26
Feb
Feb
Has My Idea Been Done Before?
by Stephen Carver When Professor Chaos first hit South Park, he was hampered in his evil schemes by the realisation, at every turn, that ‘The Simpsons already did it.’ And
Feb 2018
Jan 2018
13
Jan
Jan
How to Workshop
Writing a first novel or first few stories is tricky, maybe terrifying. The process is messy. Obstacles can seem both insurmountable and inscrutable. Work-in-progress can be tentative, experimental or
Dec 2017
11
Dec
Dec
What We Talk About When We Talk About Minor Characters
The literary agent Jonny Geller posted recently on Twitter that there are no such thing as minor characters, they each have their own novel, but their story is for
Oct 2017
15
Oct
Oct
The Gear System: How to Plot to set the Pace
One of the most noticeable problems in early-draft work is that something is wrong with the pace. It is understandable that new writers can be unsure of what we’re looking
03
Oct
Oct
Romance vs Marriage: How to Write a Second Draft
Ashley Stokes talks about how to approach the second draft of your novel. In my Online Fiction Workshop, several of the group have recently finished the first draft of
Aug 2017
22
Aug
Aug
Student Experiences: Priceless Advice
EIlidh Horder talks about the Online Fiction Workshop For anyone considering the Unthank School Online Fiction Workshop, I unreservedly encourage you to do so. I originally signed up for
21
Aug
Aug
Student Experiences: Writing the Novel
KJ Packer talks about Writing the Novel I came to the Unthank School’s Writing the Novel course in September 2014, armed with a completed first draft, an agent, and
09
Aug
Aug
Student Experiences: Turning an Idea into Reality
Zoe Bell talks about how the Online Fiction Workshop has helped her grow and shape her novel. Before I attended the Unthank Online Fiction Workshop I thought I could do
Dec 2016
21
Dec
Dec
Ashley Stokes’ Top Five Books of 2016
Last Christmas we asked our tutors to compile an end-of-year list from the books they had read that year, one refreshingly unconstrained to books published in 2015. Any bibliophile worth
May 2016
08
May
May
Writing Prompt: The Vanisher
There's an anecdote told by Eudora Welty in her autobiography One Writer's Beginnings (First Harvard University Press, 1995). It provides a perfect 'glimpse moment' that could be developed into a