Writing tips

There's a big, voracious elephant in the room when I encourage writers to live in London: finances. Yes, this is a pricey city that's getting pricier, as people on lower and less stable incomes get pushed further out from the city center.  Read more

Edgar-winner James Lee Burke is the bestselling author of more than 30 books, most recently House of the Rising Sun. Burke shares his writing tips.  Read more

Whether you are an indie author struggling to get discovered, a well-known traditionally published writer, or somewhere in between, writer's block may sneak up on you once in a while-maybe even more than once in a while.

In the winter of 2010, inspired by Elmore Leonard's 10 rules of writing published in The New York Times nearly a decade earlier, The Guardian reached out to some of today's most celebrated authors and asked them to each offer his or her rules.  Read more

Probably, the best advice I've ever come across from a writer on writing is Elmore Leonard's suggestion, "If it sounds like writing, rewrite it." Second best is Mark Twain's illustration of how to show, don't tell, followed by Margaret Atwood's close third, "Do back exercises. Pain is distracting."