Andrew Ferguson
Children's/YA Author
Archives
Not Sure Where To Begin With Your Story? Try Free Writing.
Posted on April 14, 2021 Leave a Comment
Free writing is a time honoured prewriting technique which works by encouraging the writer to write without fear of criticism or failure for a set period of time.
Theme: The Truth Behind the Tale
Posted on April 12, 2021 Leave a Comment
What fundamental truth(s) are you conveying in your idle fantasy? What aspects of real life are you exploring? And equally as important, how are you conveying that truth?
Writing a Second Draft When You’re a Plantser
Posted on April 11, 2021 Leave a Comment
It was my wife who finally reminded me: I’m a plantser. I begin with a rough plan, but it’s only when I write and let my imagination run wild that my plan starts to grow a bit of flesh and take on a life of its own. Why was it, then, that when I came to write my second draft that I felt so compelled to have a perfect plan in place before writing anything?
Writing a Good Character Description
Posted on April 6, 2021 Leave a Comment
Remember: a character is defined what they do and say, not by their physical appearance. Therefore, use physical descriptions to bring out their key traits. First ask yourself who this character is and what important details of their life and personality you wish to convey.
Super Snappy Speed Reviews – Writing Apps for Android
Posted on April 3, 2021 Leave a Comment
As ever, the apps I have reviewed here are not necessarily apps that I particularly liked or disliked, but are simply a random selection of writers’ apps that I have tried out at one point or another. As usual, these reviews only reflect my own personal opinions and impressions, squished, squashed and squeezed into a few short sentences.
Figuring Out Foil Characters
Posted on March 31, 2021 Leave a Comment
A foil is a character (or sometimes an object or idea) who highlights the traits of another character (usually the protagonist) by contrasting with them. But apart from that, these characters can play just about any role in your story you like.
Gleaning Ideas from Other Stories
Posted on March 29, 2021 Leave a Comment
But what do you do when the Idea Tree stops putting out its juicy fruit? Easy. Glean ideas from someone else’s story.
Daydreaming: An Essential Exercise for Writers
Posted on March 27, 2021 1 Comment
Daydreaming is a habit you should definitely get back into, especially if you plan on being a story-writer.
Taking a Holiday From My Novel
Posted on March 25, 2021 Leave a Comment
I’m just getting a little fed up of the sight of my novel. And so the solution is to set aside a short time to work on other short writing projects…
5 Writing Rules I Like To Ignore
Posted on March 23, 2021 Leave a Comment
Sometimes, however, you just need to rebel and write according to your own darn rules. So what follows are my top five common story-writing rules and wise sayings which I frequently bend, break and flat-out disagree with.
Andrew Ferguson 