Writing novels

Writing a novel It’s a big subject; it’s a lot of hard work. It’s a minefield but at the same time it is rewarding and sometimes great fun to do. I don’t know that I am in a position to hand out advice really but maybe if I recount our experience then maybe that will be advice of a sort, perhaps. It was at the start of last year, sometime in January I think. I had been chatting to Lisa, (elffriend to older members,) we had just finished NaNoWriMo (national novel writing month,) where we both successfully completed the 50000 words in a month competition. During our chats it was suggested that ... more

Since there are so many budding writers on Ciao, I thought I would write a piece from a publishers point of view, to try to point budding authors in the right direction. I hope the following will be useful for anyone who is trying to get their work published without the help of a literary agent (although I do highly recommend getting one if you are trying to get your work published by large publishing companies. ) You can look for a literary agent via booktrust.org.uk (or booktrusted.com for childrens books.) There is also some very good advice for authors at http://www.booktrust.org.uk/getpub ... more

I’m not a published novelist (yet!), so it has taken me a while to pluck up the courage to write in this category. First my qualifications for doing so – I have written for a living (in PR), I have done creative writing courses, I was an only child with few friends and an over-active imagination, I have written a children’s book which has been favourably assessed by a publisher and I have been taken on as a prospective author by that publisher (they like to commission books rather than take them on spec., and they are going to commission me). So here are my – amateur ... more

This is the first chapter of my book. I am currently on chapter 6 and am looking for some invaluable tips/pointers. I know its hard to tell where its going from such a short caption but i though it would be a good template to use on this topic as well. Chapter I ? Lights in the Dark Everything was perfectly still and quiet. The beautiful silhouette of what can only be described as the perfect woman bathed in the brightness of her surrounding glow ? as if illuminated by some divine spotlight, yet still somehow in shadow so that her brilliantly sculpted curves seemed to flow at the edges of her ... more

There's a popular saying that everyone has a novel in them. What's less popular is the notion that many of these masterpieces should stay there. Of course, that's overly harsh to those many people who are writing purely for their own pleasure. These folk should relax, get on with it, get the most out of it, and enjoy themselves. No problem there. For everyone who wishes to write professionally, producing novels to unleash upon the unsuspecting public, this op may or may not be useful. A lot of what I see written about novels, and how to write them, makes me squirm, so forgive me if I seem a ... more