This is the third of eight pieces I prepared for a writing weekend we held recently in Stow-on-the-Wold. I set out to explore the ways in which we can make readers care. It’s not a course but it is a guide that I hope you’ll find useful. This week on the water This week I’m looking at the emotional architecture of story: While we often focus on plot mechanics and character development in our stories, the most powerful narratives are built on a carefully constructed emotional framework that...
8 days ago • 4 min read
This is the second of eight meditations on the elements of a story that make readers care about the fate of your protagonist. Last week, I talked about the big emotional question that every story must ask and answer. In today’s piece I tackle voice: This week on the water What we all love in a story are characters who feel authentic, independent and alive. If we’re aware that behind the scenes a clever author is manipulating the strings that control their movements and their choices, we lose...
15 days ago • 5 min read
The beating heart of your story Over the next eight weeks I’m going to be talking about how you can master the elements of story that make readers care. It’s not a course – although it is based on the remarks I made at our annual Stow-on-the-Wold writing workshop – but it is a guide that I hope you’ll find useful. This week on the water Here goes… Let me start with a simple observation that might transform how you approach your next story: every compelling narrative has an emotional question...
22 days ago • 5 min read
Hello Reader, We thoroughly enjoyed our recent memoir webinar "How to Tell Your Story" with Joanne Hichens and Merle Levin. The energy and engagement was incredible - from questions about navigating emotional truth to discussions about structure and the courage required for honest storytelling. Many of you shared in the chat how the session gave you permission to "just begin". Webinar Highlights Our conversation explored the essential elements of memoir writing, from overcoming the fear of...
26 days ago • 2 min read
This week on the water I’ve beaten this drum repeatedly over the past few months, but I thought I’d give it one last tara-diddle before I lay the sticks down… Years ago, I urged one of our mentor programme participants to write the murder mystery she was contemplating from the perspective of a blind character. There were many good reasons (I thought) to do so, not least of which that it would lead the killer to mistake what she could or could not observe. (Don’t people always underestimate...
29 days ago • 5 min read
Hello Reader, I have just spent two weeks on a snorkelling trip to Mauritius, where I’m happy to report that my near-constant free-floating anxiety dissolved into the ocean and washed away. I was fortunate to be the guest of my half-Mauritian friend, who introduced me to snorkel spots around the south-east of the island. I saw a turtle in the wild for the first time, devil firefish bristling, needle fish flying just below the surface, clown-faced trigger fish. Not to mention the yellow...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
I had planned to write a scene where details are revealed of a pathologist’s report of a post-mortem he’d performed on a murdered man. In the old days, this would have meant weeks tracking down an amenable expert willing to spare thirty minutes for my questions. More likely, I would have glossed over the medical specifics with vague atmospheric details. You know the sort of thing. The DCI says, “What we have here is a man murdered when his attacker stabs him in the stomach with some kind of...
about 1 month ago • 6 min read
Hello Reader, 'The road to publication rewards persistence above all.' The message from our May webinar was clear: persistence is the key to publication. We were joined by All About Writing alumna Bonnie Espie (Making a Killing), psychological thriller writer Marina Auer (whose third novel Three Echoes is about to be released), and publisher Stevlyn Vermeulen from Kwela Books for a discussion on navigating the journey from idea to published book. Their conversation revealed not just the...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Hello Reader, In the golden light of late afternoon in the Kruger National Park, our vehicle rested beside a placid dam that initially appeared to harbour a modest collection of wildlife. But as the minutes stretched into an hour, a complex tableau of life unfolded before our eyes. This week on the water At first, we noted only the obvious: hippos announcing their presence with explosive breaths before disappearing beneath the surface. On the far side of the dam, where the terrain sloped...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read