Settings are a vital part of writing; a rule that I’m sure has been implanted in your brain since you began school and, in turns out, your teacher was right. Therefore, you have to make some important decisions about your setting as it will instantly affect how your character behaves and what motivates them. But should this place be real or fictional?
It’s a debate that splits writers; some would prefer to set their story in a real place because the reader can relate to the characters more as they may know the place or they can at least research it. Other writers prefer to create their own setting (whether this is fantastical or more real life) as they do not want to adhere to certain social norms expected from that place or they have a specific vision of how their setting should be imagined.
Neither are correct as there are hundreds of book set in both real and fictional worlds that are all brilliant so we’re going to weigh up the pros and cons for both.
Real life settings such as London, New York or anywhere else in the world will often bring with them very clear settings, even if the place is not widely known. These can be great for characters as they will form their own relationship with the area and the reader is probably going to be able understand this more than a fictional setting as they are more likely to be aware of what that place is like. However, sometimes using a real place can restrict what a character or story can do as there will no doubt be someone from that place writing to you and stating that your portrayal of the setting and its inhabitants is completely wrong. Therefore, you must do your research!
If you’re going to create a fictional town or city that is in the real world you can create your own rules for your characters to live by and your own iconic elements for them to interact with. The only issue with this is that your reader may not be able to picture it in the same way but that’s your job as a writer to paint as vivid a picture as possible. Creating your own town or city also makes it difficult for the reader to imagine where in the country or world it is so it may be best to research the general area where you would place your town and think about what would be similar or dissimilar between the two.
Whichever option you choose will be fine as long as you describe your setting fully and create characters that would realistically live there. The joy of being a writer is to make things up so go ahead and have fun!

A lot of people say that they’re their own worst critic and that’s probably true but simply putting a downer on your work for the sake of it is not going to help you get better and publishers will just think that you have no confidence in your work.
We find it incredibly easy to criticise other people’s work, both good and bad, but when it comes to our own we feel that if we like it then we’re being big headed so it’s best to just bash it and let other people enjoy it.
The word ‘criticism’ is not only about finding the bad in a piece of work but about analysing the whole piece and what its overall and subtle messages are. It’s about the good and the bad aspects not just one or the other.
Being an objective critic of your own work could be incredibly helpful as it will help you to see both the good and bad aspects of your work.
Sometimes not reading your work for a day and then returning to it simply to read it and not write anything further can be very helpful. If you take a break and then sit down in front of your piece and pretend that it’s not yours you might be able to rectify that problem that keeps occurring.
Imagine you’re back in your English classroom and make notes as you go along; what does this suggest? Who is speaking here?  Does this work? Ensure that you highlight sections that you’re really happy with as well as those that you’re not so sure of as it will give you an idea of how you can change your not so good sections in to excellent sections.
While you’re still perfecting the art of thinking critically you can also ask a very good and willing friend to do the same for your work and see if your analysis is similar to theirs. If it is then this will start to build up your confidence that you are a good writer and make you aware of what you do well and what you don’t.
It is difficult to be analytical about our own work but it’s always best to know what your strengths and weaknesses are in any part of life. This way when you go to a publisher you know what makes you an excellent writer and you will have critical analysis at the back of your brain to support your opinions.

Maybe ‘comedy genius’ is pushing it, but we’ll certainly try and give you a push in the right direction.
Comedy is a genre regarded by many as being the hardest to write; even if you’re a naturally funny person translating your humour in to a book can be incredibly difficult. Ensuring that the action and dialogue are humorous as well as natural is central to being a comedic success but, like most things, this is often easier said than done.
For most people the best thing to do is to actively avoid being funny. Just sitting down and writing what you want can sometimes produce situations whereby funny things naturally happen. If you are writing something and feel that something comedic can be easily inserted in a natural way then go for it. Also make sure you regularly read back over what you have written as sometimes you can write something funny without even realising or you’ll view the situation in a different way which could be made comedic.
Finding material in the real world is also a very important way to help create a funny story. As a writer you should be trying to experience as many new things as you can, anyway, as people who stay in their house all day make seriously rubbish writers!

