Blog: Mel's Muse

As a writer, and author of books, do you ever feel - as I have done - that when it comes to promoting your product, you simply don't have it in you? The prospect of booking speaking engagements is beyond you. The possibility of standing before an audience...

Posted at 08:02am on 6th November 2019

In the last Creative Writing Workshop, we looked at the way in which we can go about Creating Credible Characters. Now I'm going to show you how you can bring creativity to the way you construct conflict. This is crucial when it comes to writing fiction and memoir...

Posted at 10:43am on 3rd August 2019

Today we're going to look at Crafting Character, and its importance in terms of plot and theme. This was the topic of the previous post in this series - the way in which The Riverbed of Theme runs through the narrative of a story, be it fictional or memoir....

Posted at 04:18am on 26th July 2019

In the Introduction of this Creative Writing Workshop, I asked the question, Are You On the Right Track? There was nothing flippant about this. Before you begin to write your book, there are questions to be asked. And answered!

The content of this, and future tutorials, will...

Posted at 08:38am on 30th March 2019

In my last blog post, So you're Planning a Book Launch. Do you Know What You're Doing? we considered some of the forward planning that's necessary. Now, with mine so recently behind me, I'll continue to share my experiences. We've looked at Venue, Timing, and Ease of...

Posted at 03:25am on 2nd July 2016

In my last blog post, What Makes A Writer Write,  I mentioned the World Book Night event at Stoke Lodge, in Devon.  Invited to speak, briefly, to an audience of forty-plus about my own writing career, I began by saying that someone had asked me, ‘What is an elevator pitch?’ ...

Posted at 01:48am on 3rd May 2016

We meet every other month and, midst this morning's mince pies and chocolate cake, we spent the first few minutes sharing news.
 
David Scott is to be congratulated for having his memoir, Death by a Thousand Clots reviewed in Devon Life, second only to Michael Morpurgo’s latest book.

Roger Steer,...

Posted at 11:11am on 25th November 2015

Have you ever thought, as a reader, about what attracts you to certain books, or particular authors?  What makes you go for one rather than another?  Is it the book cover?  The price of the product?  The publisher’s marketing ploy?  The author’s nationality?

Somehow, I doubt it.  Almost certainly, it will...

Posted at 02:03am on 21st November 2014

When Fay Sampson, an author I’ve known and admired for many years, asked me to take part in a blog tour, naturally I was delighted to accept. When I heard that Donna Fletcher Crow - another author whose work I love to read - had participated -  that clinched it.  Both have...

Posted at 00:31am on 12th May 2014

6 Comments

I must apologise for leaving you dangling with only half of Mel's Online Book Club discussion summary for Rob Bell's Love Wins.  The other part will be available soon, I promise.

Posted at 04:11am on 17th May 2012

Last month, I wrote about a reader of my website, Skye, who had written to me for advice about her first self-published novel.  Her initial question was simply one of discouragement.  I say "simply", but there's nothing simple about the sense of isolation one can feel as an author.  And...

Posted at 08:15am on 3rd December 2011

Are you an established writer or aspiring author who is also a Christian?  Is there a novel you want to write (or have written) for which you are unable to find a publisher?  Do you enjoy reading mainstream fiction but find that Christian fiction books leave you cold?  How does...

Posted at 15:50pm on 24th June 2011

I must confess, writers' block is rarely a problem for me.  On the contrary, I'm usually brimful of ideas and can't get them down fast enough.  In fact, the last time I wrote on this subject was when my novel, A Painful Post Mortem was newly published and required all...

Posted at 19:57pm on 31st March 2011

Last week I wrote an article about the importance of Point of View (POV) if you're planning on writing and publishing a book, and a reader took me up on what I'd said.  An aspiring author, he is in the process of writing his first book, he said, and he's...

Posted at 12:02pm on 15th January 2011

An interesting discussion arose on one of my LinkedIn forums about the merits of using Facebook advertising to market your book. One aspiring author shared a variety of statistics proving the ‘benefits’ of doing so, by showing the increase in ‘hits’ on his website, or ‘page views’ generated by such measures. In the end, however,...

Posted at 12:19pm on 13th September 2010

Whether you are an aspiring author or an established, published writer, you will need to undertake research, from time to time, in order to provide material for the books or articles you are writing. Sometimes the research material you need may be factual; sometimes you may want to understand the emotional response to a given...

Posted at 12:04pm on 17th August 2010

If you are a book author and you’re writing non-fiction, how do you decide what material to put in and what to leave out? How, in fact, do you organise the content of your book?

