Rhoda Baxter's Blog, page 43
May 4, 2016
Inheritance Books: Catherine Ryan Howard
This week’s guest on Inheritance Books is Catherine Ryan Howard – who was primarily known for her non fiction (and her fabulously useful Catherine Caffeinated blog). Her latest book Distress Signals is a thriller set on a cruise ship. Hi Catherine, have a biscuit. Why don’t you start off by telling us a bit about yourself?
Catherine Ryan Howard by City Headshots Dublin
I live in Dublin, Ireland, but I’m from Cork. I’m currently studying for a BA in English Lit as a mature student in Trinity C...
Tips on writing dialogue
It’s time for another creative writing column in the Beverley Guardian. With the excitement of the Tour De Yorkshire, the column didn’t make it into the website, so here’s the whole text. This month, it’s all about dialogue.
Well written dialogue is a joy to read. It gives your characters voice and livens up writing like nothing else.
Basics first. I’m sure you know that quotation marks frame the dialogue at the start and the end. Have a look at some of the books you own and you’ll notice t...
April 28, 2016
Do you listen to music when you write? No way!
Today I’m taking part in a themed blog splash run by Elaina James as part of the project she’s doing with Mslexia. Elaina’s blog series follows a lyricist with stage fright who has the chance to perform one of their songs on stage. She invited a group of us to write about our own relationships with music.
I’m not a huge fan of music. I realise this makes me a complete philistine, but there you have it. I find it hard to distinguish good music from mediocre. I appreciate that classical music i...
April 25, 2016
Inheritance Books: Rachel Dove
Today’s guest on the Inheritance Books sofa is Rachel Dove. Hi Rachel, welcome. While I go put the kettle on, why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself.
I am 34, a wife and mother living in Yorkshire (Yay!). I used to work in law, then in the area of early years and special educational needs, and I eventually qualified to teach adults these subjects. I always wanted to be an author and a teacher, it just took me a while to get there! I have written horror shorts in the past, but romantic fic...
Inheritance Books: Mark Anderson
It’s world Intellectual Property (IP) day! As you may have guessed from reading Girl On The Run, IP plays a large part in my day job, so I thought we’d have a special Inheritance Books guest post from Mark Anderson from the fabulous IPdraughts blog – which discusses the nitty gritty of IP licensing in an accessible (often whimsical) way.
Welcome to Inheritance Books, Mark.While I get the tea and biscuits, why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself.
I grew up in Scotland to English parents. My...
The Authors’ Compass event
OnSaturday, I had the chance to attend the Author’s Compass event, organised by the Society of Authors, held at the International Anthony Burgess Foundation in Manchester. The event was largely a discussion about how the publishing landscape was changing and how the changes were moving choice and power back into the hands of content creators (be they authors of fiction, non fiction or poetry).
John Rice doing the welcome speech
The keynote speech was given by the fabulous Kate Harrison – who...
April 20, 2016
Inheritance Books: Jeannie Von Rompaey
Today on Inheritance Books, we’ve got Jeannie Von Rompaey. Hi Jeannie, welcome to Inheritance Books. Please, make yourself comfy on the sofa. I’ll put the kettle on. While I’m doing that, why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m passionate about reading, writing, art and the theatre. I was born in London, brought up in a village in Northamptonshire and now live on the subtropical island of Gran Canaria with my husband, TJ, a historian. I love living in a warm climate with blue skies ab...
April 3, 2016
Inheritance Books: Manning Wolfe
Hello Manning Wolfe, welcome to the Inheritance Books sofa. While I go get us some tea and chocolate biscuits, why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself.
I am an author and attorney living in Austin, Texas with my mate Bill. My grown son, Aaron, lives nearby. I love the South. There is a feel for this part of the world that is unique and fosters stories that could not happen anywhere else.
Which book have you inherited from the generation above? Why is it special?
I think any legal thriller...
March 30, 2016
How to create conflict on the page
Hooray! It’s time for another creative writing column from the Beverley Guardian. This one’s about how to create conflict in your fiction.
If you find it useful or if you have suggestions for what you’d like to me write about in a future column, let me know in the comments below.
Filed under: Uncategorized
March 26, 2016
Plot – three act story structure in a nutshell
My column for the Beverley Guardian usually goes online a few days after it comes out in print, but this one seems to have slipped through the net. It’s about three act story structure and I’m recreating it below. I struggled with plot/structure when I started out, so I read lots and lots of books on it. I still do because it’s fascinating (… I really need to get out more).
Plot: Three act story structure
Have a look at the books that have been bestsellers over the last few years – Harry Pot...
