Creative, curious writing
The late, great Sir Terry Prachett advised writers to take the pressure off and write an ending even if it's not the real or final ending. Writers' HQ (brilliant resource) asks us if we are plotters (writing to a defined plot) or pantsers (pretty much making it up as we go along). Epilogues seem to... Continue Reading →
Or getting up close with the third-person POV. This point of view uses a narrator to tell you the story offering greater insight into events, characters and story points that don't directly involve the main character. Using he/she/they gives the writer distance and objectivity which is particularly helpful if you are working with an unreliable... Continue Reading →
This week I am exploring that most tricksy of genres - Creative Nonfiction The definition itself seems to be contradictory. If fiction is made up, does that mean that nonfiction must always be true? What is the extent of the writer’s ‘creative license’ and how to you measure it? What is the tipping point for... Continue Reading →
This week within the MA, we have been encouraged to look at genre-bending or blending. Using existing work; breaking it up, rewriting it and considering it from all angles. As I work through this week's reading and writing activities, I find one question rises to the top over again. What genre do I write in?... Continue Reading →
When it's a metaphor. We all know a good one when we see it. Something that evokes a feeling or a sensation without a drawn-out description. We also know a bad one when we read it. Something that pulls us out of the moment and away from the character. Some novels are overloaded with them,... Continue Reading →
The choice between first and third person has an impact on the way in which a story is read and often how it is constructed. But how do you decide if you want to be up-close or omniscient? There are many paths through a story but choosing who will be your guide and how reliable... Continue Reading →
Or when something is related to something that is already written. The concept of intertextuality suggests that all works of literature are a derivation of an existing work of literature which in turns suggests that nothing is really new. The original definition of intertextuality was coined by a French semiotician Julia Kristeva in the 1960s.... Continue Reading →
The art of writing fiction about writing fiction. Yeah I know! Wikipedia says that 'metafiction is a form of fiction that emphasises its own narrative structure in a way that continually reminds the audience that they are reading or viewing a fictional work. ' If there's a wikipedia page on Wikipedia, would that be classed as metafiction?... Continue Reading →
The tone of a novel or story can make or break it. But what is it? And more importantly, how can you get it right? An author's chosen style defines the mood and pace of the story creating the ebb and flow that carries the reader through the narrative. It forms the contract of engagement... Continue Reading →
Are you a maximalist or a minimalist? As part of the MA in creative writing, we were asked to consider our style and how it impacts our writing and also our reading. At one end of the scale you have the lush maximalism of Delia Owens 'When the Crawdads Sing' (Penguin, 2020) that draws you... Continue Reading →
The Curious Wordsmith 