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Writing4Success Tipsheet Archives
These archives contain priceless nuggets of information to help you achieve just what you want in your writing career.
You'll find tips on plotting, characters, technique, career-building, and running a home business... and a lot more besides!
There are two things you need to know about using the content in the Tipsheet Archives.
First, there are around 100 articles on writing in this section. (And there are even more in other sections below the 'For Everyone' banner on the left). ALL the articles in the Tipsheet Archives are available to all visitors and members. Just scroll through the list below - and the headlines on the linked pages - to see what's here.
However, if you use the search box at the top of this page to look for something specific, it searches the whole site - and it will probably return some articles that are in the members' area. If you want to view only the articles that are available to everyone, then work from the links under 'For Everyone' in the left-hand navigation bar. Anything underneath the "For Members Only" icon will be... well, for members only! :-)
Enjoy our archives!
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How to Flesh Out a Story Without Padding
Marg McAlister
What do you do if you read through your final draft, and realises that your story needs a bit more flesh on its bones? How can you make sure that you add substance, rather than just padding? How DO you flesh out a story? . . . keep reading
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YOUR WRITER'S RADAR -
Finding Markets and Adapting to Change
Marg McAlister
What you need to know is that there are no easy answers to 'how can I market my work?'. Whether you are trying to sell a novel, a self-help book, or an article, you need to stay in tune with the marketplace and be ready to adapt to changes. This is not what most people want to hear. It's so much easier to follow a formula. ('Follow these ten easy steps and you'll get a 'yes' from that editor!') Unfortunately, there is no formula. But you do have your writer's radar... . . . keep reading
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Host Your Own Workshop
Marg McAlister
Attending a writers' workshop can be a tremendous buzz. Just one day in the company of other writers can give you insights into your craft, new techniques to try, a slew of ideas for your plot, a warm sense of fellowship... and above all, renewed enthusiasm for your writing. You may not ever have thought of hosting your own writers' workshop, but it's a great way to touch base with other writers and learn at the same time. . . . keep reading
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"TOUGH TIMES" Survey Findings
The recent survey results confirmed the impression we were getting from a number of sources (writers' magazines, forum posts, blog posts, letters from subscribers etc): that is, writers are looking at a variety of ways to use their skill with words to earn an income. Some writers don't care what they write, as long as they get paid for it. Some writers want to know more about adding a second source of income via non-fiction. Some are primarily interested in non-fiction, but would like to know how to 'cross over' to fiction as well. . . . keep reading
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Crossing Genres or Age Groups
Marg McAlister
For one reason or another, you might be thinking of switching genres, or changing from one age group to another. What are the problems you might encounter? Do you have to re-learn or un-learn anything? What are the differences, say, in writing for adults when you've been used to writing for children - or vice versa? . . . keep reading
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When You Feel Like Giving Up
Marg McAlister
I am sure that most of us have felt as though not a single word of what we have written is worthwhile. I am sure that many of us have been disappointed - and unsupported - by a writers' group that is not a good "fit" for us. I am sure that we have all felt, at times, completely alone. So what is the cure? How do writers cope? How do they keep going, week after week, year after year? What makes people pick themselves up and carry on? . . . keep reading
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Writing and Selling Your Own E-Course
Marg McAlister
Lots of people with a hobby or special interest have thought about starting up a newsletter or a blog, and this is an excellent way to attract a following. However, if you really know what you're talking about, then you could turn your knowledge into a nice little business - by writing an e-course on it. Or ever a series of e-courses. There are four main steps in the process of writing a high-quality, profitable e-course... . . . keep reading
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Pandemic Swine & Fiction Prediction in Novels
Hazel Edwards
In my novel 'Outback Ferals' (the ferals were the pigs, not the locals!) infection details were carefully researched with quarantine authorities. The implications of a pandemic threat were woven into the plot. My facts were right, but the story about Kyle the young undercover, eco- scientist sleuth was fiction. Why is my fiction prediction becoming nightly news? . . . keep reading
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10 Problems with Story Endings
Marg McAlister
Here's a subject that is bound to generate plenty of discussion in any group of writers: "What kind of endings do you hate?" We've all been there. We've read a book engages us all the way through... until we get to the end. Unbelievably, the author has let us down. Let's examine 10 causes of 'reader deflation' at the end of a book...
. . . keep reading
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Recording Your Progress
Marg McAlister
If you're having trouble achieving what you had hoped to with your writing, you might find that an easily-seen record of your progress helps you to stay on track. This shows you how you can use two different progress sheets for any number of writing tasks. On one of them you can record your progress in percentage points (with intervals of 10% up to 100%, when the task is finished) and on the other you can check off up to ten steps in a complex task. . . . keep reading
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Creating Your Fiction World
Marg McAlister
If you're like most people who read fiction, you hope for characters that engage you and a plot that intrigues you. These are the core elements of any novel. However, you need to be able to add colour and life to every part of your story world. If you don't know how to do this, your plot is just a scaffold, and your characters more like ghosts than living people. . . . keep reading
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Book Reviews: Writing them and Understanding Them
I've seen first-hand the devastation caused by a bad book review. For an author who has given their heart and soul to a work of fiction for months or years, a negative review is like a personal assault. After all, authors rarely write a book without caring whether people like it or not. You write it, you polish it - often you perform major surgery at the request of an editor - and you eagerly await its release to the world, hoping it will be hugely popular and sell many thousands of copies. A bad review can seem like the end of the world. . . . keep reading
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7 Signs That You're Destined to be a Writer
Marg McAlister
If you remember eagerly uncapping your pen at school to write about 'What I Did in the Holidays' or 'My Big Adventure', then you probably had no chance from the start - a writer you were destined to be! . . . keep reading
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4 Unexpected Benefits of Rejection
Marg McAlister
The first reaction to reading a rejection letter is usually intense disappointment (and often days or weeks of depression). This doesn't last. Often, this 'rejection dejection' morphs straight into a firm resolve to fix whatever is wrong and do better next time. . . . keep reading
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Writers in Lockdown Mode
Marg McAlister
"Lockdown mode" is a legitimate and effective way to find time for your writing. In fact, it's a brilliant alternative for writers who find it nearly impossible (or ineffective) to carve a few hours out of a typical week. . . . keep reading
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He Said, She Said...
Marg McAlister
Whole books have been written on how to write dialogue - but a quick scan of those on my shelves show that none of them specifically addresses the topic of how to get around the problem of two males or two females talking at length. Of course, it can be done - there are countless novels out there that have scene after scene of smoothly written dialogue involving two people of the same sex. But... what are the techniques involved? . . . keep reading
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