On Empathy and Enchantment
Why empathy matters in writing but distance matters too
This Itch of Writing with Emma Darwin
All about fiction and creative non-fiction: writing it, reading it, teaching it and occasionally hating it
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What is subtext and how can it improve your writing?
In a recent Itch of Writing Q&A, a supporter asked about including more subtext in their novel, as some writing-group colleagues had suggested it would improve their writing: specifically the depth and atmosphere.
Q&A: Dressing and accessorising characters; 'get in late and get out early'; getting the right paid-for editing
The pick of the Itch of Writing Ask Me Anything Live Chats
The Thirty Thousand Doldrums, and how to get out of them
Whether you've been racing along with a following wind, or tacking slowly and steadily across the sea, when you're becalmed in the doldrums it's terrifying.
Itchy Bitesized 44: Twelve Things About Pausing A Project
How to cope with, and even make the most of, some months or years away from writing your novel or memoir
Making it Real: Mary Karr's 'carnal world'
How to make your characters' lives and worlds come alive for your reader
Picked Up A Bad Book? Think Of It As A Good One
What you can learn from books that are good-enough-to-sell-enough
Make Friends with Synopsis-Writing
Why synopses are the perfect tool for developing and editing as well as selling your writing
Q&A: Braided narratives in first person; bones showing in your third draft; is it worth entering competitions?
The pick of the Itch of Writing Ask Me Anything Live Chats
De-Filtering Your Draft
Why filtering matters, what to do about it, and twenty words which point towards filtering
Catherine: A Retelling of Wuthering Heights
by Essie Fox