10 Ways to ‘Show Rather than Tell’
Show, don’t tell – what does it mean? You don’t have to be a writer long to get the classic writing advice, ‘Show, don’t tell,’ lodged in your psyche. It’s normal to write first drafts packed with telling sentences like, ‘she...
How Long Does it Take to Write a Novel?
When I google, ‘How long does it take to write a novel?’, the first result says this: ‘A good rule of thumb is to allot at least 4 months to write a book.’ The article proposes a year as the maximum timescale. This guidance doesn’t quite...
The Key to Compelling Fiction
Many writers come to literary consultants with manuscripts that are already beautifully written and well edited but simply don’t have that gripping quality, and even the most ‘literary’ fiction should compel you to turn pages. When editors talk about...
How to Find Your Hook
Pitching is one of the final skills you have to learn as a novelist. Many gatekeepers look for a strong ‘hook’ when deciding whether to give a submission serious attention, which means proving your story’s worth in the cover letter, before...