Joseph Conrad, often considered a foundational writer in the English language, struggled to learn English and often as a young man struggled to find acceptance within British and wider-European society. Incredibly well-traveled and familiar with the quirks particular to a life spent at sea, Conrad uses his knowledge of far-flung places and of life on … Read more
Dystopia! That sounds sad. Right? Might be better to give it a miss altogether? Go watch something fun. No! These tales are great. This article will explore which dystopia writers are the best, and why you should read them! The best dystopia writers are Margaret Atwood, Mary Shelly, Cormac McCarthy, George Orwell, and Kazuo Ishiguro. … Read more
Dickens. We all know the name, right? Old guy. Victorian. Something about some candles and a poor boy. Who wants more. Seems kinda snoozy, and moralizing. A bit dusty. You might be wondering, should I even bother trying to read these old books? They’re pretty long … you could knock yourself out with these weighty … Read more
There are so many great adventure writers. You might be more familiar with their heroes and characters, Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, Bilbo Baggins, The Three Musketeers: Athos, Porthos and Aramis, Moby Dick, and the tiger Richard Parker. Here’s a book on the tradition of adventure writing. The novels attached to these characters sound snoozy … Read more
Most people have probably heard the name Shakespeare, and many are left wondering whether it is worth trying to find the time to read his plays and poems. Is it worth putting aside all the time required to understand Shakespeare and read his texts today? Well, for starters there are lots of bum jokes (a … Read more
If you’re writing a novel, a short story, a play, or a screenplay you should consider giving your character what they need, and not what they want. So what does this actually mean? In most stories your character will be pursuing a central objective. See this article about how to write central objectives. Your character … Read more
Set the scene! Just how important is setting? And what are the best techniques for writing setting? All this and more is explored below. 1. In the Particular Lies the Universal Have you heard this phrase before? It refers to the slightly odd way in which the more specific a story is, the more people … Read more
The basics of screenplay formatting for television and movies / films can be tricky to get right. It’s less intuitive than writing fiction, because we’ve all probably been asked to write stories at school, but many will write a screenplay for the first time much later in life. With a little work you will be … Read more
When you are constantly focused on your business growth and productivity it is easy to forget about the importance of good writing. Well-written content can impact the view people have of your business, influence business opportunities and make you stand out among other companies. Writing good reports, emails and posts reveals a lot about your … Read more
To make the people in your story more lifelife and compelling you should get to know your characters inside out, givet them a star sign, a detailed history, try to love your characters, make them as real as a family member, interview your character, follow your characters, and allow them to speak to you! How … Read more