Book ideas don’t often come to you whole and complete, writes founder of The Novelry, Louise Dean. But that doesn’t mean fretting over story ideas should be an obstacle to starting to...

At The Novelry we like to tell our writers that when it comes to novel writing, there are no rules, only tools.

Then we give them the tools. One by one, day-by-day. Use them, try them, pick...

For many people, the writing process involves regular crises of confidence and ‘realisations’ that you’re a terrible writer. Even commercially successful writers who’ve won...

Anyone who’s tried to write a novel has probably wanted to give up on it at some point (or at many points!). But usually, these are just hiccoughs – blips of self-doubt in which we need...

Few novels hold a place in our culture as bright and distinct as F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. With its enigmatic and magnetic protagonist, Jay Gatsby, the intriguing narrator in...

Have you considered the connections between the great Sally Rooney and the writings of F. Scott Fitzgerald? Our founder, Louise Dean, has! And in this blog post, she explores how one of the...

In this blog post, our founder Louise Dean shares why she chose Philip Roth’s Everyman as her book of a lifetime. Philip Roth was an American novelist and short story writer,...

Any tale of any kind told to humans by humans is and has ever been a morality tale. Before the novel we had the morality play or allegorical play, with personified virtues and villains exhorting...

We’ve all heard of fables, but they may not be something we consciously think about very often. In fact, many people pay no mind to fables after they close their big book of Aesop’s...

We are storytelling animals. We are raised in a nursery of fairy tales, and they teach us how stories work.

In our storytelling foundation course to help you come up with a...

Playtime as children is partially a rehearsal for growing older, for trying on lives. As children, we put on the clothes –  the ties and high heels – of our parents and try them...

Many writers have questions about how to write the middle of a story. It can be a really exciting section to write; your characters are developed, your protagonist is beginning to transform, and...

When writers write, we often get fixated on productivity and our daily word counts. And it’s normal! It’s work where quality and output are often intangible, and there are so many other...

In this blog post, our founder Louise Dean recounts a meeting with Gore Vidal, a conversation they had on the topic of Empire, and some of his great quotes. Whether you are a huge fan of the late...