I gave a talk the other day called something like ‘Writing for Children: generating ideas and writing that children will actually be interested in.’ I can’t remember the exact title. It was a bit long and to be honest I have trouble remembering titles that are more than three words. Anyway, I thought I [...]
Category > Writing Advice
Illustrating ‘Jethro’s Ace of Hearts’
A few weeks ago, on hearing the news that Sam was planning to serialise a short story on this blog (31st October 2009), I decided to ask him if I could have a go at illustrating it. You see, being primarily the illustrator of picture books, I don’t usually get the chance to tackle something [...]
How I Got Published
You may have noticed that I’ve not been around for a while. You- You did notice, didn’t you? I mean, I’d hate to think I just vanished from the site and no-one would even realise it… Anyhoo – I’ve been suffering from SLIME FLU, which is the monsters’ version of swine flu. It’s pretty much [...]
For Every Action there is …
Anyone who has studied Physics at GCSE or above will probably be able to finish the the title of this post. Sir Isaac Newton formulated his 3 laws of motion some time around 1700 (I’m no historian) and these have been taught to physicists ever since. This third law of motion: For every action, there [...]
Two Things That Annoy Me In Children’s Books
In a couple of weeks I’m running a workshop for adults on how to write for children. So this afternoon I’ve been composing my thoughts and putting a few things together. There’s a lot that I don’t know, but there’s also a lot I won’t be able to fit in. I’ve decided to focus on [...]
Bludgeoned By Brilliance
There’s a book by Roald Dahl that sometimes gets underrated or overlooked these days: Tales of the Unexpected. It’s hard to say what’s my favourite thing Dahl wrote – my opinion changes all the time! – but right now it just might be a story from that book, called Lamb to the Slaughter. Lamb to [...]
Who’s up for writing some RESCUE FICTION?
Warren Ellis, who I think is a genius, has just published this typically splenetic but utterly inspiring response to news that the BBC are to adapt the Just William books (again). He’s – ahem! – not a Just William fan let’s say, and I suppose I should warn you that if you’re bothered by the [...]
100 Word Writing Exercise #1
Browsing the monsterweb, it’s easy to realise that a lot of people out there want to try their hand at writing, but don’t know where to begin. So, here’s the first in a brief series of quick, 100 word writing exercises for you to try. Take a look at this picture… Now, in approximately 100 [...]
‘Leave out the part that readers tend to skip’
This is Elmore Leonard. Though I didn’t personally get into his books until I was in my twenties, now he’s one of my absolute favourite authors. You can pick up any one of his books (the cowboy stories are a great place to start) and know that in a quiet way there will be something [...]
Bwah ha. BWHA HA HA HA!
Ahem! Er, sorry about that, but I’m rather excited. Here’s an interview with me by Tracy Baines for her blog, Tall Tales & Short Stories. Tracy’s brilliant blog is a great information source for aspiring and up-and-coming authors. I’ve done my best to pass on a bit of whatever wisdom I’ve managed to hang onto [...]
