Are predictable stories a sign of bad writing? This is a common writing myth that almost didn't make it into my most recent book, Writing Myths! It...
VIDEO: Are Predictable Stories a Sign of Bad Writing?
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Writing
How to Write Three-Dimensional Characters Your Readers Will Love
For a story to work, we need to create characters our readers will connect with. We wanted Harry to defeat Voldemort. We wanted Harry and Sally to...
Interview with Clare Stevens
How did you get into writing? When I was very young, before I could read and write, my older sister used to tell me ghost stories that came from her...
Hemingway vs Grammarly
Though I have seen countless adverts online for both Hemingway and Grammarly, until recently I had never tried either of them out. It was entirely...
What Does ‘Write What You Know’ Actually Mean?
‘Write what you know,’ said my English teacher. I was ten, and I’d just swum with dolphins, so that’s what I wrote about. But I also read and...
How NOT to Start a Copywriting Business
In 2016 I started a copywriting business after leaving a toxic job. I spent months second guessing my work and struggled to make the improvements a...
How to Write About Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia was first discovered in 1990. It’s the same age as me. I wasn’t officially diagnosed until early last year, but, looking back, both I...
How to Finish Writing a Book
So you've spent months---maybe years---obsessing over your characters. The colour of their eyes. The way they eat, speak, sleep. But you're still no...
Lessons From Self-Publishing: How Publishing 4 Books Has Changed Me
In April 2016, I sat on the grey fabric sofa of our living room, my hands shaking. Boyfriend sat on the arm of the sofa beside me, waiting. I hit...
How I Failed NaNoWriMo and Why That’s Ok
Hi. My name is Ellie and I failed to complete NaNoWriMo. Phew. It feels good to get that off my chest. It is incredibly hard to admit that you...