The Creative Writing Blog

One of the biggest concerns many people have when they delve into creative writing is untapping – and maintaining – their writer’s voice. While concerns like fitting in a certain...

Have you ever felt tempted to throw in the writing towel? It’s a pretty universal stage in the writing process, but if anyone can speak to the importance of powering through it’s...

Don’t we all love Back to School September? August is the cruellest month for writers. As it draws to a close, we salute all of you who have made it through the month with your...

Writing a dual timeline book brings up many questions. Should you write one story first, then the other and weave them together? Or should you write in chronological sequence? 

You might be...

There’s no denying the importance of atmosphere, particularly in the opening chapters of a story. At the start of a novel, we really need to focus on drawing the reader in and setting the...

When we start writing, most of us are hoping for a good, clean writing style. That being said, it’s easy to venture into long sentences, purple prose, and other tell-tale signs of...

The writing process can feel like a long one; when you’re working on your rough draft, the final draft of a manuscript seems almost unfathomable. Even the difference between the first and...

Meet our writing coach Emylia Hall, a bestselling author and a Richard and Judy Book Club favourite. She's a wonderful teacher, a mother, a fellow of The Royal Literary Fund, and she's currently...

The bestselling author of The Girl in the Red Coat, Kate Hamer explores the story starter of fairy tales. Fairy tales are filled with potential to inspire all kinds of new and intriguing stories...

If anyone knows about writing crime fiction, it’s Mark Billingham. One of the UK’s most acclaimed and popular crime novelists, Mark’s series featuring DI Tom Thorne has twice...

Understanding the intricacies of story is such an essential tool for anyone trying to write a book. All the genres require a solid bedrock of story. Whether you’re writing a factual or...

Katie Khan is an author of speculative fiction novels, where science fiction meets romance, and a writing coach at The Novelry. Here Katie Khan tells us about her writing journey. 

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If you’re wondering how to write the first chapter of a novel, we can relate. It’s a big question!

After all, the first chapter of a novel needs to do some heavy lifting to start the...

Ever wondered where novelists find ideas for their books? How do we get to that first, all-important step on the quest to write a novel? And how can we burrow far into the real and imagined worlds...