Ruth’s Blog
You can search for a particular topic or subject using the search tool above.
Endings are really difficult, aren’t they?
I came to crime fiction really late. I didn't publish my first novel until I was 64, and then spent three years on a character driven trilogy before I decided to try crime writing. I read crime stories and I have some idea how they're constructed and what makes them...
Planning a novel – I do it my way!
Every writer has a different approach to planning their work. Some claim not to plan at all: they just have an idea, start with a blank page and 'Chapter 1' and go from there. How they do it, and make it work, I have no idea. The rest of us will need to do more merely...
Do you plan your novel in detail, or not at all?
'Are you a planner or a 'pantser'?' is the question. Being a planner is obvious: the alternative is to 'fly by the seat of your pants', hence the use of this odd word. (I could elaborate on the origin of this phrase, but not right now.) If you're writing non-fiction...
When is the author not really the author?
Two things are on my mind about this question: both of them were prompted by recent encounters with writers. The first example comes from an author explaining his/her writing process. This writer finishes the first draft and gives it to three 'readers' for comment....
Why do we find bad people so interesting?
I've been trying to write but my shoulder's getting in the way. The only way to type without pain is to support my wrist and use only the fingers on my right hand, doing more with my left to reach most of the keys. It's messy and needs so much correction that it...
The lottery of writing fame
Last Thursday evening I had a great opportunity to see a very successful writer up close and hear the details of her career. Ann Cleeves was visiting Cockermouth in West Cumbria, not far from from where I live, and I was asked to 'interview' her live in front of a...
Plot hints: the ‘Goldilocks’ balance
The opening chapters of any novel are crucial. You have to give readers some information to locate the story and the people, and enough to intrigue them and make them want to read on. There has to be some sense of foreboding, or puzzle, or a hint that things may not...
How do we measure ‘success’?
I spent decades of my professional life working with schools and education systems on how they find out how well they're doing: what information to gather, how to do so, and how to use the information so that it improves their 'performance' rather than just measures...
The importance of ‘Chapter 1’
My temporary living space is looking pretty well organised now (check previous posts to see what this is all about). And my head is getting round the new situation too: instead of fretting about the necessary confinement I'm using the time to tackle something that's...
Join my Newsletter
Keep in touch with all the news about my latest projects, launches and book signing events.