• 7 steps to writing a great scene

    September 2, 2015 Blog

    Whether you’re writing books, plays, musicals or screenplays, it’s vital that you master the fundamentals of a scene. I mean, that does without saying, right? After all, your work is essentially a long list of scenes, so if your individual scenes have something missing, how will your finished product be any different?

    There’s one small problem. Writing a noteworthy scene is incredibly difficult. If you pull someone off the street and ask them to write a …

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  • Writer Jody Medland takes questions about writing

    Author Q&A with Jody Medland

    August 21, 2015 Blog

    Right after Jody read the prologue to his debut novel, The Moors, he sat down and took a selection of questions from somebody who knows him incredibly well, his older sister, before taking further questions from the audience.

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  • The Moors – Prologue

    August 17, 2015 Blog

    A very big hello and thank you so much for taking the time to visit this page.

    As I’ve been shouting it from the rooftops I’m fairly certain you will know that my first paperback novel was released this summer. Whenever I hold a book signing I tend to read this to the attendees and they say it really helps set the tone for what they feel is an intriguing story, and so I thought it would …

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  • 10 steps to writing a marketable story

    August 12, 2015 Blog

    Before you say anything, I don’t personally believe there is a definitive list of 10 simple tricks to make you write the next best-selling book or blockbuster hit.

    So much goes into every book and screenplay that each finished story is invariably unique in some way, so you can never escape the fact that the hard work and determination needed to write a great story has to come entirely from the writer.

    However, I’ve been in the industry long enough now to have …

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  • The importance of writing visually

    August 10, 2015 Blog

    To some, the title of this blog appears as something of an oxymoron.

    “Visuals?” I hear you cry. “I’m a writer. I paint with words, not images!”

    It’s true that every writer is different in both style and approach, but what is undeniable is that, when used correctly, words can be the most powerful and explosive device ever created by man. Why? Because it allows us to stimulate the almost limitless potential of the human mind.

    When Martin …

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  • Why copywriting is the coolest job ever… and how to get into it!

    August 7, 2015 Blog

    When we copywriters sit in an interview, we all know it’s a matter of time before we’re hit with the loaded question: “So what made you want to become a copywriter?”

    Internally, I’ve wrestled with this question for many years. It is my strong belief that nobody actually wants to be a copywriter. It’s just not a profession our younger selves would think to dream of or aspire to.

    When I say this, I mean no offence …

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  • How to run a successful crowdfunding campaign

    August 5, 2015 Blog

    So for me, 15th July 2015 was a really special day. Not only was my first paperback novel released but it was also when my first successful crowdfunding campaign drew to a close. I spent the whole afternoon in a bubble of exhaustion and warm satisfaction, but there wasn’t really much time to absorb the fact the past year’s work had been realised and the book was now available for people to buy.

    As the days …

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  • The Suspicions of Mr Whicher

    May 9, 2015 Blog

    As somebody who is not the greatest fan of non-fiction books, I took a little persuading before I got involved in Kate Summerscale’s meaty account of an infamous murder that took place in Wiltshire many moons ago. In fact, it was only because a fellow industry peer continued to recommend it that I finally gave in.

    In 1860, a young child was murdered in a stately home belonging to the hugely wealthy Kent family and subsequently …

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  • The Mystery of the Yellow Room

    May 9, 2015 Blog

    Desmond Christy from The Guardian once famously offered £500 to anyone that could guess the solution to the crime set out in Gaston Leroux’s The Mystery of the Yellow Room. It was a safe bet, because quite simply, it’s impossible.

    For me, this is the major flaw that has always prevented me from becoming a huge fan of the Sherlock Holmes franchise. The moment that a mystery becomes impossible to solve, you become a passive reader, …

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