Writing Magazine

Crowding in

I spoke recently to a friend who was stuck in the throes of writing his latest book; stuck as in he couldn’t seem to forge ahead with anything – plot, direction, action, dialogue or characters. Especially the characters.

As he vented about the lack of progress, I began to realise fairly quickly what the problem was: he had way too many people bossing him about.

I know, it’s that old claim that your characters start telling you what they’re going to do next and you can’t stop them. Well, it’s true,

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Writing Magazine

Writing Magazine3 min read
Get Published
In the 1970s and 80s horror fiction was huge, the genre dominated by bestselling titles by Stephen King and James Herbert, writes Gary Dalkin. Shelves were filled with books by Ramsey Campbell, Shaun Hutson, Brian Lumley, Mark Morris, Stephen Laws a
Writing Magazine1 min readComposition & Creative Writing
Ware Poets Open Poetry Competition 2024
Win a £600 first prize in the contest that will be judged by Paul Stephenson. Enter original, unpublished poems up to 50 lines in the 26th Ware Open Poetry Competition. The prizes are £600, £300 and £150. There is also a special Sonnet Prize of £150
Writing Magazine4 min read
What A ***!!!**!*
A strange thing happened last week. I was lost for words. Happily, it didn’t last long. The reason I was dumbfounded was that I came across a publisher who found a new way of being a chiselling shithead. Now, to be fair to traditional publishers who

Related Books & Audiobooks