Turning Ideas Into Words
The publishing industry has changed a lot over the last 15 years. When I did my degree (2004-07), self-publishing really wasn’t an option. Editors, cover designers, and marketing experts were all focused primarily on working with publishing companies, rather than directly with authors.
In October 2019, I finally reach the last page of the first draft of my first novel. I learned a lot while I worked on it, and am learning even more now as I continue through the editing process.
So, here's what we know about the publishing industry (whether you are interested in traditional publishing or self-publishing): It's incredibly competitive Writers have about 3 pages to hook a reader Realistically, it's less than 3 pages Did I mention it's INCREDIBLY competitive? I think you get the idea. In the past I have talked about… Continue reading First Impressions: Protagonists
Over the coming weeks, I will be spending some time looking at character types. Before I get into that, let’s think a bit about Character Agency. If you are not familiar with this term, it is essentially the idea that our characters have the ability to make choices (they have agency over their own stories).… Continue reading Character Agency
Just over a year ago, my best friend and fellow writer, Sarah Jayne Tanner, kindly wrote a guest post for me on the subject of Dialogue. It was such a good piece that I didn’t feel the need to revisit the subject in my own blog topics for a while. If you haven’t read it,… Continue reading Dialogue 2.0
If you follow me on Twitter, or follow this blog, you may have seen over the last couple of weeks that I FINALLY finished the first draft of my first novel. I say “FINALLY” because in total it took me about 12 years to complete. Rather than just share my excitement at its completion, I… Continue reading What took you so long?
These days, there are many ways to communicate the written word, so the options for writers and how they get their ideas into the real world are pretty much endless. Over the last few years, I have come across people who write direct on to their laptop. By that, I mean they type. Literally writing… Continue reading The Joy of Writing by Hand
As you may have been able to work out by now, I am a Planner when it comes to novel writing. That’s not to say I always stick to said plans, but I certainly find it easier to work when I have a clear idea of what I’m doing. This means having a plan in… Continue reading Pre-Book Timeline
I’ve become aware recently that there is an ongoing debate in the writing community as to the merits (or lack thereof) of using a prologue. Many writers seem to be of the opinion that if a scene warrants being included at the start of a book, then there is no reason for that scene to… Continue reading Prologue or Con[logue]
Last week I was looking at the process of naming places in your fictional world. If you missed that post, you can find it here. This week, I’ll be looking at naming characters. I have mentioned before that I really enjoy the process of naming things for whichever project I am working on. Giving someone… Continue reading The Name Game: Characters
Rachael Farrimond 