JohnnyBoy Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Hi, I was hoping I could get some advice I would like to try my hand at writing. The seed was set when I read an article about things to do before you reach 30 and in one of the targets was having a novel published. The thought of writing has festered away ever since but I've never really done anything about it until now. I love to read, especially mystery/suspense/crime genres and really enjoy authors such as Harlen Coban, Ian Rankin, PJ Tracy, Greg Iles, Lynwood Barclay etc. I would love to try and emulate some of their stories, not necessarily character based stories such as the Rebus series but stand alone suspense novels with a good twist that keeps the reader intrigued to the end. My difficulty is how you go about starting to write, letting the creative forces get to work. Rather than just picking up a pen I was thinking of enrolling in a creative writing course to learn the finer detail and etiquette but I'm not sure if these are worthwhile. Then again, I don't want to write 80,000+ words to find out I got the basics badly wrong from the first sentence! The universities (including the OU) have courses but they seem to cost a small fortune. I also looked at the Avron Foundation but that is £650 for a 5 day residential. The Writer's Workshop had some 6 week couses for £300, which I'm tempted by. They are done online and allows me flexibility - I work 24x7 shifts so attending set times is tricky but not impossible. I've also seen the workshops in Sheffield by Susan Elliot Wright but unfortunately the last course started in January soI've missed the cut off. So basically i'm wondering if a creative writing course is worthwhile and if so where would you recommend that doesn't need me to remortgage :-) Thanks Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahD Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 You could read one of the many books written about writing. I've got 'The complete handbook of novel writing' which is good. But really, it's trial and error. Someone somewhere once said that you need to write a million words before you begin to reach your potential and I think there is some truth in that. I'm on my third draft of my novel (87,000) words and have written dozens of short stories (some published some not) and am just about getting to the level I want to be at. But there's still a long way to go and much to learn. One trick to learning grammar is to handwrite out a chapter from one of your favourite novels and pay specific attention to the placements of the commas, full stops, speech marks etc. One invaluable piece of advice is: "I wanted to go to the park," she said. NOT "I wanted to go to the park." She said. because 'she said' is connected to the speech and therefore part of the sentence. But: "I wanted to go to the park." She laughed. NOT: "I wanted to go to the park," she laughed. You can't laugh words so it is separate from the sentence. You might already know this and think me really patronising but seriously, that was one of the most important bits of grammar I learnt. Start with short stories to get yourself into it. Doesn't matter what you write about just think up some ideas and go with it. Join more writing forums and ask for critiques. Hope that helps! And I think Susan Elliott Wright does one day classes if you wanted to go along to one of those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyBoy Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 Cheers for the advice - I'll look into a guide. P.S. Sorry it has taken a while to say thanks - my laptop died the weekend I posted it. Maybe it is a bad omen! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahD Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Haha! Although rule number 2 with freelance writing - there are no omens and there is no such thing as writer's block - just excuses! Good luck with it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
De Batz Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 One trick to learning grammar is to handwrite out a chapter from one of your favourite novels and pay specific attention to the placements of the commas, full stops, speech marks etc. This advice is given in my 'Grammar of the English Language' by Cobbett (although the advice is given to copy the chapters of the book). I quite like it, but it could be quite laborious... My advice is this: Whatever is in your head, write it down. Initially you may find yourself making correctable mistakes in your grammar, but you'll improve as a writer more if you write more. If on the other hand you wait until you've mastered the ins and outs of technique, you might spend too long doing that and lose your urge! You can always correct your technical deficiencies at some later stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopman Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Take a look at the masterclass from Ken Follett: http://www.ken-follett.com/masterclass/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bimbleinn Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 I did a 10 point course with the Open University (12 weeks) which really got me started. My tutor was a novellist himself (Ray Robinson) and his feedback was fantastic. Writing was always something that I had wanted to do, so I really enjoyed doing the assignments (the first chapter of my novel was written through the course), and when I finished the course my tutor wrote to me and urged me to continue the novel and find a publisher. Three years - and 95,000 words - later I found an agent after half a dozen rejections. After some rewriting and editing at my agent's suggestion, she (last week) sent out my novel to publishers and I am currently waiting to see if one of them will give me a book deal. A course - any course where you get feedback from an experienced novellist - will invigorate you and set you off in the right direction. If you have it in you your tutor will encourage you further. OK, it will cost money (and I had that fear, too!) but parting with your cash will only serve to make you more determined to give it your best. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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