Janet Cameron

Some time ago, I knew a very popular British author, now deceased.   He wrote historical fiction, delightful prose with long, flowing sentences. He was fairly successful for a while, and then he developed a new set of characters in a new location for a series of books. He was asked, by his publisher, to re-vamp his style. Books with short sentences did much better, they said. So, he actually adjusted his material from his original attractive (to me) style to sentences that were around seven words long. Paragraphs had to be much shorter too, to make them an easy-read. I found this extraordinary and his books were subsequently uncomfortable to read, at least for me, because of the over-frequent shifts in focus.    Of course, sometimes short sentences work best.  I had been teaching about using short sentences for dramatic passages in fiction, to rev up the pace, increase tension, and that's fine. But when all the sentences are abrupt, simple statements, wr...

http://poetrypoem.com/ This is an exciting project, as Poetrypoem .com want to help you to host your own poetry website – and it’s completely free. Their income is derived from the advertisements displayed. The individual poetry websites are colourful and creative, so go online and have a look at how others have promoted themselves.     Look through several other poets’ working websites to fully explore what is possible, then create a website that reflects your own poetic persona.

Cover - Dickens Hard Times, Public Domain You can criticise others at your peril. For some people, like tutors and markers, it's a necessary part of their existence. But, in my opinion, you can tell almost anyone almost anything if you do it in the right way. There can be nothing worse for a writer than someone  patronising them, or talking down to them, or even criticising them inaccurately because of misunderstandings about stylistic and spelling differences due to the other writer's national or cultural background.

The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English describes hyperbole as ‘An exaggerated or extravagant statement designed to command attention or provoke reaction.’ The guide cites Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus’ quotation ‘Is this the face that launched a thousand ships?’ which, although not humorous, is certainly hyperbolic. Unintentional Humour It’s when the hyperbole or humour in writing is unintentional that it can ruin our work.

Public Domain There is no money quite so special as the money you make with your writing, especially when you first begin. You will always remember the day your first cheque plopped through your letterbox, or appeared on your online bank statement. That's true even if it's only a few pounds or a few dollars, but a little bit extra is always welcome. Here are a few ideas for maximising your income when, after all your hard work, you've finally got into print. Communicate with other writers : It helps to network and that’s about give and take, whether it’s feedback, advice or legitimate favours. Writers should always help each other. Don’t just write:   Speak at events, run workshops, read your work at literary festivals. Get your name known and, if you have a book to sell, always take along a few copies and leave them in a conspicuous place. Don’t forget to offer to sign them and do it with a flourish. Promote yourself online:   You’re a brand now....

Don't be fazed by rejection. It takes determination to succeed, so believe in yourself and never give up. A now-established magazine short story writer says, “Once I wrote a story for a magazine that the sub-editor loved, saying it was well-written and appealing, but the fiction editor had an enormous choice of submissions and mine fell at the last hurdle. I was so disappointed, but I got over it, and later, I tweaked the story for a writing competition.” The new story was easy to write. The writer had the background and some witty dialogue to work with. “I just changed my main protagonist from a youngish, well-meaning married woman playing a character in a love story, to a rather scary teenage girl,” she explains. Her story became a “sting in the tail”. The teenage girl was more fun to write about anyway and this writer received an award for a humorous story. “The prize-money was small, but it was satisfying to get an award.”  

Time for Everything - Image by Janet Cameron Is it hard to find time to write? Get organised and make it happen. A few small changes can help you to finish what you have started. ‘Life is always so full. Getting and spending we lay waste our powers. Why do we let ourselves be so busy and miss doing things we should have, or would have, liked to do?’ says Alice Munro in her short story, "Powers." Most people make time for what they really want to do, but somehow writing’s different. You want to write. Ideas are sizzling in your head like overdone bacon. But there’s that sense of guilt about taking time off from urgent tasks to do something that pays little or nothing. There’s also the spare room to paint, the bank statements to check and the cooker’s begging for a damn good clean. There are two issues here, the first is practical, the second abstract. (a) Careful planning to garner those extra few hours every week to pursue your creative urges t...