As I’ve mentioned before, I’m lucky enough to have crime writer, teacher and BBC correspondent Simon Hall as my mentor. But what I haven’t done is express the difference having a mentor has done to both my work and my confidence. Last year I attended Winchester Writers’ Festival as another unpublished author. As a stay-at-home… Continue reading The joy of having a mentor
Tag: #amediting
Community Spirit
Roll up, Roll up, who needs a pick-me-up? Who’s feeling lost in this world of writing? Who’s been worrying that it won’t happen, it will never happen, that no one is ever going to publish this book? I have just the remedy for you and it comes in the medicinal form of #WritersWise, courtesy of… Continue reading Community Spirit
The less romantic truth about my writing….
I spend so much time wondering, hoping, despairing about how good a writer I am. I have to stop this. Why? Well, with four one-to-one appointments looming at the Winchester Writers’ Festival next month I have realised that it’s really not worth dwelling on. These people will read my work, they will decide for themselves.… Continue reading The less romantic truth about my writing….
The enigma of the first three chapters
With the Winchester writers’ festival just around the corner it’s time I got my house in order, so to speak. And nothing requires more maintenance than my submission material: the first three chapters of my novel. We all know submissions have to sparkle, that the first chapters have to be perfect to hook that vital… Continue reading The enigma of the first three chapters
Hooray for the rewrites!
A common question people ask me when I tell them I’m writing a novel is whether I get frustrated rewriting the same story over and again. The simple answer is: No. I find it fascinating how, by making a few changes, you can alter the quality of the story so dramatically. A few extra sentences… Continue reading Hooray for the rewrites!
Call me…Super Dooper Chapter Hooker!
This shall be my superhero name. Hmmm, maybe it’s a tad inappropriate... The hook. That jazzy little nugget that keeps your reader reading past the first few pages. But you can’t just stop there, oh no no no! You have to keep on hooking until your book is like the scratchy side of Velcro and… Continue reading Call me…Super Dooper Chapter Hooker!
Happiness is…finishing the novel
I’ve finished it I’ve finished it I’ve finished it I’ve finished it. There is little else for me to say this week, other than: I’ve finished it! It’s still too long, and there is the odd tweak here and there that I will, erm, tweak in the coming week, but apart from that it is… Continue reading Happiness is…finishing the novel
The devil’s in the synopsis
This week has been a week of procrastination. Reading books, cleaning the kitchen floor, wiping the toothbrush stains from the sink, even EVEN doing the ironing. The ironing for goodness sake! All in the name of avoiding the one and only part of writing I do not like. The synopsis. I have dreamed about it,… Continue reading The devil’s in the synopsis
Facing Daemons
This week I’ve been staying with my parents in what I like to call my home-home, the house I grew up in. It brings back many memories, as childhood homes often do, but the one memory I have been contemplating most is the one that spurred me on to start writing again. Have you ever… Continue reading Facing Daemons
My other love…
As it’s Valentines weekend I thought I’d share one of my great loves of writing. It also happens to be one of my favourite parts of reading and one of the things I enjoyed most whilst studying for my English degree all those years ago. It is...research. What other profession allows you to study the… Continue reading My other love…
Rebecca Tinnelly 