The Creative Writing Blog

‘Show, Don’t Tell.’ It’s a classic piece of writing advice editors love to dish out, particularly to new writers. It’s touted as pretty much the golden rule of fiction...

Before we get into the specifics of different story structures, it’s worth considering the importance of having a solid scaffold for your tale. Although structuring your story might seem...

Have you got a story so rich it warrants an entire series? Are your main characters so complex that their character arcs span multiple books? If so, lucky you! The prospect of writing a series is...

Halloween is here and in the spirit of the spooky season, we’ve been thinking about gothic literature and how we can write gothic fiction that sends shivers down our readers’ spines....

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the enormity of a task – for instance, writing a book? Well here’s your handy guide to breaking it down into manageable chunks that you’ll...

For many writers, the question of how to start a story is one of the most panic-inducing. Whether it’s because you know too much or too little about your characters, world and events,...

Given both love and storytelling are as old as time, it’s no wonder the question of how to write a love story has so absorbed us.

And it’s possible that this question is only becoming...

Are you curious about how to write a murder mystery? The endeavour can be baffling and thrilling in equal measure. If you want to try your hand at murder mysteries, try these five top tips...

Suspense writing is an amorphous and multifaceted concept, but Kate Riordan wants to make it straightforward.

Having written five novels – including the Richard and Judy book club pick The...

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 same.’

‘Nobody talks like...

As you set about writing – or editing – a gripping novel, you might come up against the question of how to add tension to your story. Maybe you’ve got a great idea that packs in...

The villains in children’s books are often what make stories come alive. Good baddies (if you will) capture the imagination – especially of a child. They’re who kids most...

The end of solitude? Or a value choice? What's behind a love story? In a time in which we are all ragged, estranged, and feeling peculiarly close-to-the-edge sentimental, our blog this week...

We can find much inspiration in writing dystopian fiction, and a writer’s dystopian world is a great place to exorcise fears and test solutions to our society’s crises. In short, if you...