Writers' & Artists' Blog

For the past week I’ve been working on two thrillers by talented new writers. Interestingly, both suffered from the same tendency to overuse similes. This seems to be a common complaint, which has a whole legacy of education and literature feeding it.

There’s always a risk inherent in making the reader stop and think about the writing that you break the spell of concentration. Similes can clog the narrative and slow its pace. They can be clunky, or make the writing seem melodramatic, frilly, or affected. They can also confuse the reader, who is given two images to wrestle with when they might be better off with one. A tree’s gnarled roots and whispering leaves might lead the writer to think of a writhing mass of snakes hissing, but do we want or need reptiles in our mind’s eye? If the writer wants to add a sinister edge to the scene is this the best way of doing so? Might the reader prefer the tree without the snakes? Two images inevitably create a pause, and this can be an …

On a cold, grey January morning, sometimes you need a little nudge. So, here it is.

A writer's checklist, according to Plath, is: guts, inspiration and the ability to battle self-doubt.

The author brand

People love talking about brands. Did anyone else think that Orange made an unintelligible move, renaming themselves ‘EE’? It means nothing to those of us who aren’t in on the secret that this means ‘everything, everywhere’. Orange was one of those really cool brands in its heyday. Was it really a good idea to throw the name away?

In every downturn, publishers also tend to obsess about their imprint logo and brand values. They agonise about whether they need to spend more money on promoting themselves. In the end, though, it always comes down to one bald fact: it barely matters if you have a black swan, an oak tree, or a dodo on a book’s cover. You should be spending every available cent building your authors. They’re the only brand that counts, and many people don’t realise that authors need to be brand-managed with as much care and attention as Coca Cola.

But what if you’re an author, established in one genre but wanting to switch horses? Oh dear, oh …

I love snow, but I am wary of 'snow days' when my two bundles of joy (who are now great big lumps of joy) get sent home from school to take up my precious work time..

So far, despite freezing fog, some snow and a lot of ice, our school remains open - but there are reports of something approaching a blizzard arriving on Friday - so this could change.

Does snow spark your creative side?  There's something very special about the layer of quiet that gets laid over our busy world when the snow is freshly fallen, it seems to open up a space for wonder and thought.

Have you heard of the Snowflake method for planning your novel?  Someone sent me the link today and I found it quite an interesting - and very topical! - approach.  Would it work for you?  I've been looking at a number of writers' projects recently and almost all could have benefitted from a clearer planning stage.  

What are your thoughts on snow?  

The world didn’t end, the Olympics are over, the tree’s down, 2013 is going to be your year – your Year of Writing Dangerously.

Here are my ten suggested New Year’s Resolutions – what ones do you like the sound of?

1.    Step out of your technological comfort zone

Make 2013 the year you try something techy that you’ve been avoiding, such as Twitter (follow me if you like @BookAnalyst ), Scrivener or G+

2.    Find your own Bat Cave

Every writer needs a place where they’re mentally and physically set up to write.  But remember, what suits one writer may not suit another.  Do you like background noise or total silence?  Warmth or bracing freshness?  Monastic austerity or hot and cold running lattes on tap?   If 2013 isn’t the year you’ve won the lottery and the Writing Wing isn’t a possibility, consider picking a local café or library as your base.