This book by the former editor of Writers’
Forum, our columnist John Jenkins, is absolutely packed with answers
to all the questions you have ever thought of asking. Starting with
‘Three secrets to get you started’ and ending with ‘Books and websites
to help you’, the bulk of the book is more than 100 questions and
answers.
Some of the questions are quite intriguing,
their answers helpful and practical:
‘You may think I am mad but this is a genuine
question. I am halfway through a crime novel but I cannot remember how
it ends. What should I do?’
‘We are putting together an anthology of work
produced by our writing circle. Who owns the copyright and does the
editor have the right to change our work? And what is a copyholder?’
‘Is there really such a thing as creative
non-fiction?’
‘I didn’t have a very good record at school
and I’m afraid that my grammar will let me down when I submit stories
for competition. Can I get a quick fix?’
And so on.
Jenkins draws on his wide experience of
writers and writing to provide sensible, brisk and helpful answers.
Writers are often quite isolated and don’t always know much about how to
proceed, so the good advice in this book is its most valuable
characteristic.
The last 90-odd pages of the book are taken up
with a series of useful articles, such as ‘Where most stories fail’ and
‘How to write great dialogue’ and there are also chapters on grammar and
improving your style, as well as some useful resource material.
All in all, this is a valuable resource,
especially for the new writer, but also for anyone who has tried to work
their way through the writing jungle.
