A newsletter for novel writers looking for inspiration and advice on their creative journey.
As writers, we always hear that familiar old adage: Write what you know. Most often, we take this to mean that we should write about our own lives. Many well-known…
Perhaps Ernest Hemingway was being dramatic when he said ‘There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at the typewriter and bleed.’ But writing a novel is…
When you’re writing a novel – especially if it’s your first – it can be easy to second-guess yourself. A lot of us look for a blueprint to follow so…
There are millions of things going on these days that divert our attention from what matters. Scrambling to reply to that email… Hitting ‘play’ on the next episode of your…
Every character has thoughts, opinions and a past that has shaped them into who they are. Character development is the process of creating this persona, then changing and adapting it…
Any great story involves a cast of varied characters who each play an integral role. But ‘minor’ characters are an often overlooked element of storytelling. Many prospective writers position secondary characters…
The best way to learn how to write fiction is to read a lot of fiction. I hear this advice over and over again, and I wholeheartedly agree. Sometimes, though,…
Asking ‘How many drafts should you write for a novel?’ is kind of like asking ‘How long is a piece of string?’. Every writer has a process that works for…
Plot versus character. Two heavyweight wrestlers stepping into the ring. The question on many writers’ lips is: who will win? It’s a common conundrum, with many writers wondering where they…
The first two answers that leapt to my mind when I saw the question ‘How long does it take to write a novel?’ were: As long as it takes; and…
Writer’s Edit is a newsletter for novel writers looking for inspiration and advice on their creative journey.