However, if you want to write comedy it’s even more vital to get out of the house. Sign up for a class you’ve never done before, try and meet lots of different people and then take in everything that you gain from the experience, both good and bad. This way you will have a plethora of anecdotes that can not only inspire plot lines but characters as well.
You also need to keep asking yourself “Would I find this funny?” and if you’re not sure then find a good friend to read it and gauge their reaction. Sometimes a fresh set of eyes is what any piece of work needs in order to find ways to improve it.
Comedy is also a very subjective thing; not everyone finds the same things funny so try not to be too hard on yourself if your work doesn’t have everyone in stiches. One of the most important rules of writing is to write with you in mind; would you enjoy this story? If you don’t then how can you expect anyone else to?
It may require lots of drafts but if you’re convinced that you can have people laughing at every page then go for it, after all, who doesn’t like a good old chuckle?

How many books and films have you seen advertised with the tag line ‘based on a true story’? Too many to count? I thought so.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with fictionalising true life events, in fact we actively encourage any gripping story to be told in some format. After all, a great story is a great story whether it’s fictional or not.

However, if you are thinking about writing a story based on real people and their life encounters then you have to accept that you cannot retell the story exactly as it happened. It may be a brilliant anecdote but turning it into a brilliant story is another matter altogether.

Firstly, you are going to feel an attachment to the story so it’s important to try and distance yourself as much as you can during the planning and writing process. This will make it easier to think objectively about where your story is going and how to structure it.
You must also accept that you are creating characters and not necessarily trying to put real people in to your story exactly as they are. They have to be created in a way that means they will drive the story and engage the reader throughout. If this means changing aspects of their personality or adding other aspects then you should not feel guilty for doing so.

The same applies for the story itself. If you feel that you need to cut out or edit aspects of the real events in order to create more drama then you have to for the sake of your story. Some real life scenarios don’t always translate in to books so you have to be prepared to add sections in order to keep the story entertaining.As long as the basic events stay the same you should be happy with the end result.

If you believe that a story is worth telling then you owe it to yourself to ensure that it’s told. As long as you keep the essence of story then you can afford to change and add events in order to keep the drama and conflict. A novel cannot work without conflict and if there is not enough of it in your story readers will quickly get bored.

Any book that is based on real life events applies these rules and the key words in that phrase are “based on,” which means it is not a reconstruction but a retelling and these are two very different approaches.  Retelling stories is something we’ve been doing since the cave so let’s keep up the tradition.

We seem to be going through a period piece influx at the moment with the popularity of shows such as Downton Abbey and Mr. Selfridge as well as books set during the turn of the century like Kate Morton’s The Forgotten Garden.
The whole world has fallen in love with the era and the illicit trysts between lords and housemaids set against the great historical moments we now know so much about.
Writing a piece of fiction set in the past can be very appealing as you are armed with the knowledge of what has or is about to happen in the world and you can manipulate your story accordingly. You can give your characters happiness and hope before a war hits and then their world changes dramatically or you can have them riding high on a financial wave until the markets suddenly crash and they are left penniless.
It’s up to you how you tell your individual stories but the backdrop of a historical period can really enhance certain aspects of a story, particularly the romance!
However, you must always approach historical fiction with the greatest care. You cannot just assume that because you’ve watched a few episodes of Downton Abbey that you are an expert on the era.
Research is vital and you have to know everything there is to know about everyday life in your chosen period. What was the political climate like? What kinds of jobs did people have? Even something as simple as what they ate will be important. The more you know the more realistic your depiction will be, if it’s not then you will quickly be criticised.
The way your characters talk is particularly important. Some of us have this view that everyone spoke with a plum in their mouth going on about how “one did this” and “one did that” but that’s not true at all. Find out how people interacted with each other and your characters will follow.
You also have to keep in mind that what we value and devalue now would have been very different back then.  You can’t assume that people have always had the same ideas about right and wrong so make sure you research this, too!
It’s pretty clear that we are very pro-research, which may seem like a huge fuss, but if you want to write an enjoyable and accurate historical piece then you have to ensure that you’re reflecting the time period appropriately.

Of course, if you want to throw in a few vampires or ghosts then that’s fine with us but your setting has to reflect the normality of the time just like any other story.

