JOIN A WRITERS' GROUP

Writing is a solitary occupation and contact with other writers is stimulating. Use the links page to locate writers' groups in your area.

HOW TO CHOOSE A WRITERS' GROUP

Try and choose one that meets weekly.
Attend at least 4 meetings to help decide if the group is right for you.
Make sure the criticism is fair and measured. There is no point in belonging to a group that always flatters no matter how bad someone’s work is. By attending regularly you will get to know whose comments to respect.

HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF A WRITERS' GROUP

Sift the criticism. When you are reading out sections of a novel and someone comments that they want to know what a character looks like and you have described them 10 pages ago there is no need to put it in again.
Read for a maximum of 10 minutes.
If you are nervous about reading your own work, ask someone with a clear voice to read it for you.

READ AS MANY BOOKS ABOUT WRITING AS YOU CAN

This need not be expensive. There are many excellent books available in libraries and other writers may have books to lend or recommend.

IGNORE TRENDS

Some books about writing give very good advice, but many are dictated by trends. The two worst current trends are - Write For Now and Cut Out Adjectives.

WRITE FOR NOW:

Why? There has always been a strong market for the historical novel. Researchers discover exciting new facts all the time and write about historical events and people with a new angle. When is now? Now is this moment. The past is yesterday or millennia ago.

CUT OUT ADJECTIVES:

Why? It is fashionable to cut out adjectives. It is argued that excluding them makes your prose crisper. However, it is important to know a character's eye, hair and skin colour and how they dress and what their homes look like. Adjectives should be used sparingly, but they should be used.

A few examples:

If the sky is cloudless, there is no need to say it is blue.
Instead of writing, ‘Her hair was long,’ write - ‘Her hair fell to her waist.’
Change ‘The sea was rough,’ to ‘The waves crashed on the rocks.’

If you begin your novel when a certain trend is fashionable, by the time you’ve finished, it may no longer be in vogue and another will have taken its place. Twenty years ago writers were told that there was no point in writing for children. It's fortunate that JK Rowling ignored this advice.

BUY A BOOK OF FIRST NAMES AND SURNAMES:

I once read a novel where nearly every character’s name began with M. There was also a Michael and a Michelle, both were shortened to Micky.
Character’s names should be as diverse as possible. Not just in letters either. Try and have the last letter different too. Many female names end in A or E and this can also be confusing. Also, try to vary the length of the name.

HAVE YOUR MANUSCRIPT ASSESSED:

While Writers’ Groups are invaluable, the big disadvantage is that reading out a novel can take a long time. Getting your manuscript assessed takes weeks and has the advantage of the being read in a short space of time thus enabling the assessor to remember characters or events from several chapters ago.