NaNoWriMo Author Advice: Day Twenty-Four
We’re into the last week of National Novel Writing Month and on day twenty-four, Margaret James, the author of The Wedding Diary and The Silver Locket joins us to talk about creating good supporting characters….
Make sure your supporting characters add interest and depth to the central story, as opposed to start telling a story of their own, distracting the reader from the fates of the hero and heroine and splitting your story in two.
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NaNoWriMo Author Advice: Day Twenty-Three
Jill Mansell is the best-selling author of Don’t Want To Miss a Thing and Rumour Has It. She joins us on day twenty-three of NaNoWriMo to talk about what makes a perfect hero….
A perfect hero? Easy – all the good aspects and none of the less enticing ones that real men tend to have! Seriously, just make the hero someone you would LOVE to meet, both physically and mentally. But most of all, give him a charismatic personality. Identikit characters let down so many otherwise well written books. And good luck to everyone doing NaNoWriMo!
by NaNoWriMo Author Advice: Day Twenty-Two
We are almost at the end of National Novel Writing Month. On day twenty-two, Sophie Duffy, the author of The Generation Game and This Holey Life, talks about what to do when you’re working on your draft and you hit the stage where you’re flagging…
Write in different places. In the car. In a cafe. With a writing buddy. Read a book. Watch a film. Listen to a radio drama. Have a long bath or a dog walk or a swim, where you can wrestle, really wrestle, with a tricky plot point. (And remember that every plot difficulty can be overcome. You’re in charge.) Write long hand. On lined paper. On plain paper. In a beautiful notebook. You will see the text in a different way and have an altered perspective on your writing. And if you are really stuck ask the question: what is the worst thing that can happen to my character right now?
by NaNoWriMo Author Advice: Day Twenty One
It’s day twenty one of National Novel Writing Month. Talli Roland, the author of Last Christmas and The Pollyanna Plan, chats about finding the time to write…
With a young baby and masses of deadlines heading my way, finding the time – or making the time – to write has become of critical importance. For me, setting targets and creating a routine is the only way to do it. If I don’t schedule in the writing hours, I know they won’t happen! Whether it’s getting up at five in morning or squeezing in a few words before bedtime, I love ending the day feeling like I’ve accomplished my goal.
by NaNoWriMo Author Advice: Day Twenty
It’s day twenty of National Novel Writing Month. Paige Toon, the author of Johnny’s Girl and The Longest Holiday talks about the internal editor….
If I let my internal editor take over, I would never write a book a year – let alone two. It used to take me more time to write the first fifth of my books than the entire rest of it – mainly because I kept reading over that first fifth again and again, editing it over and over, instead of letting my thoughts flow through to the rest of the book. Far better to push on and come back to the early stuff later when you have a much better overall view of what the book needs. Of course, it’s easier said than done. I’m still a total control freak!
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