There seems to be a rash of articles in the press and various writers’ magazines bemoaning the low income that most writers have to exist on. But it still doesn’t seem to put people off wanting to write. And I don’t blame them. But many of our students are more interested in earning a part-time or second income, and this is quite feasibl...

Don’t you just hate it when writers pepper their work with exclamation marks? F Scott Fitzgerald is quoted as saying: “Cut out all those exclamation marks. An exclamation mark is like laughing at your own joke.” But I must admit that I always have to go through my writing slashing stray exclamations marks, as they do tend to worm their way...

I’m always amazed by the number of would-be writers who say that they never read other people’s work. Apparently, they don’t have time! I don’t believe you can be a writer if you don’t read…anything and everything, omnivorously. It doesn’t matter whether it’s pulp or classical literature; fiction or non-fiction; e-books or pape...

When I get queries from students, the one thing that comes up time and time again is writing reports. So many people have a mental block about it. But, if you always work logically and follow a few basic tips it should be a straightforward task. So, before you write anything, you need to be absolutely clear about the answers to the following four q...

If you’re running your own business, then you’re probably selling something – whether it’s goods or services. But, the only way you’re going to actually make a sale is by promoting your products and convincing people to buy them. (Unless, of course, they are so rare or wonderful that their fame spreads by word of mouth and people are que...