Category Archives: Technique

Getting the words out

Knowing why we cry

Posted on 3 July, 2010 by Ian Cundell

I have been thinking about last week’s finale of Dr Who (or rather the last two weeks, it was a two parter). I know what you’re thinking: a) you sad git and b) what’s that got to do with crying? … Continue reading →

Posted in Analysis, Film and TV scriptwriting, Inspiration, Technique | Leave a comment

Memo to fans: let the storyteller tell it

Posted on 25 May, 2010 by Ian Cundell

The past week has seen the conclusion of two popular (probably influential, arguably seminal) TV series, the BBC’s Life on Mars/ Ashes to Ashes and ABC’s Lost. Both series dealt with strikingly similar themes (I’ll put them under the broad … Continue reading →

Posted in Analysis, Film and broadcast, Technique | Leave a comment

A short dilemma

Posted on 17 May, 2010 by Jenny Barden

A short story is ‘a world seen in a quick glancing light,’ so said Alice Munro. It’s a ‘glance at the miraculous,’ according to Joseph O’Connor (in his introduction to the 1997 Fish Anthology). It allows ‘a glimpse into the … Continue reading →

Posted in Analysis, Technique, The hard slog | 4 Comments

Hothouse flowers

Posted on 7 May, 2010 by Julie Mayhew

If you’re searching for a warm climate to help your writing grow, you could try Scotland… It worked for me.

Posted in Inspiration, Technique, The hard slog | Leave a comment

Accuracy in writing

Posted on 11 April, 2010 by Kevin Bennett

Why we need proofreaders – or writers’ circles - using our old whipping horse Dan Brown as an example!

Posted in Analysis, Critique, Technique, The hard slog, Writers in action | 3 Comments

5 things that Science Fiction and Fantasy could do without

Posted on 1 April, 2010 by Toby Frost

1. False moral quandaries. The ability of SFF to distort reality and then claim to be addressing real-world issues is rarely raised, but it can lead to false morals being drawn. Say our hero uses a spell to kill all … Continue reading →

Posted in Analysis, Pet Peeve, Technique | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Five things you should never do …

Posted on 26 September, 2009 by Kevin Bennett

… when recovering from a general anaesthetic: 1: Drive a car 2: Operate machinery 3: Use sharp objects without supervision 4: Babysit for a relative or friend. (You could get away with babysitting for a stranger if you could make … Continue reading →

Posted in Agents: can't live with 'em, can't kill 'em, Life, don't talk to me about life, Technique, The hard slog | 3 Comments

On discourse and the net

Posted on 28 April, 2009 by Ian Cundell

Interesting essay on the impact of the Internet on discourse and, especially, written discourse. That it has a “Warning: long” flag at the top speaks volumes.

Posted in Analysis, State of the media, Technique | 1 Comment

Daily haiku

Posted on 8 October, 2008 by Kate Allan

I have just started the A215 creative writing course with the Open University. An immediate benefit is that it is introducing me to forms, subject-matters and approaches I have hitherto not experimented with. One of this week’s exercises is to … Continue reading →

Posted in Inspiration, Technique | Tagged , , | 23 Comments

Confused…

Posted on 17 April, 2008 by CherylA

Contemporary ‘rules’ for ‘good’ (publishable) writing include – ‘show, not tell’, short sentences, avoiding material not relevant to the plot or other digressions, and so on. Whether it’s assessing VWC member’s stories, or reading articles/books on what agents, publishers, readers … Continue reading →

Posted in Agents: can't live with 'em, can't kill 'em, On writing, Publishers, Technique, The Industry | 24 Comments