HOW TO WRITE FICTION

A NEW GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS

Having now published ten novels, I decided to take a break from fiction writing and put together all my teaching material from nearly three decades as a creative writing tutor.

The result is How to write FICTION, which you can now buy on Amazon as a Kindle e-book for £1.29.

It's full of guidelines and encouragement for beginners, and covers everything from how and where to find ideas, creating characters that come to life, and planning and plotting to get yourself organised so you don't lose the plot!

I hope you enjoy it.

CABBAGE BOY! AVAILABLE FROM TODAY ON AMAZON

A WARM AND FUNNY NEW BOOK FOR TEENS, YOUNG ADULTS - AND THEIR PARENTS

I'm delighted that my new book, CABBAGE BOY, was published today and is available on Amazon in paperback or on Kindle.

I don't usually believe in coincidences but it just so happens that I was writing the final chapter on the day that a new form of manure was introduced into the 80 acre field behind my house - and probably elsewhere in my home town, which also happens to be the setting for my book.

Without giving the plot away, manure plays an important role in the story of teenage Nick, a worrier, with more than a dash of OCD. Almost sixteen, he longs to be taller, braver, more athletic, more popular with the girls, more one of the guys. He also suspects that he's the only one in the class who's still a virgin.

Life brightens when he finds a girlfriend and falls in love with her. They've been together for four weeks and he's kissed her eighteen times, according to his notebook.

But when Nick meets a strange and scary mutant and is forced to protect and hide him, his life becomes unbearable. Who can he turn to for help?

Mum and Dad are busy line dancing, big sister Becca has lost interest and his girlfriend Chloe has moved on to a handsome six-footer who's captain of the school football team. As for friends, Nick doesn't 'do' friends. Or rather, they don't do him.

Full of humour, warmth and tragedy, CABBAGE BOY can be enjoyed by both sexes.

By the way, I'm planning to send a copy to our local Borough Council's Environmental Protection Department!

THE CABBAGE BOY SAGA

PATIENCE, PATIENCE!

Charlston, South Carolina. This is where my latest book, CABBAGE BOY, is being printed. A beautiful city where life is just s-l-o-w and easy, judging by the number of weeks it takes to ship a proof copy to me!

It's a place that's been on my bucket list forever but one I've never managed to visit.

Seems strange that in recent years my connection should be a literary one, but better than nothing.

FUNNY? NOT FUNNY?

HUMOUR - WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?

I love to include humour in all my books, whether for grown-ups or children but I can never be sure who will find it funny, as when I tell a joke that makes me fall apart it's often met by blank bewilderment.But I came across this quote from an old radio show today (THE GLUMS, Frank Muir and Denis Norden). Maybe it will amuse some of you (I'm still on the floor!)Name me one thing she went short of!Well - food. Clothes. Coal . . . Teeth.

CABBAGE BOY! Available Shortly

Cabbage Boy - Just Weeks Away!

My latest book, for teens, young adults - and their parents - will be on sale in a few weeks, both in paperback and as a Kindle e-Book. Watch out for sale dates.

HOW DIFFERENT CHARACTERS CAN AFFECT A STORY'S THEME

A MAN AND A WOMAN, EACH LIVING IN THE DARK. HOW WILL THEIR STORIES DEVELOP?

At my writers' group last month we thought up some ideas for short stories and discussed how a character can affect a theme or how the theme can change the main character(s). Either way, whether you're writing a short story or a novel, there has to be change.

One member suggested a double glazing salesman who lives in a windowless basement flat and longs for a greenhouse. It reminded me of one of the characters in an A to Z of Silly Verse I wrote several years ago. This is U for Ursula

Ursula the usherette worked happily in the dark

Of the cinema (centre aisle) at Upper Tooting.

She lived her life in cellars

And hid behind umbrellas

If she ventured out in daylight to the park.

She'd have liked to be a mole

Or a miner hewing coal

Or a submarine commander out at sea.

But at least she had the leisure

To indulge her greatest pleasure

Of travelling by Underground all day.

Two characters, both living in the dark but with very different desires - opposite, in fact. If they were suddenly transposed to a place of light and sunshine, how would each be affected? How would the story end? Would the character change - or would the character change the theme?

WHAT IS A SHORT STORY?

HERE'S A DEFINITION

A short story can be anything from 500 (flash fiction) to 10,000 words, although the most popular length (for short story competitions, etc) is 1500 to 1700 words.

The short story is usually restricted to a single theme, a single mood, a single conflict, a single incident, a single episode in a character's life, a moment that changes someone's life or attitude in some way. It doesn't necessarily have a beginning, a middle and an end. Sometimes it can be circular, but usually something changes, something is resolved, the main character is affected in some way.

There should be few characters, and usually just a single viewpoint, past or present tense.
There's no room for waffling, wordiness or over-long description.

Every word counts, every action is significant.

It should leave the reader feeling entertained, mystified, amused, thoughtful, disturbed, pleased or sad but, in one way or another, satisfied. Ideally, it should remain in the reader's mind for at least as long as it takes to read. A bit like a good poem, really.

Although it's short, that doesn't mean it's easy to write. In fact, it can be quite a challenge.

Here's a circular example, one of mine (THE GOOD NEIGHBOURS OF ROWAN CRESCENT)

The residents of Rowan Crescent are very similar, successful husband, fashionable wife not needing to go out to work, 2.4 children etc. They live in each other's pockets, holding regular parties hosted by each couple in turn, babysitting for each other, sharing their woes and their triumphs. Perfect neighbours with perfect lifestyles.

Until one husband abandons his wife for his secretary. At first the abandoned wife's friends are full of sympathy and offers of help. Their husbands rush to repair her washing machine when it breaks down, fix her roof, mow her lawn etc., the wives shop for her when she has to go back to work, and of course she is still invited to all the parties. But gradually the wives begin to complain and criticise. Their husbands are far too eager to help the forsaken neighbour, it's a nuisance looking after her children so frequently, and it can be awkward having odd numbers at dinner parties etc. Soon they cease to invite her, and it's not long before she is ignored.

Eventually she sells the house and moves away with her children. A new couple with 2.4 children move in. They are welcomed with open arms and offers of help by their good neighbours and the cycle begins again. (About 2500 words)