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In her opening address at Breaking the Code: from published to best-selling author, Linda Langton stressed the importance of editing. Linda is Founder and President of the successful international literary and film consultancy, Langtons International Agency, based in New York. She was not alone. The importance of meticulous editing was a recurring theme throughout the symposium.

The Common themes that appeal to readers

Studying what books make the world-wide best seller list can be useful if you want to be the author of a best-seller. There are common themes that appeal to readers and after all, it is readers who create best-seller lists.

Most books, with the exception of one or two, do consistently appear on alternative lists. The list I referred to is a global list compiled by a service called, Global English Editing[1]. 

AI writing stories may sound far fetched but is it?

Go into business for yourself – write a book.

Before you cast your first sentence on the page research who might read the finished product. These readers are your customers.

In her article, 'How writing book is like launching a business,' https://lnkd.in/g94RVEj Carol Roth draws this parallel. She headlines several key requirements for both business and publishing a book.

These are: Know your customer; The idea isn’t valuable, the execution is; and, The day you open for business is where the hard work begins.

It is natural for writers to have the goal of getting published as their main focus. It is a dream come true when, after years of hard work, you hold your own book in your hands with its beautiful cover.

At last we hold tangible evidence of the many hours spent working on the story line. 

The act of getting published validates all that effort. This is especially the case if the publisher is a traditional publisher. Someone else has validated your hard work, your effort.

Writing is a private activity that requires concentrated, focused effort with attention to story line, characterisation and situation. One glancing mistake and the story line could take a wrong turn.

Then, when the novel is finished and has been thoroughly edited by an independent editor, and a publisher decides to take it on, the writer discovers that they have to undergo a major change in thinking and direction.

MARY

By Tony Riches

Reviewed by Suraya Dewing

Writing historical fiction that doesn’t lose its authenticity while also remaining enjoyable to read requires great skill. As the writer creates the story he or she is drawing on a vast reservoir of knowledge and choosing which pieces will serve the story well is a challenge.

Tony Riches manages this juggle exceedingly well.

EXPRESSING HAPPINESS IN FICTIONAL CHARACTERS

by Rosemary Wakelin

• A character can express anger either passively or aggressively dependent upon their nature.
• If a character digresses from their true self, ensure their motivation for doing so is plausible.
• Remember, below are simply suggestions.
• The secret to effective and clever writing is not to copy ideas but allow those ideas to inspire your own.