Ask Shelley

A plea for advice from a fellow writer, echoed a thousand times over from almost every country in the world: ‘How can I be – feel – creative in these awful times? I can’t concentrate. I have time and space, the words should be pouring out, but I’m stuck.’ My answer is to repeat my…
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It’s not true that short stories are easier to write than novels. They’re certainly shorter but have equally complex demands.  A perfect piece of short fiction is as hard to achieve as a finely wrought item of jewellery. It calls for precision, supreme control, and a good strong tale at its heart. This is what…
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As novelists we try to create a credible illusion of reality: things happen because things happen, a causal chain of events along an imaginary timeline. And after many years of arranging narrative plot we begin to believe that’s the way things really do happen. That effort leads to success, that good habits lead to better…
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When people want to know why I write, I look at them blankly. It feels like they’re asking me, ‘Why breathe?’ or ‘Why eat?’ And all I can say in reply is that it seems as necessary and sometimes as problematic as either of these life-sustaining activities. For, while it is true that it doesn’t usually…
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A question to Ask Shelley from Peter, who wants to know whether ‘writing a blog can be considered a good playground for developing a writing style/voice?’ There are three issues to consider here: What is a blog? Do writers need the frivolity of a playground? Is ‘writing style/voice’ a product of nature or nurture? A…
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It’s that time again – the summer is coming to an end and there’s the panicky feeling that AGAIN the great novel you’d resolved to write in January is nowhere near finished. Or hardly started. Or maybe it’s still just an ephemeral gleam in your eye … Don’t beat yourself up. Guilt and remorse won’t…
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The Faber Academy‘s six-month ‘Writing a Novel’ courses have never been more sought after or heavily oversubscribed. Think now about applying for October 2023, when the next series of selective courses begins. Shelley’s daytime courses run each Tuesday and Thursday, offering a chance for committed and ambitious new novelists to: Benefit from the structure of regular…
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So you’re on the brink of signing up for a writing course – and, as you’re about to take the plunge, are nervously wondering what the best possible outcome can be?   A brilliant novel and/or sparkling short story, obviously. We all want that. And in my work as a tutor/mentor, I have isolated SEVEN…
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Once upon a time a writer wrote a book that somehow found its way to being published and then, miracle of miracles, it was among the minute percentage chosen for review. In awe and terror, said writer would wait for the august verdict from on high. Would the venerable Telegraph reviewer, for instance, give the…
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‘I still can’t believe what we achieved in a week,’ said Louise – one of the participants in last summer’s FIVE DAY SHORT STORY course. In five stimulating days you’ll have hands-on experience at turning theory into practical effect. Learn from the greats – from Chekhov, Hemingway, Munro and others – while being nurtured and…
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So you’re on the brink of signing up for a weekend Masterclass – or a Five Day Fiction Booster – or a two-month Start to Write course – or any of the multitude of creative writing courses on offer? Or thinking about it anyway? And while one part of you – confident and decisive –…
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A limited number of spaces are available for dedicated writers, serious about their fiction, to experience the individual attention, advice and inspiration provided by Shelley under the auspices of the prestigious Gold Dust Mentoring Scheme. An invaluable resource for new and emerging novelists and authors of non-fiction, Gold Dust offers eight hours of face-to-face meetings with…
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‘Why do we do it?’ a new writer wants to know. ‘Honestly, Shelley, here I am pouring out words, words, words – attending courses, being mentored, slaving away every moment I can in my quest to shape those words into fiction. What for? What’s my compulsion all about?’ I nod sagely, playing for time. But…
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So you’ve signed up for a writing course – or taken the plunge and embarked on a mentoring arrangement? Now you are wondering what the best possible outcome can be? A brilliant novel, obviously. We all want that. And in my work as a tutor/mentor, I have isolated SEVEN VITAL FACTORS that will inspire a…
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Yes, dear writers everywhere, it’s the time of year when preachiness rules – when we’re told we should resolve to eat/drink less, to exercise more, be kinder and nobler, and to aspire to greater things. And, of course, to finish that novel – or at least get it off to a determined start. There are…
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I lead a double life. There’s my word-dominated existence in (mostly) grey London on the one hand. On the other, there is my alter ego: a tempestuous flamenco dancer with flashing eyes, nimble feet, and sinuous fingers. Yes, I regularly transport myself off on imaginary jaunts to hot Andalucía (or, being honest, to Islington or…
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A downside of all my manuscript appraisal and creative writing tutoring is that I’ve developed X-ray eyes. Hard as I try, I simply cannot ignore the inner workings of a piece of fiction. It can be a curse – like a kind of visual Tourette’s, irresistibly impacting on my suspension of disbelief. Instead of being…
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A large part of my writing/teaching time is devoted to individual mentoring: hour-long face-to-face or Skype meetings with new writers in which (I trust) they are imbued with creative energy and  the tools to channel this energy into a stronger, better piece of fiction. ‘Why and how does this happen?’ an interested potential mentee wants to…
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All fired up and ready to write, write, write – members of the lively group who attended last summer’s Fiction Booster are forging ahead to make this the most creative, productive summer ever.  And for those who couldn’t make this course, watch this space for another chance to have Shelley’s intensive tuition for five full days at the Faber Academy’s home…
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Out there, lurking darkly in cyberspace, is a creature more voracious than any on earth. Like most writers I know, I’ve been offering it literary titbits for years. Blogging, tweeting, Facebook-feeding, the lot. Of late – with much help from the lovely Kristen Harrison of The Curved House – I’ve been preparing a Cybermonster Feast in the form…
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