How to write convincing dialogue
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Dialogue – speech between two or more people – is important for bringing fiction to life. It gives voice to characters, breaks up the text, balances description and helps to move the action on. How someone speaks tells the reader … Read More

Setting: how to create a sense of place in fiction
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Where and when a story takes place is crucial for the reader’s enjoyment and understanding and provides a backdrop for the action. It creates atmosphere and sets the scene for the narrative. Setting can also give an idea as to … Read More

How to create convincing characters in fiction
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Character building is essential to fiction writing and for the last few sessions at Maggie’s we’ve been creating, and developing characters. Central to any story is its cast which drives the narrative and injects life into the plot. Each story … Read More

The language barrier – is swearing ok in fiction?
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Last week, I received four reviews for Blue Tide Rising, three good, one bad. And guess which one I spent ages agonising over, unpicking, and generally over-analysing? The poor review wasn’t posted on the review website for which it was … Read More

Autumn: seasonal writing prompts
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The Maggie’s Centre, Nottingham, where I run creative writing workshops, often gets described as a ‘treehouse.’ Despite being on the city hospital campus, it’s surrounded by greenery, nestled among the trees. So what better setting for an autumn-themed writing session? … Read More

Watch your body-language: how to show emotion through non-verbal communication
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It was back to school for the Maggie’s Creative Writing group this week, and we had a guest tutor, John Baird. This meant I could sit back, enjoy the session, and take part! I also learnt some new words – … Read More

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