £13.50, Poetry £9. There's £1,000 prize money for the Poetry winner and for the Short Fiction Winner, and it's closing on 31 August.
- From Joanne PhillipsUK-based freelance writer and ghostwriter. She has had articles published in national writing magazines, and has ghostwritten books on subjects as diverse as hairdressing and keeping chickens. Visit her at www.joannephillips.co.uk, The Business of Writing for Self-publishing authors offers terrific advice for all writers: 'Self-publishing authors - also known as ‘indie' authors or author-publishers - have had a steep learning curve these past few years. Getting to grips with the various sales channels available to them, producing top quality ebooks and paperbacks, and finding a place in mainstream outlets have left many writers struggling to keep up with the paperwork. What follows is a brief guide to the essentials your self-publishing business needs - because it is a business, even if you only publish one book!'
- Our links: is this something to be worried about? New chapter? UK print book sales fall while audiobooks surge 43% | Books | The Guardian; why it can give you a powerful gift - insight into your own relationship to the creative process, Writer's Block Is a Gift. Here's Why. | Jane Friedman; five years ago, she wrote an essay for the Guardian that nearly ended her career, Who's afraid of Kathleen Hale? and why tariffs on books from China are bad news, The Book Industry Speaks Out Against China Tariffs.
- Tips for writers is our 8-part crash course for writers who are starting out, taking you from Promoting Your Writing (and Yourself), from Self-publishing: is it for you? to Keep up to date and Submission to publishers and agents. 'Think about the market for your book. Research the category and read widely to see what other published writers in this area are doing. Which writers are successful and why? Visit bookshops and analyse what you find there. If you are reading this you are probably already writing, but it really is worth thinking right from the beginning about your readers, as that makes it far more likely you'll eventually find them...'
- Are you now ready to submit to publishers or to self-publish? We offer the widest range of editorial services on the web, tailored to writers' requirements and carried out by our professional editors, Our Services for writers.
- More links: "the hardest working woman in trash fiction", Judith Krantz, the romance novelist with more than 80 million copies in print, dies at 91 - Los Angeles Times; everybody gets rejected at some point, but here are some rejection letters to well-known authors, quoted in full, "Perhaps We're Being Dense." Rejection Letters Sent to Famous Writers | Literary Hub; "African publishing is the new frontier," said Kenyan novelist Ngugi wa Thiong'o, The Fight to Improve Publishing in Africa; and a stunning story of literacy making a difference, Andy McNab: ‘At 16, I read my first book - and it changed my life' | Life and style | The Guardian.
- From Judith Krantz, who died this week, in our Writers' Quotes: ‘If you're going to write a good erotic scene, you have to go into details. I don't believe in thunder and lightning and fireworks exploding. I think people want to know what's happening.'
- For quotes fans we have superb collections in More Writers' Quotes and Even More Quotes.
