Freda Lightfoot's Blog, page 13

Ten Reasons For Rejection:

1. There isn’t a strong enough hook to draw you straight into the story.
This is vital. The reader will only buy the book if she’s caught up from the very first paragraph. Give an indication of the problem on the first page and make it strong. Don't ever overload your first pages with too much back story. Start the action with a bang and slip in any necessary details and explanations later as and

What should dialogue do?

1. Reveal and explain character.
a) Who speaks - this must be clear..
b) What they say should be relevant to the story
c) How they speak should be distinctive for each character.

2. Advance the action - within each scene and within the novel.

3. It must create conflict.
a) Between the protagonists.
b) Against a character’s own inner thoughts.

4. Provide information - background detail or

Fowey Festival of Words and Music (formerly known as the Du Maurier)

Pont Pill


Last week I enjoyed a fabulous week at the Fowey Festival of Words and Music (or the Du Maurier Festival - as it used to be called). Can't think why they would need to change such an important international name. The Festival takes place each year in early May in Fowey, Cornwall, directed by Jonathon Aberdeen, but much of the work done by local volunteers.

It was wonderful to be

Questions every Writer should ask over the main Character’s Journey

1. Who is your main Point of View character?

2. What is the inciting incident or problem and in what way does it effect her life?

3. What emotional state is she in at the beginning? And at the end?

4. What does she want? What are her aims and goal, and what does that tell us about her?

5. Many obstacles must stand in her way. What is her flaw that prevents her from attaining her goal, and

A Sense of Place

There is no better way of getting the feel of an industry, occupation or area than to talk to the people who have lived it. Ask them about their routine: daily, seasonal, annual. How they got started? How did they acquire their skills? How have things changed? What are the problems and dangers in the work? Where did they ache after a long day?

Oral history tapes and transcripts in local

Ellis Island

Ellis Island, the reception centre for all new immigrants to New York, newly opened in 1900 after the earlier wooden structure burned down. Ships arrived daily, filled with hopeful immigrants by the score, as many as 10,000 people to be processed. Russian Jews seeking escape from persecution, Hungarians, Slovakians, Poles, Italians, all speaking to each other in different tongues, eating

The London Book Fair 2013

David and I attended the London Book Fair this week, and what an amazing experience that was. It was much larger and busier than I had expected, and you could positively hear the hum of deals being done. Up in the International Rights Centre where I went to meet my agent, the entire room, which was of gigantic proportions, was laid out with tables and chairs, each one partially partitioned from

The Street of my childhood in the fifties

I have fond memories of the street on which I lived as a child, and have used them in many of my books. My favourite shop was the bakers where there was always that tempting smell of freshly baked bread, a delicious array of cakes, muffins and currant tea cakes. A custard slice for our tea on a Saturday was our weekly treat, following a hot meat and potato pie, the pastry rich and crisp, the

Flying Ducks

Enjoyed a most inspiring meeting at the Smiths Arms, Beckwithshaw, near Harrogate, with the Flying Ducks. We’re a group of writers who have been meeting for at least 15 years, supporting each other through the ups and downs in the publishing world. Whether it’s advising a new writer what to do about a rejection, or an established writer seeking information on research, promotion or

Duchess of Drury Lane-deleted scenes

It is sometimes difficult keeping a book within the prescribed limits. Exceeding that length can create excessive expense for the publisher, and make it less easy to convert to large print. Most books benefit from cutting, making it tighter and more polished. Duchess of Drury Lane was no exception to this rule, but there is the odd scene we take out with some reluctance. Here is one of them