Writing advice can help you change your process, develop your characters, improve your prose, and give you the confidence to submit your work. You never know which piece of advice might change everything.
We have gathered ten pieces of writing advice from our Sapere Books authors, ordered alphabetically, straight from them to you, to help you take your writing further.
D.R. Bailey
“The most useful thing I’ve done with my writing is to adopt a particular discipline. It’s inspired by the Pomodoro technique. I have a tomato timer app on my desktop, which I use to time 25-minute writing stints. So I sit down to write, and I hit the start button. For twenty-five minutes, I have to write and do nothing else but get words down. I may also edit the scene as I go, but focusing for 25 minutes at a time is what works. I can do two or three tomatoes (as I call them) a day, or sometimes more, but by this method, I get my books written. I also keep writing stats, word counts, number of tomatoes, how many words to go, things like that. I’ve been doing this for years now, and that’s how I have maintained my production record. PS – during a tomato nobody is supposed to bother me, but apparently my cat doesn’t understand the rules!”
Discover more from D.R. Bailey here.
David Clensy
“You need to read a lot of other peoples’ work. Writing novels isn’t something you can do in cultural isolation. Storytelling is a cumulative process that builds over generations. When it’s finally your turn to sit down and start writing your novel, you’re standing on the shoulders of lots of other writers who came before you.
Once you do start writing, my simple piece of advice is to keep writing. Creating a novel can seem intimidating at first. But it’s a bit like climbing a mountain. Don’t stand there looking at the mountain – work out how you get up the next few steps. If you can find the discipline to get a certain amount written each day and stick to it, you will get there eventually. I am fairly strict with myself when I’m working on a novel. I have to write 5,000 words a week. But when you break that down to a daily figure, it’s perfectly manageable. Within just a few months, as if by magic, you have a full first draft manuscript. It’s important to battle on, even if you don’t feel like writing that day. If you wait for some magical muse to work her magic, your book will forever remain a pipe dream.”
David’s other piece of advice focuses specifically on writing historical fiction.
“My novels always contain a combination of real historical characters alongside entirely fictional characters. I am creating fiction, but I’m always conscious of the responsibility that comes with a literary resurrection of real people. I always approach this process with a sense of respect for the dignity of their memory. They do, of course, become “fictionalised” characters, but it’s vital to always keep front of mind that they lived and breathed – they were people with real lives and emotions. The fact that they’re no longer alive does not negate the importance of remembering this at all times when you’re briefly writing them back into existence.
As a writer, you have to make constant judgements as you fictionalise them – assessing what their reactions would have been. So you build up a real sense of understanding of their nature and it’s not too much of an exaggeration to say that by the end, you do feel as if you know them, as you might know a real person. There’s a kind of writer-character relationship that builds up in your mind.”
Consequently, David feels it’s important to go through a process of “getting to know” his characters. Wherever possible, this involves researching – not just plain “facts” about their lives – but visiting places they would have experienced and walking in their footsteps. He has recently travelled around northern Germany to build a picture of the locations his characters will inhabit in his forthcoming U-boat Aces series. You can watch a short film about his experience on his website at www.davidclensy.com
“It adds so much, if you can get out and invest a bit of time in doing that. You’re creating something that is as authentic as possible and when you get that right and come to read it back, as a writer you can feel that. It’s very rewarding to have that sense of having crafted something from nothing.”
David Clensy writes the Romulus Hutchinson Naval Adventure Series, which follows the story of twin brothers serving in the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy during the Second World War and is currently working on a new historical fiction series based on the German U-boat aces of the two world wars.
You can keep track of what David is currently working on by signing up for his newsletter or following him on Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, X, Threads, and Substack.
Daniel Colter
“Readers often ask how much time I spend in research. The answer is both confusing and confounding — more than I should but never enough.
By that I mean research rabbit holes are fun to explore but can waste hours (days?) better spent writing. An author can’t know too much about the period in which they work, though, and that requires time. Knowledge allows one to write authentically and to show a period as it likely was — I say ‘likely’ because uncertainties increase the further back in history we travel.
