Writing skills | Alison Morton Author

It’s and its

Despite the sight of rich red geraniums flowering on my kitchen windowsill, the fresh, strong sunshine and the delicious cup of coffee at hand, I am grumpy.

Pourquoi?

Looking through my tweets this morning, I saw an anouncement from a famous bookshop part of which ran: “…is on it’s way for review.” My teeth couldn’t […]

When you begin a new piece of writing, be it article, short story, press release or a 100,000 word novel, you start off with ideas, insights, energy which can sustain you to the end. Sometimes the oomph fades part-way through. Sometimes you start with a dragging reluctance because you have a deadline, a target or […]

Getting help: the writer’s dilemma

Okay, you’ve done your first draft, you’ve edited it, your aunt Mabel who taught English has checked it, your mate Bev says ‘It’s great!’. You’ve left it for a few weeks, come back, tightened the manuscript, checked for shockers and you’ve even written your synopsis. You’re on the starting blocks for publication, fame and fortune(!).

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Writing bootcamp at the Circle of Missé

Never having taken part in a creative writing course, I was excited, but a trifle anxious, when I was invited to join a ‘writing bootcamp’ at the Circle of Missé, a creative centre near my new home in France.

Lead by Annie Kirby, a renowned short-story writer who is also working on a full-length novel, […]

Variety is the spice of life…

Although I’m working hard on my third novel (in between packing boxes!), and I think it’s important to focus on your main work, I’ve found it useful to tackle other, smaller projects. It stops you getting fixated, helps you draw breath mentally and makes you use different writing muscles in your head. You use different […]