Writing Lessons

Kelly Alder's memoir TheFourteenth Wife is a tale of self-discovery and an insider view of a polygamous tribal 'family'. She wrote it...

There is no right or wrong way to write a book, but after working with writers for over 15 years to get them published, I do have some...

Book publishing is an old and complex industry. It is both timeless and on-trend. I have been contacted this week by a few publishers...

*** This is a revised and updated version of this blog or lesson. I always keep this current as it never gets old! ** Writing your synopsis can be even tougher than writing your entire novel. Or it certainly feels that way. The reason is that it is often done after the fact when you just want the book over and done with. But there’s no escape – to send off your book you HAVE to write one. And you have to nail it. In fact, a good synopsis sells your book. This is what you wi

You may have written (or want to write) a non-fiction book that is based on your professional expertise. Or a memoir (also a non-fiction by the way). Or perhaps it's an illustrated children’s book, a cookbook or a photographic travel book. Enough? Not quite. If you want to get a publisher or agent you are not going to send them your whole book. You need to drill down your entire book into a shorter document that captures its essence. Most books are commissioned by publi

I make no secret of being a romance addict. I love the genre and consider myself a bit of an expert. Of course the best expert is one...

A book wouldn't be very readable if everything went your hero’s way would it? Imagine a romance where the hero and romantic interest met...

Readers want to live and breathe your characters in a novel. They want to walk in your shoes in a memoir. But how do you make your...

If you do want to get published, a good idea is to look at what are publishers are actually looking for in their 2021 booklists....

You've experienced or done things that can interest others. These things don't have to be earth shattering -- just incidents that others...

Do you actually have a clear goal? And if you do have a goal, then are you any closer to it? Because I don’t want you to hang about too...

Structure is the architecture of your book. It is the way you are going to organise your information in a way that is entertaining and...

You all know I am a bit fan of lists and rules. So here are some of my own from years of working on books and placing books to be...

The difficult thing about planning a book is working out how to break down the information; often it feels as if there is just this great...

It is closing in on three in the morning and sleep is the furthest thing from my mind. The night is electric as the relentless call of...

You know what you want to say and it feels logical to you, but how do you present it to the reader in a way that is clear, logical and...

Everyone has a book in them - or so they think. But what does it take to turn that killer idea into a publishable manuscript. Writing...

Treat your writing like a career and a business and it can change your life. That's one of the gems I learned on our writing retreat in...

​The really exciting thing is that there are really SO MANY options and ways to get published in this day and age. The two most common...

​Writing coach Sarah Bullen and her children were on the verge of returning home to South Africa to start another exciting chapter in...