In this final session on non-fiction writing, we will be looking at the small print to keep you on the right side of the law. We will be looking at:
Continue reading ‘Non-fiction writing - finance, copyright and libel’
Archive for November, 2007
In this final session in the Crafty Writer’s Introduction to Creative Writing course, I would like to leave you with some advice on how to develop your writing further. If you’re so inclined, you can join a writers’ group (for UK groups; for US and international groups) or an online critiquing group (for poetry and short stories). Be warned though, you may have to ’shop around’ as many of these groups are filled with people who will just nod and smile and not give you constructive advice. Sometimes, you may have to pay for a critique to ensure you get a truly objective and constructive perspective. Continue reading ‘Creative Writing - markets, competitions and opportunities’
This is the seventh instalment in my eight week course on non-fiction writing. Last week we looked at how to write a feature article for magazines; this week we will be discussing:
My stage play, The Idol of Sarajevo, has been shortlisted for the People’s Play Award. Winner to be announced at the end of December. If I win, I shall be blogging about my experiences in the run-up to the staging of the play in May 2008. So wish me well and watch this space! I developed this play on my MA in Creative Writing at Northumbria University.
For more free resources on writing for theatre visit:
- Writernet - free information and subsidised critiquing for UK-based writers
- Open University - free course on approaching plays plus excellent, value-for-money short courses for everyone.
- New Dramatists - resources for US-based writers.
Books I can reccommend include:
- Val Taylor’s
- Alan Ayckbourn’s
- Stuart Spencer’s
- Jeffrey Hatcher’s
It’s not everyday you get something for nothing. For all those classic books you always wished you’d read, Abacci books is a fantastic resource for free e-books. Everything from Louisa May Alcott to Martin Luther King and thousands of others are available for download. I’ve just added it to my favourites.
In this seventh instalment of my creative writing course, poet Andrew Philip introduces us to the basics of writing poetry. Andrew has been part of Edinburgh’s Shore Poets since 2002. His poetry volume was published by HappenStance Press in 2005. He is now working on his first anthology. His poetry blog can be found at http://tonguefire.blogspot.com. I, for one, am looking forward to this guest post. Continue reading ‘Creative Writing - poetry’
We’ve just spent five weeks on this non-fiction course looking at different styles, genre and markets for non-fiction writing. I hope by now that you have got an idea of what you would like to write about and started researching it. Whether it’s a travel article, an autobiographical piece or a general feature article for the magazine of your choice, you should be ready to write something up. by Nicholas Corder has an excellent chapter on writing-up and you may like to refer to it after you’ve read this post. So it will come as no surprise to you that this week we are looking at how to write a feature article for a magazine. Continue reading ‘Non-fiction - how to write a feature article’
This is the sixth session in my eight-part course on creative writing. This week we’ll be looking at
In my experience as a creative writing teacher I’ve discovered that there are two types of writers: those who are good at dialogue, and those who are not. If you are good at dialogue, make sure you’re not just writing a script; if you’re poor at dialogue, you need to allow your characters to break out of their headspace and address the reader face-to-face. Continue reading ‘Creative writing - dialogue’
We write because we were created to. Ever since the first scratchings on cave walls, people have tried to communicate their thoughts, stories and ideas through the written word. People of faith are no different. Writing as Worship and Witness is a six-week course, hosted on the Crafy Writer’s sister site, www.veitchsmith.com, and is aimed at people who want to explore writing as part of their Christian walk.
I’ve just come across these FREE writing courses from Email College, Birmingham, UK. There are courses on dozens of writing topics including horror, romance, memoir, comedy, poetry, magazine writing, children’s writing, Science Fiction, e-book publishing and many, many more. They are open to people worldwide. http://www.emailcollege.co.uk/category.php?id=14
You may also want to check out their Creative Pathway website which gives advice and services to artists, film makers, writers and publishers.
Welcome to The Crafty Writer, published by Fiona Veitch Smith, a freelance journalist, author, playwright and writing teacher. This site is full of information and resources to help you on your journey to become a better writer. 