I don’t create detailed outlines and rarely know how a book will end when I begin writing (the few times I knew, I later proved myself wrong). So how do I use arguable history to craft a half-formed story?
The ‘large history’ is fleshed out at the start, of course. This can take weeks. I recently crafted The Eagle and the Serpent, a story set within the Great Illyrian Revolt of A.D. 7 to 9, one of Rome’s lesser-known wars. I began by researching the historical players, the setting (geography, cultures, etc.), and the major events. In the process I purposely sought the holes and contradictions.
History provided many of both, fortunately, because these grey areas are where historical novelists run and play. They’re where we plant fictional stories; invent characters, wants, conflicts; where we weave events that might have happened with what history says happened.
As the story grew, my research became fine-grained, done in small batches, multiple times a day. What would a Roman legionary eat, for example? Learn that, then the issue becomes one of application — meaning, how to weave diet into story, to provide ‘flavour,’ while not making the reader drowsy?
Carve away the minutiae that distract from the story, for one. Another tool is to tuck details into the character’s interactions with their world, make the history bits relevant to the story, so the two flow together. Describing what a legionary carried is a bit flat. Better to show how heavy the character’s kit is, that it slows him, that it blisters his palms, that he arrives to the battle late, tired, and sore.
At the end of the journey, readers want to be entertained without being bored by overexplaining, or offended by egregious anachronisms. Details matter, knowing which to include is a fine balance, but crafting a believable, well-flavoured story is what matters.”
You can find Daniel’s book, The Eagle and the Serpent, or find Daniel on Facebook.
Claire Dunn
“If I have one thing that I come back to time and again it is a personal mantra that goes something like this:
Always try to remain true:
– to the subject of your novels and the characters within,
– to your readers who invest time, money and themselves in your books,
– to your publisher who believes in you, and
– to yourself, the author, who sees the world through a different lens and must never lose sight of the vision that drove you to pick up the pen in the first place.”
Claire can be found on her website, Facebook, and on Linktree.
Rozsa Gaston
“Do not let anyone get in your way during your writing hours. Mine are 8:30 am – 3 pm, Mon. – Fri.
If a family member needs something from you, answer in monosyllables, then shut the door of your writing room once they leave, so they understand that you are WORKING.
If someone texts or emails, DO NOT look at the message until you have finished the scene you are working on.
If someone calls, answer with a terse “Hi, I’m on deadline.” If there’s follow up, tell them to text or email you, rather than call so you’re not interrupted.
Compliment your family member every time one of them solves a problem for themselves instead of asking you for something. Say you are proud of them for taking care of it themselves during your WORK HOURS, so you can get your manuscript done by its due date. Your children will understand because they have school assignment deadlines. Your husband will be a harder nut to crack, but he will enjoy being complimented, so keep buttering him up when he figures out how to do something on his own.”
Rosza Gaston’s work can be found on Amazon.
Jeff Jones
1.“One piece of advice you will often hear from people within the publishing industry is to conduct research on what is selling well and write a book that fits in with that current trend. I tried it once and by the time I had spent the best part of a year writing and polishing the manuscript, tastes had moved on and the book subject was no longer in vogue. So my tip for any aspiring writer would be to write the book you want to write and that you’d enjoy reading and worry about its place in the market later. Who knows, you might start your own sub-genre.
2. When I am not writing I am usually working as a proofreader or copy editor and the best piece of advice I was ever given and that I try to impart to my clients, is to keep it simple. Don’t use a word that is so obtuse that it has people reaching for a dictionary – nobody likes that – use simple everyday words. Impress your readers with a great plot and characters, not your vocabulary.
3. One piece of good writing advice I was given over the years was just to get the novel written. Don’t worry about crafting the perfect page or chapter – that’s what the editing process is for – write your book as it comes to you, you can worry about smoothing those edges off later.”
Discover more from Jeff Jones here.
Richard Kurti
“Be Kind … then be Cruel!
“How do I know if what I’m writing is any good?”
It’s the question which plagues everyone who puts pen to paper. You may think it’s a work of genius, only to have your best friend read it and go, “Meh. It’s alright. A bit slow.”
