Switch Things Up to Break Writer’s Block

When your current writing project has stalled and you’re feeling uninspired, it may be time to try something new. This method of beating the block comes with a warning, though.

Key Ingredients for a Great Thriller Character

A good thriller should be brimming with suspense, high stakes, plot twists and heart-stopping moments, but with all that going on, it’s easy to sacrifice depth of character in favour of plot. So here are the key ingredients for a thriller character.

5 ways you’re weakening your ‘strong female characters’

Female characters can’t just be er…female and characters, they have to be ‘strong female characters’. But what does that mean? Well, I think it was supposed to mean female characters who did more than get kidnapped, married or died. Strong female characters are supposed to be more than something for the men to kiss or…

Breaking Promises You’ve Made to Your Reader

Every time you start a story you make a series of promises to your reader. These are the things your reader expects of you and your story, in exchange for their time, emotional investment and money (hopefully).

How to write people of colour and ‘the other’

A practical guide to writing people of colour. However, a lot of this advice applies to anyone writing the other, such as men writing women, also writing about disabled or non-cis characters if you are neither of these things.

An Introduction to Arcs: Laying the Foundations for the Rocky Road of Writing

A Story Arc is a way of feeling how your story develops throughout the work; where a character’s conflicts and challenges lie and where they may succeed and fail in meeting them. Let’s imagine we’re writing a story and so we’re going to

Writing Advice from Non-Writers #2

Good writing advice can come from unusual places. This week Jim Rohn, businessman, on staying motivated.

5 Things about Character Names

“He doesn’t look like a Paul“. Ever heard that phrase, or something similar? Like it or not, there’s more to a character’s name than just a title. Your character’s name does a lot more than provide a hook to hang their hat on. Of course, you could just make up the first name that comes…

Writing Advice from Non-Writers #1

Writing advice from non-writers #1: Josh Homme tackles the issue of fear with some wise words.

9 Black Character Stereotypes to Avoid in Your Writing

Congratulations, you’re writing a story with a diverse set of characters. This is a great thing and needs to be supported. A fear of political correctness mustn’t stop writers from creating characters from other races, religions or walks of life. Writing from beyond your own experience takes a little bit more thought and work, but that’s our job, right? The first step to writing non-white characters is understanding the mistakes of the past. So here’s my checklist for avoiding the most common black character stereotypes…