Blog: Mel's Muse

Guest Blog For Uk Christian Bookshops

An invitation to write a guest blog for the UK Christian Bookshop website is not to be sneezed at! So I was delighted when Phil Groom asked me to do just that.

AUTHOR & SPEAKER

Just say who you are and what you do, he suggested. It got me thinking! Can who I am be...

Posted at 19:09pm on 5th July 2010

Wise Writing Words

ADVICE FOR ASPIRING AUTHORS

Asked what advice I would give aspiring authors in an interview I was recently asked to do, I parodied Winston Churchill's famous Fight Them On The Beaches speech. Writing, in other words, requires hard labour and endurance!

I also shared how I nearly turned down a commission from a major publisher for...

Posted at 21:20pm on 4th July 2010

Writers' Interview

As the published author of a number of books, I'm often targeted with mail wanting me to subscribe to all sorts of things. Most of them end up in my Spam box or Recycling Bin.

But a couple of weeks ago I received an e-mail asking me if I was willing to be interviewed...

Posted at 21:09pm on 4th July 2010

Plot Twist Ideas: The First Cut Is The Deepest

So far, in my analysis of an age-old story, I’ve covered the creative writing techniques and plot ideas as follows:

THE STRUCTURE OF A NOVEL A novel is the unfolding of a fictional prose through the thoughts, words and deeds of its characters. An understanding of characterisation is, therefore, essential. The structure of a novel depends...

Posted at 21:34pm on 28th June 2010

Creative Writing Techniques: Show & Tell To Develop Plot Ideas & Character

For aspiring authors, creative writing techniques may appear to be difficult to master. The main thing to remember is that the structure of a novel demands the creation of three dimensional characters, and that it is their actions and reactions which shape the plot ideas of the book. Analysis of a Bible story like...

Posted at 10:16am on 25th June 2010

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World Cup? What World Cup?

Five to three this afternoon, and my local Sainsbury's carpark was virtually empty. Did someone say something about England playing in the World Cup ?

Posted at 23:22pm on 23rd June 2010

Develop Plot Ideas: A Combination Of Negative Personality Traits

My posts, in the last few days, have covered the way in which an aspiring author can use a combination of plot ideas to develop characterisation. For the purposes of demonstrating this aspect of creative writing, I’ve used a classical story taken from the Bible: the tale of Samson and Delilah. Since the entire...

Posted at 11:28am on 21st June 2010

Developing Plot Ideas To Show Characterisation

I suggested, last week, that creative writing - that is writing a novel – requires an understanding of human nature. So where is an author to turn for such material? How can your book have that ring of authenticity whilst maintaining a page turning quality?

Any well-known, classical, story may be used as the...

Posted at 10:58am on 16th June 2010

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Creative Writing Plot Ideas: Dealing With Manipulative People

Whether you’re looking for new creative writing plot ideas, characters for your novel, or how to deal with negative personality traits in real life, there’s plenty of material to be found in this old story about Samson and Delilah. Tom Jones song must, surely, have made her one of the best known bad girls...

Posted at 18:11pm on 11th June 2010

Open To Hope Radio Show: Thursday 10th June, 2010

I shall be speaking to Gloria and Heidi Horsley on the Open To Hope radio show tomorrow about the merit of creative writing when dealing with grief and loss. If you've suffered a bereavement, or know someone who has, don't miss the show.

Posted at 22:54pm on 9th June 2010

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