Which is why you always try to be your own critic, questioning every sentence and every plot twist, constantly asking if something could be improved.
But then you end up so full of self-doubt, it becomes impossible to put any words on paper at all. “If it’s not perfect, it must not be typed!” is the quickest route to writer’s block.
Over the years, I’ve developed a method to square this circle by leaning into Multiple Personality Syndrome. So, when I’m actually typing words, laying down the first draft, I am full of encouragement. “Great line!” I enthuse to myself. “Nice twist! Lovely rich thematics!”
I live in this cloud of self-congratulatory enthusiasm until I have completed the first draft. Then I put it aside for a few days, and when my mind has cleared, I switch into Grumpy Reader Mode. Then I pick up the Kindle and imagine that I’ve paid hard-earned cash for this book. I picture myself on a train after a gruelling day in the office, wanting to be entertained/thrilled/intrigued/hooked by the time the train rolls into Sevenoaks.
And reading with the eyes of a stern consumer, I pick holes in my draft. “Too wordy. Too long to get going. Cliché. Confusing. Why should I care about any of this?” get scribbled across the draft in an outpouring of discontent.
When I get to the end, I switch mindset again and become Conciliatory Writer: “Okay, the reader wasn’t happy, and I don’t want to get any one-star reviews, so let’s see if I can sort this out…”
And so it goes on, back and forth, alternating between being my greatest fan and my cruellest critic, until I’m at my wits’ end. Only then do I submit to the publisher!”
Find Richard Kurti at www.richardkurti.com.
Patrick Larsimont
“When writing historical fiction, I think you need to do at least some plotting. If nothing else, to ensure your character’s story fits with the sequence of historical events. Typically, I write about three sentences per chapter, to clarify to myself what I need to cover in the 2K-3K of my chapter. I don’t have to have the whole novel laid out, just the start and endpoint, then about the first two thirds of the story before I start writing.
I’ve heard the analogy that writing a novel is a bit like knowing your destination is say Edinburgh and you are driving from London. You know where you are and where you need to get to. It’s a dark, stormy night, you have no map, just know you must head north and that you can only see as far ahead as far as your headlights. You set off, full of fear, trepidation, hope and anticipation. You’re excited, a little scared, but you’ll get there.
One other technique I use, I call the ‘sling shot.’ It involves knowing where a scene needs to get to, but ending my writing for the day, leaving it uncompleted. The next day, I review what I wrote yesterday, tweak it once and then get catapulted forward into finishing the scene / chapter. This helps avoid the ‘tyranny of the blank page’, staring at the screen, thinking, now what do I write? The ‘slingshot’ helps me hit the ground running.”
Explore Patrick’s website and Patrick’s Linktree.
Ros Rendle
“When I was a new writer, one of the best pieces of advice I was given was ‘go deeper, not wider’.
To illustrate this – it’s not the kiss, but the build up to it. The scent, the sensations of touch, the pauses which involve deep emotions. There may be anticipation or nervousness; perhaps willingness; a complex mix of emotions.
The lead in to a battle will ensure the reader is engaged. It will be the subtle sounds in the distance, the smells of fabric or armour. Clothing may itch or feel too hot and scratchy. There will be other sensations of touch that may result from apprehension, fear or excitement, that build before the moment of fighting and gore. Sight will play its part in the anticipation of what is to follow.
Exploration and use of the five senses, and ensuring powerful verbs are in play, will create strong writing and a vivid, emotional experience for the reader.”
Find Ros Rendle on her website.
Linda Stratmann
“Writing methods are individual and deeply personal. Approach your writing in the way that feels natural to you. Don’t try and fit in with another person’s approach, it might not suit you. Find your own style and method.
This is one rule I always follow: the characters in a book should drive the development of the plot, so events flow naturally and believably. The story will be convincing and the characters relatable.”
For more from Linda, explore her website and Facebook.
Sapere Books
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If the advice of some of our Sapere authors makes you want to give back, read our blog ‘9 Easy Ways A Reader Can Support Their Favourite Author’ for examples of quick, simple, and free ways that you can make a difference.
