If it looks and smells like a potato… Using (and not using) made up words!

A zillion(ish) Sci Fi and Fantasy books use made up words with varying success.   I think we can all agree, though, that when you read something that you can’t understand it is frustrating - When using made up words you must be careful not to alienate the reader too much!   Here are a few tips to take into account when cooking up some new words…

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What’s in a name?

Coming up with names for your characters can often be one of the biggest stumbling blocks when it comes to writing your novel. Too regular and it seems out of place, too obscure and the reader will be left struggling to pronounce it 15 chapters later. So here are a few things to help inspire you to create that perfect character name!

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I have a cunning plan…

You can have the best story ever floating around in your head, but with no structure it is more likely to come out as a tangled mess of ideas than an instant bestseller.   What you need is a plan!

Here is one method I use to plan my story writing…

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