Chances are that if you’re an aspiring author and you haven’t yet approached a publisher, your...

Posted at 11:39am on 8th July 2010

Written The Book, Can’t Get It Published? This was the question posed on a LinkedIn forum in which I participate. In an attempt to help aspiring authors trying to find publication, I began my response by saying that, in my opinion, it's much more difficult to find a publisher for fiction than for non-fiction.

However,...

Posted at 16:03pm on 16th May 2010

I'm delighted, today, to include an article by Angela Hoy, on the topic of price-fixing the unit cost of e-books - a practice which will, ultimately, lead to a monopoly and, therefore, destroy choice for the end-user - readers!

Do let me know what your views are. Comments are moderated, and your contact details will...

Posted at 17:32pm on 18th February 2010

How, where and when do you write and, more to the point, does it matter? Many bestselling novelists, whose diverse methods and locations are described below, would chant an unequivocal ‘Yes!’ And I think I would have to agree.

Perhaps because my earliest stories and dramas were written when I was only a...

Posted at 14:58pm on 7th December 2009

2 Comments

Authors of books are urged, by writing pundits, to identify the genre and market for which they are aiming before they commit to print. This is for good reason; not least that if you are engaged in writing and publishing a book, knowing who you are writing for will affect how seriously a publisher...

Posted at 14:27pm on 28th October 2009

Why do writers exist? What is it about the human race that makes us want to be authors and readers? Tellers of tales, serialisers of stories, weavers of dreams: what compels us? Scriptwriters, dramatists, actors, theatre-goers, radio broadcasters and listeners? Why? What inner compulsion urges us on – those of us who share our inner...

Posted at 01:00am on 23rd October 2009

I wrote, last week, about the futility of relying solely on book publishing houses to promote your new novel, and the need to think in terms of self-promotion. Publishing a novel is not an end in itself (you want people to read it!) and, sooner or later, the process of creative writing has to be...

Posted at 11:02am on 12th October 2009

Sometimes the sheer effort of writing seems to be almost overwhelming. Whatever inspiration you once had has evaporated. You feel tired, drained and dispirited.

We’ve all experienced it. You wake up one morning and think, what on earth am I doing with my life? All those hours spent cooped up with no one but yourself...

Posted at 21:48pm on 18th September 2009

Writing and publishing a book requires an understanding of how to write description. Describing characters is a necessary part of creative writing, as is describing location. But I had to smile when I read a review in The Daily Telegraph, of the American TV drama, The Tudors. It appears that in...

Posted at 20:16pm on 2nd September 2009

1 Comment

A comment on my post The Structure Of A Novel: 12 Tips, complimented me for my articles on writing fiction, but asked when you should give up the brainstorming and simply sit down and let the narrative flow? It’s a good question and one which I thought deserving of more attention than I could give...

Posted at 16:00pm on 24th April 2009

2 Comments

Can any one of us honestly say that the first draft of our book has been written in style? Yes, we fall in love with great chunks of our work – phrases, paragraphs, heck, whole chapters. But I’d be the first to admit that if I put my work away for a few weeks...

Posted at 20:56pm on 5th April 2009

"Is there a difference between a good story and good writing?"

I was asked the question by a lady living in Greece, who has been reading my blog posts for sometime, and who e-mailed me, direct. She, like many would-be authors, is frustrated by the stone-walling she has received from the publishers to whom she’s submitted...

Posted at 11:20am on 30th March 2009

2 Comments

There’s no such thing as bad press! So says the old adage. The idea is that a literary review for your work – regardless of how damning it may be – is, nevertheless, a step up from no review at all! That may be, but how, when you’ve already waded through an emotional ocean...

Posted at 16:59pm on 18th March 2009

6 Comments

By now I hope you’re beginning to understand the importance of conflict in a novel, and how to incorporate the three elements of Goal, Conflict and Disaster into each ACTION scene. I’ve had some feedback from readers via Twitter, but it would be great if you could post your comments and queries at the end...

Posted at 14:16pm on 7th March 2009

I finished Part 1 of this series a couple of days ago by saying that a scene is invariably made up of three simple elements:

In a previous post, I’ve written about what makes a story a plot, and highlighted the significance of conflict...

Posted at 19:35pm on 1st March 2009

Andrew Motion, the UK’s Poet Laureate (a person appointed by a government who is, typically, expected to compose poetry for State occasions) has reportedly said that, “Children should be taught the Bible throughout their education because it is an ‘essential piece of cultural luggage’ without which they will struggle to fully understand literature.” (The Guardian 17th...

