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Tag Archives: creative writing

What does the new novelist really, really want?

So you signed up  … or almost did … to the latest Faber Academy six-month ‘Writing a Novel’ course? Or joined me in Spain for the Literary Consultancy’s Literary Adventure? Or emerged triumphant from one of the summer Five Day Short Story courses? Well done – even for that moment of serious consideration. Out of…
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Is ‘scribomania’ a certifiable addiction?

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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That vital opening line

This piece is not only about openings, it IS the opening shot in the Faber Academy’s SUMMER 2014 BLOG TOUR, which kicks off on the lively DOT SCRIBBLES site. Here it is for the homebodies: How far can an enticing opening line go towards selling your novel? In the innocent days when writers were advised to…
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Writing A Novel – six-month daytime courses with the Faber Academy

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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Making the most of your writing course

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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