One of my readers emailed me this week, asking for clarity on the narrative and point of view in The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho. In answer to his question, and to delve deeper into the craft of writing fiction, this article is a general analysis of the work: Read More…

When it comes to the writing process there are particular subjects that continue to intrigue me. The most intriguing being the phenomenon “Writer’s Block”. It can happen to anyone, at any time. You can be right in the middle of a novel, and suddenly, despite all the meticulous preparation, and despite being highly motivated, your mind goes blank, and there you sit, in front of your computer screen, scrolling back and forth over what you’ve written, and not one single syllable comes to mind to kick start you into the next phase. Then again it can happen right at the beginning of your novel when you’ve completed your synopsis, plot line and chapter breakdown, and you simply cannot find that suitable opening sentence.

Read More…

As Oprah would say, I had an Aha moment!

I recently sent out a novel to a publisher in America. It’s a novel that I wrote several years ago about an issue that has recently become topical again. The publisher in question requested a couple of chapters in an email exchange that is on a first name basis. I was assured therefore that the work would not land on the slush pile and that it would in fact be read.

A couple of weeks later, I received an email rejection. But a rejection with a difference. It contained constructive criticism and pointed out why, in this publisher’s opinion, the novel was not strong enough to be published. Read More…