14 October 2019 - What's new
14 October 2019
- ‘First of all, I'm always writing from a point of view. I decide what the purpose of the scene is, and at least begin with some purpose. But, even more important, from whose point of view is this scene seen? Because then the narrative will take on somewhat the sound of the person who is seeing the scene...' Elmore Leonard, author of 45 novels, including Fifty-two Pickup, The Switch, Freaky Deaky, Get Shorty and Cuba Libre. Our Comment.
- An Editor's advice on planning, part of our 7-part series, 'Some people like to know exactly what they're doing before they start writing. They make very elaborate diagrams of the plot, note what each character is doing and when - this is particularly useful if you're writing a story which depends very heavily on a complex series of events coming together at just the right moment. Some writers focus on building detailed descriptions of their characters, so they know how they will react in any given situation, and then put them into the action. Once they've made a plan, they stick to it, but they then make a note of the ideas they have as they work, and then go back later and see if they can be incorporated into the story. If not, they might be worth using elsewhere...'
- Links relating to the Frankfurt Book FairWorld's largest trade fair for books; held annually mid-October at Frankfurt Trade Fair, Germany; First three days exclusively for trade visitors; general public can attend last two., now in full swing, amazing deal for first-time author, HarperFiction signs six-figure deal with debut author Abigail Dean; Bowker announces huge rise in US self-pubishing, Number of Self-Published Titles Jumped 40% in 2018; and is it friend or foe to the book business? Netflix sees itself as publishing's partner.
- Do you want some help with your writing but don't quite know what you want? Are you a bit puzzled by the various services on offer, and not sure what to go for? This article will show you how to work out which is the right editorial service for you. Choosing a service. Alternatively, email us and we'll do our best to help.
- More links: In the Golden Age of British detective fiction in the 1920s and 1930s, four women were universally considered the four Queens, Dorothy L. Sayers: A Crime Reader's Guide to the Classics | CrimeReads; are his life story and his career too good to be true, How Seamus Heaney Became a Poet of Happiness | The New Yorker; and a writer who happened to win an award, I was proud my literature award. Then came the talk of ‘box-ticking' | Chitra Ramaswamy | Opinion | The Guardian.
- Are you struggling to get someone to look at your poetry? Our Poetry Critique service for 150 lines of poetry can help. Our Poetry Collection Editing service, unique to WritersServices, edits your collection to prepare it for submission or self-publishing. Both can provide the professional editorial input you need.
- Links about prizes, very much the topic of the week: the Austrian playwright who had publicly suggested that Sarajevo's Muslims had massacred themselves and denied the Srebrenica genocide, 'A troubling choice': authors criticise Peter Handke's controversial Nobel win | Books | The Guardian; and two reactions to splitting the Booker between two authors, Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo win Booker Prize 2019; and is this a fudge? Booker judges try to have it both ways | Books | The Guardian.
- A new addition to our Endorsements page: 'I've used two services with this company: The Editor's Plus Report and the Writer's Edit. I am completely satisfied with the service I received and said service has led to the completion and publication of my first novel: Lightforce. I would recommend any of these services to any aspiring author.' Jason Handleman, author of Lightforce (Everything Changes Book 1).
- ‘The first thing you must remember: An editor does not add to a book. At best he serves as a handmaiden to an author. Don't ever get to feeling important about yourself, because an editor at most releases energy. He creates nothing.' editor Maxwell Perkins in our Writers' Quotes.