Sometimes you can start writing a piece with your lead character taking charge of the narrative and assume that from there on in everything will be easy enough. You’ve fully constructed your character and you’ve planned out your story to a tee; what problems are you really going to encounter?

What happens if you discover that the hero or heroine you’ve created is actually quite limited. You’ve given them an extensive back story and motivation to go on their quest but no matter what you do you just can make them exciting or intriguing enough to hold the whole story all the way through.

Rather then develop hundreds of plot lines and new twists that will confuse the reader (and you for that matter) have you ever considered that perhaps the character you thought was your lead actually isn’t your lead character?

It may sound strange as you’ve developed this story yourself with this character in the protagonist role; you’ve purposely made them the main character for one reason or another but what do you do when they seem a bit dull?

Perhaps it’s time to reconsider who is your main character. This doesn’t mean that you haven’t succeeded as a writer; it’s one of those strange occurrences when sometimes it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what doesn’t seem to be working (they can happen!)

When this happens do not disregard this character as they clearly have some sort of role in your story but are they really the main driving force behind the narrative? Who is actually in charge and who is the reader going to be most interested in?

Read back over your work and it will be easy to see which character or characters this is and then you can rewrite your piece accordingly.

Alternatively, you can do some serious character reworking. Sometimes their history or persona needs to be dramatically changed so that they become to hero that you want them to be. Of course, this is essentially creating a somewhat new character but you may prefer this.

If you’re getting sick of your hero and have no idea why always ask yourself: is this my main character? Sometimes we create characters in our heads, fall in love with them and just hope that they can carry our story but as a general writing rule, you need to brutal with your work.

Editing and changing aspects of your story are essential to the writing process and if you do some digging around you could discover an even better way to tell your story.

As writers we are often told to not get too attached to your characters as there may come a time in your story when you need to kill them off and if you get too involved in their world you won’t be able to do this. Despite this, many of us do get attached but understand that some characters need to meet their demise in order to maintain interest.
However, do we really need to do this? Killing a character is often used as a twist or a way to reignite the excitement that may be dwindling in a story. It is also used as a form of motivation for our hero or as a way to elicit sympathy for a character that we don’t particular like. How many stories do you know of where the hero or anti-hero’s mother died when they were a child and so they must go on a quest to avenge her death? Possibly too many?
This is very often a simple case of lazy story telling. The writer needs some more action/suspense/sympathy/twists so the best way to achieve this is to kill off a character that we never expected to get killed but this trick is becoming far too common and readers want different and original ways to get excited about a story.
In The Hunger Games the twist of the plot is that we don’t know who is going to live as the whole point of the book is that more characters will die than survive. Your story doesn’t necessarily have to be this grim to stand out but if you think it’s lacking something it may be best to explore many different story lines before deciding that one of your characters is no longer needed, especially as more readers can predict when this is going to happen and to whom.
Sometimes death is a very important part of a story and the best twist that there can be is to have your hero die but if you want to be valued as a writer you must ensure that this really is the best avenue for your story to go down. It can be a very morbid section of the story so if it’s not vital to the plot you should always be questioning if it’s really needed.
We all love a good twist and ones that stand out are going to be the ones that we really didn’t see coming. Killing off a character can be the easiest thing in the world to write so why not show a bit more love to them and see what other hellish ordeals you can put them through instead? We look forward to seeing what your twisted minds can come up with!

Flashbacks have varying effects on writers. For some, the word means no harm and is just a brilliant technique to tell a story, for others, it invokes worry as thoughts of confused and fragmented story telling spring to mind. But there’s no need to worry because we are here to give you some tips on how to make the best use of them!

Flashbacks can be very confusing at times, even for the most advanced reader. Therefore, you need to ensure that you restrict them somewhat and you only use them when necessary. If you’re writing in the first person only use flashbacks for the narrator otherwise your whole piece is not only going to confuse the reader but it’s going to look messy and unprofessional as it will seem like you cannot tell the story well enough from one character’s point of view. If you’re writing in the third person you must ensure that if you’re flashbacks are specific to one character that they are clear.

On the other hand, if you are using a general flashback just make sure you separate the paragraphs from the rest of the text. The same goes for stories written from multiple perspectives, however, if you’re separating the story in to different character sections, anyway, this should be easy enough to achieve.

