View All Posts of Diana Nadin

1. Write about what you know – or you can find out about. 2. Enjoy your writing – don't look on it as a chore. 3. Read, read, read! Read as widely as possible. 4. Don't show others your work too early in the creative process. 5. Use all five senses – try to incorporate sight, sound, smell, touch and taste into your writing. 6. Always keep a...

Tomorrow is World Book Night when 20 books are selected and then 80,000 copies are distributed to people who wouldn’t normally read for pleasure or own books. It’s run by The Reading Agency, a national charity, and an army of volunteers distribute books in their communities. Have a look at the books that will be given out – they’re quite...

Writers can quadruple their chances of acceptance and double their fees by submitting photos with their words…and you don’t even need to be an expert photographer to provide saleable photos with your work. So here are some tips on profiting from your photography: 1. Remember that a good picture is worth a thousand words. If you can provide p...

Many novels and short stories get rejected because they don’t include enough dialogue – or their characters use sounds stilted and unrealistic. So here are some tips to help you make the most of what your characters say 1. When your characters start talking they must say something important – something that helps to push your plot forward. ...

Some people dismiss writing to the letters pages of magazines as beneath them. True – it’s never going to earn you a fortune, but we know many writers who make enough money to fund their leisure activities, or win themselves interesting and useful ‘gifts’. So here are some tips to make the most of your letter writing. Keep yo...

Long after readers have forgotten many other features of your book or short story, it will be your characters who will live on in their minds. And the stronger, the more colourful and the more striking your characters are, the more memorable they’ll be. So, here are some tips for ensuring that your characters are unforgettable:1.It should be yo...

Six Tips To Help You Sell More Whether you’re running your own business or you’re employed as a salesperson for a company, tips on how to increase your sales are always useful. So why not try the following? * You must have confidence in the product or service you are selling. If you don’t, this will come across subconsciously when you are tal...

Social Networking - An Essential Tool in Promoting Your Writing Social networking is part and parcel of most writers’ lives these days. It provides a quick and easy way to keep your dedicated readers up-to-date with what you are doing and lets new readers know what it is you do. But, depending on how interactive you wish to be with your readers, ...

Ten Top Tips For Plotting A Novel 1. Action, dramatic high points and conflict – these are what you are aiming for in your novel, no matter what genre you are writing in. 2. Decide on a setting and period. Do you know enough about it to write authoritatively – or can you find out? And what genre is it going to be – romance, crime, thriller,...

How To Get More Done in a DayThe last couple of weeks haven’t been particularly easy as my husband’s mother has been in hospital. Thankfully, she’s now much better and is back home. But it got me thinking and I realised I hadn’t coped particularly well. I felt as though I was dashing around all the time and was permanently tired (and, I mus...