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23 October 2017 - What's new

23 October 2017
  • 'I guarantee you that no modern story scheme, even plotlessness, will give a reader genuine satisfaction, unless one of those old-fashioned plots is smuggled in somewhere. I don't praise plots as accurate representations of life, but as ways of keeping readers reading. When I used to teach creative writing, I would tell students to make their characters want something, even if it's only a glass of water...' Advice from Kurt Vonnegut Jnr in our Comment column.
  • The big writing opportunity of the autumn, National Novel Writing Month 2017, starts on 1 November and is open to all writers of 13 and over with no entry fee. Challenge yourself to write a 50,000 word novel in a month!
  • The success of NaNoWriMo has shown the power of a good idea and the way the internet can rapidly spread it to an international audience. The vast number of regions where there are groups signed up shows how successful the project has been - and the great enthusiasm of writers to extend themselves and meet the challenge NaNoWriMo presents. News Review
  • Bob's Journal is a long-running column from writer Bob Ritchie described by fellow EastEnders script-writer Pippa McCarthy: 'Just discovered your web page... I've just spent the last hour crying with laughter with periodic yelps of 'been there!'... I'm going to make my entire family read your diary. Then perhaps they will understand own bizarre behaviour every time I start a script... Anyway, will shut up now but just wanted to say you have cheered me up no end. It's brilliant.'
  • Our links: when I decided to write my book, many years ago, I was committed, What does it take to write and publish a book? Fire in the belly | HuffPost; a fascinating article from a prominent editor about the acquisition process, 10 Rules for Book Editors; and striking insights from a short story writer turned novelist who won the Man Booker, George Saunders: ‘When I get praise, it helps me be a little bit more brave' | Books | The Guardian.
  • Which service should I choose to help me get my work into good shape for submission or self-publishing? This is the question our page Which service? answers and it then goes on to give a quick rundown on our 20 editorial services for writers, which we think is the biggest you can find on the internet.
  • More links: challenging, time consuming, and requiring an author to expend a tremendous amount of social capital, What Authors Need to Know About Crowdfunding Their Book: A Case Study by the Numbers | Jane Friedman; a new twist for author Dan Brown, certainly not a stranger to copyright claims and lawsuits, Author Who Lost Copyright Case Over The Da Vinci Code In The US In 2007 Looks To Revive It In The UK In 2017 | Techdirt; and most people would spike an idea if the business plan revealed negative numbers year after year. But Bibi Bakare-Yusuf is not most people, Meet the Small Nigerian Press With Its Sights Set on the World | Literary Hub.
  • Have you ever wondered why you don't win any of those competitions? Our check-list gives you tips on Entering Competitions.
  • 'The long-lived books of tomorrow are concealed somewhere amongst the so-far unpublished MSS of today.' Philip Unwin in our Writers' Quotes.