Another important thing about flashbacks is to know when they should be slotted in to your story. What information are you going to give and when should this be given? Flashbacks usually provide information on a character’s past and depending on how much you want your reader to know straight away will affect when you use your flashback episodes.
You also need to limit how many you use. Flashbacks can be a great way for the reader to learn more about the background of your characters and setting but if your story is flitting between time zones every other page then it’s going to give your reader a serious headache! Either have long sections set in the past and the present or sparingly use your flashbacks. Four or five flashbacks will probably be enough (although you will be the best judge of this) and mark down on a tally each time you write one so that you don’t forget.

Hopefully this has helped you point out some issues you may be having with flashbacks as they can be a tricky technique to master. If you’re still getting stuck sometimes the best piece of advice is to just think along the lines of ‘less is more’.

During the writing process we can sometimes become so attached to our work that we think whatever comes spilling out on to the page is pure genius. We love our plot and we love our story so how could any of it possibly be wrong or not make sense?
This kind of arrogance is something that many authors will occasionally drift in to and it’s perfectly normal. However, it can be the downfall of great pieces of work and it’s best to accept early on that you need to be constantly reading and rereading your work so that it is the best that it can possibly be.
Targeting your weaker areas does not make you a bad writer, it does the complete opposite. Acknowledging those areas that need work shows that you are committed to creating a great piece and the end result will be clear to see.
Reading your work after several pages is one of the best ways to see where you’re going wrong. If the plot doesn’t flow try and identify why; is the pace wrong? Are there too many twists? Not enough twists? Finding these things out will help you immensely.
In terms of characters if you feel like they aren’t well rounded enough or not coming across as you intended it’s best to go back to your character profile. Is there anything there that can be edited? Or is it not detailed enough? Or does the character simply need a complete overhaul?
The other main issue that writers have is punctuation and spelling. No matter how many times it’s drilled in to our brains we still make mistakes, even if we reread the piece of ourselves! Most of the time you can find a willing friend to be a proof reader for you and all it will cost you is a cup of coffee!
Finding the weaker parts of your piece will benefit you in the long run, even if it does make you feel like a bad writer in the short term. However, if you do feel like this find a part of your story that you absolutely love and read it five times. That way you’ll know that you can create something brilliant and everything else is just a glitch.
If you have an amazing story that people have to read then you owe it to yourself and your future readers to make the whole thing as strong as possible. No one likes reading something that has moments of complete brilliance followed by moments of complete rubbish. Don’t be that writer.

There are plenty of books, films and plays that are set either over one night, one day or in one room. The story never moves away from these settings even if previous events or the outside world is mentioned. However, this can be one of the most difficult ways to tell a story. Confining yourself to a very specific and small time frame or space means that everything is restricted and the story has to work extra hard to maintain an audience or reader interest.
Despite this, it can be possible to create something incredible under these conditions and, as always, we’re here to help!
One of the best ways to start thinking about your story is by defining its beginning, middle and end. This may seem very basic but this technique is vital when you have put restraints on your story because you cannot afford for there to be any lulls and if you know exactly where your story needs to be heading you should be able to avoid this problem.
Another very important issue you have to address early on is why are your characters in that room and no where else? Or why is the action only set over a small time frame? If there is no logical reason, other than for your own creativity, then your readers are going to picking holes all the way through the story. The reason can be simple; they are locked in and no one has a key or we’re following our character’s working day. Whatever the reason is it must be established straight away so that you can set the rules by which your story and characters must abide by.
Thirdly, the main conflict should be present throughout as this will be the main driving force and motivation behind your story. If you’re characters are just sitting around for a few hours talking about the weather and waiting for something happen no one is going to read on. Maybe they have just been locked in the attic after not seeing each other for twenty years; instant conflict. Then they discover that there is a monster sleeping in the corner; more conflict. You may not like conflict in real life but in your story it is a must!
These are just a few tips on handling what can be a difficult situation. We often want to push our creativity, which is great, but when you push yourself you must also put in extra work to ensure that your piece makes sense and is still entertaining. If you do that from the start you will find the whole process a lot easier.