Some visitors to The Crafty Writer who have been following the non-fiction history writing series have been asking for something similar on writing historical fiction. So we asked Ruth Downie, author of Ruso and the Disappearing Dancing Girls (‘Medicus’ in the USA) to chat to us about writing historical crime novels. Ruth is married with two grown-up sons. She was born in North Devon and now lives in Milton Keynes. Her first book featuring Roman medic Gaius Petreius Ruso was published in 2006, and became a New York Times bestseller (albeit briefly, she reminds us!). Her second book Ruso and the Demented Doctor (‘Terra Incognita’ in the USA) is now on the shelves.
Continue reading ‘Writing historical crime novels – interview with R.S. Downie’
Archive for the 'Business of Writing' Category Page 2 of 5
How many of you set a writing goal for 2009 that included earning money from your writing? Or earning more money from your writing? I’m in the second category. My creative writing, feature writing and screenwriting are going well but not earning that much money. (For a lively discussion on how much writers really earn check out Can you earn money as a writer?) With this in mind, I’ve decided I need to expand my commercial copywriting activities. I’ve set up a new Crafty Writer Copywriting Service website and am working on getting some new clients.
I also thought I’d better brush up on my copywriting skills. So I bought Write to Sell: the Ultimate Guide to Great Copywriting by Andy Maslen. Although the pompous title initially put me off (I’m suspicious of anyone who claims to be the ultimate or final word on anything) the reader reviews on Amazon convinced me it was worth having a look.
Continue reading ‘Copywriting: write to sell’
There’s a new writer in the world of children’s fiction and her name is Kelsey Drake. Kelsey’s first published book is Scordril, a novel for the 9 – 12 age group. It’s the story of a lair of dragons who are under attack from the sinister ‘night dragons’, wielding an ancient and dangerous magic. But what the readers of ‘Scordril’ may not realise is that Kelsey Drake is actually two people: Eleanor Patrick and Sue Brownless. The Crafty Writer asked Eleanor and Sue about their experience of co-authoring and self-publishing their first novel.
Eleanor Patrick
Sue Brownless
Last week freelance writer and guest blogger Suzanne Elvidge gave us some tips on how to find work in the potentially lucrative field of report writing. This week she shows us how to go about producing the copy.
Continue reading ‘Report writing – the nuts and bolts’
Writing for the business market or copywriting can be a lucrative string to a freelance’s bow. In this two-part series, guest blogger and freelance writer Suzanne Elvidge gives you some tips on how to find the work and then tackle the reports.
There are a lot of different types of report a freelance writer might be called on to write, for a wide range of different audiences. They include
- annual reports for a company or charity;
- reports from meetings and conferences, including those looking at research areas or products;
- reviews of products or topics; and
- business intelligence and market research reports.
Like all freelance work, there is no simple one stop shop for finding all the work you need (but if you know of one, please let me know…). There are as many places to find work writing reports as there are types of reports.
Continue reading ‘Report writing – finding work’
After twelve months of hard graft I was thrilled to finally see my four-minute short film, ‘Enemy Lines’, on the big screen. ‘Enemy Lines’, the story of a British soldier returning from Iraq and witnessing an anti-war protestor getting mugged, was one of 11 short films produced and screened through Northern Film and Media’s Stingers programme in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Now I’m ‘officially’ a screenwriter, with my very first commission in the can. Here’s what I’ve learnt so far about the writer’s role in the filmmaking industry:
Continue reading ‘Filmmaking – the screenwriter’s role’
Who knows what’s in the mind of an editor? I decided to ask one of them for his top tips on pitching freelance work. Ian Wylie is editor of the Guardian newspaper’s weekly Work and Graduate sections. He also writes on business issues for a wide range of titles in the UK, Europe and US. In the last 12 months his features have been published in the Financial Times, LA Times, Monocle, Management Today, easyJet Inflight and Velocity. So over to Ian …
Occasionally poachers turn into gamekeepers, but few hold down both jobs at the same time. I’ve been a freelance journalist for 15 years, selling ideas to a variety of newspapers and magazines both in the UK and abroad. But for the last 10 years, I’ve combined my freelancing with a part-time job as a commissioning editor at a national newspaper.
Continue reading ‘What editors want – the right pitch’
One of The Crafty Writer readers asked me recently to give her some advice on writing a covering letter for a picture book she’d written. Well I’ve already dealt with non-fiction covering letters for books and articles previously, but I haven’t looked at fiction. Note, this can be applied to adult and children’s books alike. So here goes. Continue reading ‘The dreaded covering letter’
It was the droll WC Fields who said: ‘Work is the curse of the drinking classes’. Well, the same can be said of the writing classes – at least full-time work that takes you out of the house and away from the thing you love the most. But before you give up the day job, read this sound advice from fellow freelance AmyM over at Three Questions and Answers.
For a British-based reality check, you should also check out my post on Can You Earn Money as a Writer?
The Crafty Writer asked top women’s magazine writer Lorna V how new writers could break into this aspirational market. Lorna has written for glossy, mass market and specialist women’s magazines in the UK and abroad, as well as national newspaper supplements. Her experience also includes editing Time Out’s consumer section. She’ll be running a three day Writing for Women’s Magazines course at the London School of Journalism in September, and also runs tailored individual courses through her website.
Continue reading ‘Writing for women’s magazines’
Welcome to The Crafty Writer, published by Fiona Veitch Smith, a freelance journalist, editor, author, playwright, screenwriter and writing teacher. This site is full of information and resources to help you to become a better writer. 
