Crime fiction is as popular now as it's ever been. Some readers love it because they enjoy solving puzzles. Others like experiencing all the dark and dangerous things they'd prefer to avoid in real life. Still more just want to see justice done. So much for the readers. What compels crime writers to grab their … Continue reading Ten Reasons to Write Crime Fiction
Category: Reasons to Write
Ten Reasons to Edit
Congratulations! That messy business of writing your first draft manuscript is over. At last you can pour yourself a drink, put your feet up, and bask in the knowledge that there's only one job left to do. Edit the damn thing. "Why bother?" I hear you cry. "Writing is all about, well, writing. Right?" Wrong. … Continue reading Ten Reasons to Edit
Ten Reasons to Write Fantasy
“Why don’t you write something normal for a change?” That’s what my wife says to me occasionally after she’s read a piece of fantasy I've written. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t like it (well, not always). It’s just another reminder that one man’s meat is another woman’s poison. So, why bother to write fantasy at … Continue reading Ten Reasons to Write Fantasy
Ten Reasons to Write Horror
Some people seem to think that, just because a novel is labeled as fantasy or crime, romance or historical, it should be devoid of horror. "I liked your book," they say, "except for that nasty bit in the middle. Couldn't you have left that out?" My response to any such question is: "No! And thrice no!" Why? … Continue reading Ten Reasons to Write Horror
Ten Reasons to Write Science Fiction
"Why do you write science fiction?" It's a fair question, only slightly complicated by the fact that, personally, I tend to write more fantasy than SF. However, if I go down that road, I run the risk of getting sidetracked into the endless debate about what the difference actually is between science fiction and fantasy, … Continue reading Ten Reasons to Write Science Fiction
Ten Reasons to Write
This list was originally intended as a kind of antidote to my recent Ten Reasons Not To Write. But it's turned out to be rather more than that. Ten Reasons to Write not only outlines the various stimuli that motivate the average writer, but also offers useful clues about which particular genre said writer is … Continue reading Ten Reasons to Write
Ten Reasons Not to Write
There are many reasons not to write. Some of them are seductive, like femmes fatales in an old Bogart movie. Some of them are dangerous, like trolls in steel armour wielding nail-studded clubs. Some of them are both (and if the image of a troll wearing one of Lauren Bacall's old dresses doesn't make you … Continue reading Ten Reasons Not to Write
Graham Edwards 