Welcome to my first Sunday Check-In. Every week I will post a check-in and corresponding vlog to keep you all updated on what I’ve been up to. Expect writing updates, reading reviews and sneak previews of my work in progress. For the vlog, you can find it on YouTube here. Don’t forget to subscribe if…
There’s always someone telling you how you should write, that you must follow these steps and this routine to succeed as a writer. Then you find other people who tell you that these rules are utter nonsense. It can be difficult to know who to believe. As with any creative pursuit, writing has lots of…
What is Mary Sue Syndrome? The term ‘Mary Sue’ is one that has been used to describe a character archetype that is too perfect. It originated in the Star Trek fandom in a parody fanfiction. It is an archetype that is especially common in fanfiction. Essentially it is a character, usually the primary protagonist, who…
So, you’ve got your book idea and you’ve started writing it. You’ve produced an outline and set up your plot, you’ve gotten to know your characters and how they are going to develop throughout your story. Great. But for some reason, your characters have developed a mind of their own. What if they decide to…
People always tell you not to edit until you’ve finished the first draft. Is this true? Or is there something to be said for editing as you go? Let’s have a look at the pros and cons of each option. Edit As You Go Pros of editing as you go Cons of editing as you…
Introducing Your Characters So you’ve got your characters and you are ready to start introducing them. Great! Where do you start? A lot of newer writers can fall into a trap when it comes to making the first introduction of their characters, especially the main character. Starting off your first page with a huge infodump…