Posted at 17:13pm on 20th February 2009

2 Comments

What do you do if you're an aspiring author but can't get your novel accepted by an agent or publisher?  You've been to every creative writing course available, read everything you can lay your hands on about writing and publishing a...

Posted at 17:40pm on 8th February 2009

2 Comments

Years ago, when I was a member of a Writers’ Circle, we used to read aloud to one another, and subject each reading to a critique. One woman – a successful writer – used to stop those of us...

Posted at 15:59pm on 28th January 2009

I received a piece of work, recently, with a request to look it over and comment on it. It has prompted me to write on the subject of Voice, and the merits (or otherwise) of how it is used. There’s a little bit of grammar instruction necessary here, but I will illustrate my point afterwards...

Posted at 14:42pm on 21st January 2009

Your book manuscript is finished. From your Writers' & Artists' Year Book, you've chosen the first publisher you're going to send it to, written your submission proposal letter and sat back and waited. One month. Two. . .

Hang on a minute. Rewind!

Posted at 17:40pm on 12th January 2009

5 Comments

I received a manuscript, yesterday, from a friend who wants me to look it over for a client of hers (she's a Life Coach). I have to confess that with the departure of all my visiting family after the Christmas break, bed-changing, washing and...

Posted at 15:10pm on 2nd January 2009

18 Comments

It seems appropriate to be thinking of Rebirth as the last of the seven story plots on Christmas Eve, because the birth that we celebrate tomorrow is the one that is meant to bring rebirth to the human race.

Kasia Body’s review of The Seven Basic Plots by Christopher Booker in The Daily Telegraph (2004)...

Posted at 17:56pm on 24th December 2008

I began this series by saying that, according to tradition, there are only seven basic plots which form the basis of all the stories ever told or written. They are:

We've already looked at the first three, and discovered that some story plots are...

Posted at 17:33pm on 18th December 2008

2 Comments

It is said that there are only seven basic plots, to which all storylines adhere. Of these seven plot lines perhaps the best known is the rags to riches story. This, after all, is the basis of many of our favourite nursery rhymes and fairy stories. Think Cinderella, and Jack...

Posted at 00:00am on 14th December 2008

It seems that these days almost everyone is writing a book! Despite the fact that we’re told that computers have dumbed down and depleted our appetite for reading, increasing numbers of would-be authors are emerging. So with apologies to those who may already have read the following, I’m revising an article I wrote some time...

Posted at 09:00am on 1st December 2008

2 Comments

One of the benefits of modern technology is that, as a writer, you have more information at your finger tips about who is connecting with your blog personality, and which content for your blog attracts most readers, than ever you could in the real world. So it’s exciting to know that, since I began...

Posted at 17:20pm on 19th November 2008

2 Comments

Last week, in Ten Tips Before You Begin, I wrote about the necessity for you, as an aspiring author, to identify your readers before you begin to write your book. That advice holds true whatever the genre in which you are writing. Today, we’re going to concentrate on writing a...

Posted at 15:51pm on 10th November 2008

This is the last Post in this Series. Over the past few weeks you’ve been learning how to Plot your Story. Complete the process of writing your book by subscribing FREE to the next series.

SUBSCRIBE NOW *FREE* TO THE NEXT SERIES: CREATIVE WRITING – CRAFTING THE STORY. Your contact details will be kept secure at...

Posted at 17:49pm on 26th September 2008

How did you get on with the last session? I hope the update on all the previous tutorials was a help. For those of you who’ve just joined, the post titled The How-to of Creative Writing – What Makes A Story A Plot? – will link you to all relevant sessions.

Posted at 10:35am on 13th September 2008

Ever felt that you fall out with your partner / colleague / mother about the same thing, over and over? Not sure why this happens? Even less sure what to do about it?

This Post will, I hope, be of interest to anyone reading it, not simply to...

Posted at 22:53pm on 5th September 2008

Last week we looked at the way in which Theme determines the subject or focal point of a story. Have you found, since then, that you’re beginning to be a little more analytical about what you read and watch?

Before I started writing professionally, I never considered...

Posted at 22:19pm on 30th August 2008

One of the flattering, if potentially fatal, aspects of being an author is that other people want you to read their manuscripts. It isn't always that they want to know how to write a book. They have, they tell you, already done so. It's...

Posted at 17:06pm on 10th August 2008