NEWS

Here you will find news and views on our three courses, why you should consider enrolling, and updates on absolutely everything!

More showing and telling

More showing and telling

Charlie Laidlaw is an author and tutor at Creating Writers In my last post I wrote about “show” and “tell.” Books need both to make narrative sparkle.  That requires balance and clear purpose to your writing.  So let’s look at that balance in a little more detail....

Show and tell

Show and tell

Charlie Laidlaw is an author and tutor at Creating Writers A novel is a work of dramatic art, just like a play, film or TV drama.  To convey mood or tension, a film has dialogue, gesture and music. But a novel has to conjure mood and tension from words alone.  It’s in...

Dialogue tags and other stuff

Dialogue tags and other stuff

Charlie Laidlaw is an author and tutor at Creating Writers In previous posts, I’ve looked at different aspects of writing dialogue. It’s an important part of the writer’s skillset, because dialogue develops both plot and character. If your dialogue doesn’t sound...

Some dialogue don’ts

Some dialogue don’ts

Charlie Laidlaw is an author and tutor at Creating Writers In a recent post, I highlighted how easy it is to write clunky dialogue. The trick to good dialogue is about advancing your story or developing or reinforcing character. But every bit of dialogue should sound...

Writing for the media

Writing for the media

Charlie Laidlaw is a former journalist, author and tutor at Creating Writers. Many of us are a little daunted at first by having to write a story or press release for a newspaper or magazine. We worry that we can’t write well enough and that will reflect badly on us...

Writing dialogue

Writing dialogue

Charlie Laidlaw is an author and tutor at Creating Writers All of us have conversations every day, some more than others.  We should therefore understand how dialogue works because it’s of the everyday. But it’s surprising how clunky some bits of written dialogue can...

In the third person

In the third person

Charlie Laidlaw is an author and tutor at Creating Writers In a previous post, I gave a glimpse into using a first person narrative. It has immediacy and, told well, provides a real connection with the main character. But, for many authors, a third person narrator is...

Learning for the new normal

Learning for the new normal

Charlie Laidlaw is an author and tutor at Creating Writers In these unprecedented times a great many people are looking to acquire new skills or a new qualification. The internet is awash with so-called course providers.  They offer cheap and cheerful courses in just...

The weight of words

The weight of words

Charlie Laidlaw is an author and tutor at Creating Writers You’re writing a book, and one of the first things to learn is that every word carries weight. Some will have more weight than others, and you have to decide whether a particular word is necessary or not. As a...

Past tense

Past tense

Charlie Laidlaw is an author and tutor at Creating Writers Writing in the past tense is the construct used in most novels by most novelists.  We expect it; it doesn’t jar with us and, frankly, it’s easier. It allows you, the writer, to manipulate time – to move...

Writing in the present

Writing in the present

Charlie Laidlaw is an author and tutor at Creating Writers Some books use the present tense, others the past tense.  Both have advantages and disadvantages. However, before putting pen to paper, it’s best to decide what tense to use because changing tense once you’re...

Purple prose

Purple prose

Charlie Laidlaw is an author and tutor at Creating Writers It’s the writer’s job to paint pictures in a reader’s mind, and the temptation is to describe things in minute detail.  Wrong. The reader wants to be told some detail, but not everything.  After all, your...