Finding your own voice as a writer is a huge part of the process of developing your own style. One of the best ways to gauge how you’re doing is to get feedback, and one of the best ways to get feedback is to join a group of writers. Or at least, I used to think…
How to Scare the Kids at Hallowe’en
These days Hallowe’en seems to be more about commercial gain than anything else: fancy costumes, masks, fireworks and pumpkins are all deemed essential in order for us to have a good time on that particular day in October. It’s a shame that many parents go along with the hype and buy into all the commercial…
How to Write Like a Guitarist
While re-stringing my guitar the other day, I was reminded of something I read many years ago about the classical guitarist Francisco Tarrega. Coming from a musical family (his father was a talented flamenco guitarist), it was hardly surprising that the young Tarrega soon took an interest in learning an instrument. However, after some years…
The Hardy Boys and Me
What makes us write the books we write? Back in the summer of 2013, after years of writing stage plays, I finally got around to finishing two novels I’d started several years before. At the time, I had no inclination to write books for adults, so those first novels (‘The Devil’s Porridge Gang‘ and ‘The…
How to Avoid Being a Famous Novelist
Anyone who’s ever written anything intended for publication, has probably imagined how it’ll be when they become a famous writer – I know I certainly have. But as most of us know, it’s easier to dream it than to do it. Here’s a few of the methods I’ve used to avoid being famous: Await the…
How to Stay Clear of the Three C’s
Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, or perhaps it’s just that I don’t have as much patience these days, but when I decide to add a new book to my ‘Want-To-Read’ list, it’s because that book has passed my Three C’s test. And no, I’m not referring to the business model developed by organisational theorist…
The Book of Moron (Why Not Everyone Should Write From Experience)
There’s an old idea that talks about everyone having at least one book in them – the story of their own lives. So it follows that every single one of us should be able to write at least one original story, right? Nope. Nope. Nopedy nope. Sure, it’s fine to write about your own life…
‘A Clergyman’s Daughter’ by George Orwell
A Clergyman’s Daughter George Orwell’s second novel sat on my bookshelves for several years before I eventually got around to reading it. I feel a little guilty that it took so long, since in many ways, it’s a damn fine book. Living with an ungrateful and demanding father, Dorothy sees little to look forward to…
Three Easy Steps to Not Finding Your Writer’s Voice
Yes, you read that right – this is a post about not finding your writer’s voice. But first let’s just clarify what I’m talking about. Every writer has a voice. Sometimes it’s exactly like their actual voice (the writing sounds the same as the way they talk), but more often it’s a sophisticated version of…
The Trick is to Keep Reading
I remember reading ‘The Baader-Meinhof Complex’ by Stefan Aust and wishing I could somehow speed things up. Of course, I wanted to enjoy every word and not miss anything, but the book was so damn heavy and unwieldy, I sometimes felt like I was preparing for battle, instead of settling down for a good read.…
Colin Garrow 