Andrew Ferguson
Children's/YA Author
Archives
Throwback Thursday: 50 Character Motives For Your Story
Posted on November 17, 2022 Leave a Comment
I’ve listed a few possible character motives in the image below and I would encourage you to play around with different ways of interpreting and applying them.
Throwback Thursday: Are Idea Generators Ever Any Use?
Posted on October 1, 2020 Leave a Comment
If you’re struggling to come up with an idea for your story, you might be tempted to Google story idea generators to help you out.
But do these little miracle makers really deliver the goods?
Throwback Thursday: Should You Use Profanity in Your Story?
Posted on September 24, 2020 Leave a Comment
This all got me thinking about the use of profanity in fiction. We authors walk a fine line between realism and rudeness, especially when it comes to writing dialogue. Where do you draw the line?
Well… it depends.
Throwback Thursday: The Monster
Posted on August 20, 2020 Leave a Comment
I recently entered a couple of stories into the National Association of Writers’ Groups 100 Word Mini-Tales competition. Suffice it to say I didn’t win, but since I believed in the potential of every one of the stories I entered, it seemed only fitting to try and publish them elsewhere. I selected this one to publish here on Penstricken after the winners of the competition were announced. The rest, I’ve submitted to other places.
As ever, what follows here is entirely my own work and has not been published anywhere else in the world, whether on print or online. And so, without further ado, I give you…
Throwback Thursday: 5 Ways to Write a Terrible Novel
Posted on August 13, 2020 1 Comment
If you are a writer, you’ll know how insistent that little Inner-Writer’s voice can be, constantly banging on about the different ideas he’s come up with that you absolutely have to write. You might find it simply impossible not to write.
But fear not, ye who are enslaved by the urge to write. Your salvation is at hand. If you dread becoming a full time author, but cannot resist the urge to write, there is another solution: write badly.
It’s easy to do. Just follow these simple steps.
Throwback Thursday: Ready Player One (Book Review)
Posted on July 23, 2020 Leave a Comment
‘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?’
Throwback Thursday: Can’t Afford Scrivener? Try yWriter.
Posted on June 25, 2020 Leave a Comment
Many years ago, when I decided to make my first serious attempt at writing a novel, I did what a lot of enthusiastic beginners probably do: I searched high and low for the perfect novel writing app. I didn’t know about Scrivener back then (in fact, I’m not even sure it was available for Windows at that time) but I did come across another app in a similar vein called yWriter by Spacejock Software.
Throwback Thursday: 5 Signs You Should Quit Reading That Novel
Posted on June 18, 2020 2 Comments
If you’re reading a novel you’re not too sure about, here’s a few warning signs that it might be time to abandon it altogether, randomly illustrated with Star Trek gifs.
#NewPost #amwriting #amreading #reading #fiction #stories #novels
Throwback Thursday: Little Thieves Are Hanged
Posted on June 4, 2020 Leave a Comment
What follows here is entirely my own work and has not been published anywhere else in the world, whether on print or online, nor do I expect it to be. And so, without further ado, I give you, LITTLE THIEVES ARE HANGED by. A Ferguson
Throwback Thursday: Mr. Holmes (Film Review)
Posted on May 7, 2020 Leave a Comment
Last year, I was standing waiting for a bus when one passed by (not the one I was waiting for) with a poster on the side, advertising a new film that was about to be released. The poster was plain white apart from a very well dressed and sour faced Ian McKellen. The title of the film was Mr. Holmes.
‘Oh, a new Sherlock Holmes film.’ I thought, my interest piqued. ‘I must remember to make time to go and see that.’
Suffice it to say I did not remember and, whether it was because of my own poor fortune or because the film was inadequately publicised, I did not see hide nor hair of that film again until this very year when I was perusing Amazon for something to watch and it recommended this little gem to me. The reviews on Amazon were generally good but there were also enough negative reviews to give me doubts. However, being a big fan of Sherlock Holmes and knowing that Ian McKellen’s acting is always a joy to watch (no matter how bad the rest of the film is) I decided to give it a chance.
Andrew Ferguson 