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In writing. Don’t use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the thing you are describing. I mean, instead of telling us a thing was 'terrible,' describe it so that we’ll be terrified. Don’t say it was 'delightful'; make us say 'delightful' when we’ve read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only like saying to your readers, 'Please will you do my job for me'.
C.S. Lewis
Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.
Mark Twain


Are Your Characters Internal or External?
There's a psychological term I haven't seen cited by any of the myriad pundits queueing to offer advice to would-be writers. I find this...
paulrburridge
Mar 16, 20232 min read


Poetry to Prose
Maybe I’ve stumbled over one too many literary clichés, both in amateur writing and shamefully in conventionally published novels. And,...
paulrburridge
Mar 12, 20232 min read
Writers' Block
Don't worry... It is the curse of the writer to strive for impossible excellence, to dream the impossible dream, to attempt scaling...
paulrburridge
Mar 10, 20231 min read
Price Per Page
Clearing out my junk mail this morning, I found an email that came in yesterday from a German 'private' publishing company, operating...
paulrburridge
Mar 9, 20232 min read
Is an Audiobook a book?
This is a question I debated with a writing buddy. I maintained they were not; the other party took a contrary position. UNESCO defines a...
paulrburridge
Mar 6, 20232 min read
Books/Space/Time
Comparing book formats superficially involves four factors. [1] Transportability [2] Affordability [3] Readability [4] Longevity....
paulrburridge
Feb 28, 20232 min read
Do Audio Books demand a new writing style?
So, I'm working with actor/writer/producer Chas Burns for bring one of my books to the Audible market. Through ACX it's a relatively...
paulrburridge
Feb 27, 20231 min read
The grey stuff
As a species we do a lot of thinking. It’s our big thing. It’s what got us to the top of the food chain, enabling us to render other...
paulrburridge
Oct 31, 20223 min read
Only dialogue counts
ONLY DIALOGUE COUNTS! Everything else is padding. Look at The Shipping News. The movie is so brilliant because it sticks to the dialog as...
paulrburridge
Oct 5, 20221 min read
Join the self-publishing revolution
Like any revolution, self-publishing has its highs and lows along the way to its ultimate objective. There’ll be preconceptions to...
paulrburridge
Sep 11, 20227 min read
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