Writing skills | Alison Morton Author

What's a thriller?

When I mentioned to a new friend that I wrote thrillers with an alternate history setting, she batted aside (or maybe ignored) the alternate history bit and asked, “What do you call a thriller, then?”.

Er, isn’t it obvious? Apparently not.

Merriam-Webster defines a thriller as “a work of fiction or drama designed to hold […]

How to write a novel in 30 lines

Now I’ve finished the first run through of edits on Book3, I’ve finished my heroine’s story. I’ll leave her for 6-8 weeks at least until I even glance at her again.

So, Book 4. Yes, I’m acquainted with the main character and I want to tell her story. But that’s it. I need to let […]

Finis - the end of the story

I didn’t know I’d feel so bereft. Now I’ve done the first run edits on fiction Book 3, the last in the trilogy, I’ve finished my heroine’s story. No, really finished. After the relief of completing the red-pen exercise, sadness crept up on me and now has me in its grip.

I’ve lived with my […]

Sparking a controversy

My friend and fellow writer, Liz Harris whose book The Road Back is out later this year, has recently started blogging Welcome to my World

In her last post, she asked for help from fellow authors. It’s such a good question, I’d like to ask something similar. She’d introduced some well-researched period vocabulary in […]

Unlock your secret writing weapon: your memory

Writing a romance, thriller, historical, whodunit, sci-fi adventure? Whichever it is, it’s a depressing thought, but all the stories have been done before. There are only supposed to be seven plots:

man vs. nature man and woman/man man vs. society man vs. machines/technology man vs. the supernatural man vs. self man vs. God (‘man’ obviously […]