Andrew Ferguson's Blog, page 16

Pants, Plants and Plans: A Beginner’s Guide

If you're struggling with whatever method comes naturally to you, it may be time to try a different approach. And so, what follows is my own concise analysis of each approach, comparing pros and cons as evenly as I can. 

App Review: Goodreads Android App 2.0.2

Anyway, today I got an email asking me to download the new and improved Goodreads App.'Yes, I will.' I thought. 'And then I'll tell all my faithful readers exactly what I thought of it, mwahaha!'

Book Review: Ready Player One

'Enchanting. Willy Wonka meets The Matrix' (USA Today). That's what the little quotation says on the front cover of Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.High praise indeed. High enough to make me buy it and read it. But I know what you're thinking: 'did it deliver?'

Not Sure Where To Begin With Your Story? Try Free Writing.

Free writing is a time honoured prewriting technique which works by encouraging the writer to write without fear of criticism or failure for a set period of time.

6 Useful Posts on Fiction and Writing

I couldn't think of anything clever to write this week, so I decided it was time for another exciting instalment of Useful Posts on Fiction and Writing, where I share other people's clever fiction-related posts.

Theme: The Truth Behind the Tale

What fundamental truth(s) are you conveying in your idle fantasy? What aspects of real life are you exploring? And equally as important, how are you conveying that truth?

Writing a Second Draft When You’re a Plantser

It was my wife who finally reminded me: I'm a plantser. I begin with a rough plan, but it's only when I write and let my imagination run wild that my plan starts to grow a bit of flesh and take on a life of its own. Why was it, then, that when I came to write my second draft that I felt so compelled to have a perfect plan in place before writing anything?

Super Snappy Speed Reviews – TV Edition (Vol. 2)

I’ve picked 5 TV shows entirely at random from my DVD rack/Now TV/Lovefilm/etc. accounts and reviewed them all in no more than four or five sentences.

Author Interview: Sharleen Nelson (part 2 of 2)

I had the pleasure of interviewing Sharleen, whose debut novel The Time Tourists is available to buy on Amazon and other retail outlets. This is the second half of that interview.

Author Interview: Sharleen Nelson (part 1 of 2)

I had the pleasure of interviewing Sharleen Nelson, whose debut novel The Time Tourists is available to buy on Amazon and other retail outlets. What follows is part one of that interview. Be sure to check back next week for part two!