The Creative Writing Blog

_{From the desk of Kate Riordan.}

While ‘suspense’ as a genre might mean slightly different things to publishers and readers, for writers hoping to position themselves in this part of the...

Today we're delighted to launch a new course at The Novelry: The Second Novel Course. Our Founder Louise Dean looks back on how she wrote her second novel and beyond; how ideas sometimes come fully...

_{From the desk of Craig Leyenaar.}

I have this thing that I do when I’m watching films. Sometimes I predict what the next line of dialogue is and more often than not, it’s pretty bang on....

Happy Easter, writers.

'Tis the season for lighter evenings and warmer months (for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, at least!), and we're marking this long holiday weekend with a...

AJ Pearce is the Sunday Times bestselling author of Dear Mrs Bird and Yours Cheerfully, both part of The Emmy Lake Chronicles series. AJ’s novels have been published in more than twenty...

_{From the desk of Katie Khan.}

Have you ever read a book with a fantastic story, only to wish the dialogue was – well, a little better written? ‘The characters all sounded the...

_{From the desk of Katie Khan.}

Lately I have become obsessed with how we first meet our favourite characters in books. Whether they’re honourable, ethical good guys, or down-and-out criminals...

Sarah Winman is the bestselling, prize-winning author of When God Was a Rabbit,  A Year of Marvellous Ways and Tin Man. Her new novel Still Life is published in June 2021. ...

From the desk of Katie Khan.

First drafts are precious. They are tender, private, and for your eyes only.

A first draft is a chance to tell yourself the story; to figure out the hopes and dreams of...

From the Desk of Katie Khan.

As I tackle a new draft of my latest novel, I’m confronted once again by my own unpolished prose sitting ugly on the page, trying too hard.

It’s true that...