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Self-Editing: a Four-Step Approach to Polishing Your Novel | Janet Gover
Give your work the best possible chance in the increasing tough world of publishing. Learn how to self-edit your work. Polish your work and present it to others at its very best.
Pace, Pitch & Perfection… Knocking Your First Chapter Out of the Park! | Soraya M. Lane
From the very first line, your book has to hook an editor, agent or reader. We all know what it’s like; a cover catches our eye at our local bookstore, and we pick it up. The first thing we do is read the back cover blurb, and the next thing? We read the first page! Some might skip to the middle for a quick look, but research suggests it’s that first page that decides whether we’re going to buy the book or not. When it comes to sending your manuscript to an editor or agent, you might only get the …
Critiquing is for Scaredy-cats and Recluses Too | Sandy Vaile
Critiquing tends to evoke strong opinions in the writing community: people either swear by it or avoid it like the plague. So, will it be a benefit or handicap to you? This depends on who you partner with, your openness to feedback and how long you stick at it. Embracing critiquing can improve the quality of your writing immensely. I know, because I’ve seen it work repeatedly. When I started The Novelists’ Circle group in 2010, I had no idea what an effective tool it would be for so many fiction writers. That first night there were three nervous writers …
Worldbuilding – not just for fantasy writers! | Sue-Ellen Pashley
Worldbuilding is often seen as the domain of fantasy writers. But it’s so much more than just creating a fantasy world. It’s in the foundation of every story – even those set in the real world. It encompasses where we set our story in both location and time, it’s the mood of the book, the way our characters move in their setting and environment, the reason why our characters interact as they do. The world pushes on our characters and the characters push back in some way – just as we do in real life! It draws the reader in, …
Perfecting Your Pitch & Plotting Your Story | Soraya M. Lane.
Whether you’re a new writer starting out or an already published author, one thing you have to be good at is pitching. This is as true for someone querying agents as it is for someone already working with an editor? Why? Because pitching doesn’t stop when you sell your first or even your 30th book – trust me, I’m in the thick of writing pitches right now! I’m fortunate to be able to sell ideas at proposal stage, thanks to working with my editors for some time, but if I can’t write a good, short pitch to hook their attention, …
MARCH OWL | Playing at being God: effective and fun world-building with Sue-Ellen Pashley
Course Dates: 4 — 31 March 2019Cost: RWA Member—$55. Non-RWA Member—$88.Venue: Online RWA Moodle Platform Booking link: www.trybooking.com/ZQRA About the course… World-building is an important element of any story and, when done well, can become a character in its own right. But how do you make sure that you’re an effective ‘God’? How can you ensure that your world, whether it’s real, alternative or imaginary, makes sense and is a good foundation for your characters and plot? And how much is enough? This course will give participants strategies, information and checklists to help you get this right. The course will …
Why don’t you need a website?
So many beginner writers ask me ‘do I really need a website?’. Of course, the answer is a resounding yes, but in my view they are really saying something quite different. I think they all know they need a website, but they are worried, scared and generally feeling overwhelmed at the idea of creating one. Or getting someone else to create one. Expensive. Tech nerdy. Complicated. So they try to avoid it and ask ‘do I really need a website?’ in the hope that I will say that of course they can go ahead and build a fabulous writing career …
How to set up a Weebly website in 4 easy lessons
Presented by Sara Hood Course Dates: 4 February — 3 March 2019 Cost: RWA Member—$55. Non-RWA Member—$88. Venue: Facebook Booking link: www.trybooking.com/ZOIH About the course… As writers, we need to have a website. It doesn’t need to be complex, but it does need to exist. How do we do that with limited resources, both financial and time? Easy! Weebly. A simple, drag and drop online website builder and host that requires minimal technical knowledge to set up. And I do mean minimal. If you can fill your car with petrol, you can make a Weebly website. This course will show …
Appeal to readers with emotive showing and telling
Show don’t tell is yelled from roof tops and preached at literary alters, and yet it remains one of the most problematic maxims for fiction writers around the globe. It’s the telling part that gives us the most trouble because it is inherent in the art of storytelling. So, how can you make sense of the maxim and successfully apply it to your writing? In this article we’re going to explore the importance of avoiding key storytelling pitfalls and change the way you view showing and telling. “Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light …