The Curious Charms Of Arthur Pepper Book Tour – My Top Five Writing Tips By Phaedra Patrick

On the book tour for Phaedra Patrick’s new book, ‘The Curious Charms Of Arthur Pepper’ Phaedra talks about her top five writing tips, perfect for budding authors.

What should you write?
Writing a novel takes a long time so take influence from things you love. Make a list of all the things you like to find in a novel and use this as your own blueprint. Think of your favourite 5 books or films, your 5 most inspiring people or celebs, your 5 most cherished objects, and 5 places you’d love to visit. Mix and match them to see if they spark any ideas.

Get to know your character
What makes your character unique and gives them their ‘voice’? Asking your character what they’d say if they banged their elbow can give a little insight into their personality. There’s a big difference between ‘Dang it,’ ‘Sh**!’ and ‘Jeez.’ Conduct a pretend interview with your character. Ask them who they are, what problem they want to solve, and what story they want you to tell on their behalf.

[amazon_link id=”184845435X” target=”_blank” ]Give your character a goal[/amazon_link]
What does your character want more than anything in the world? Once you know, you can take him, or her, on a journey to find it. If James Bond wasn’t actually that bothered about saving the world, or if Harry Potter wasn’t that interested in becoming a wizard, their stories would be a lot less interesting! If you give your character an exciting goal then a great story will follow.

Choose your setting
Think of an interesting setting for your book. If your novel is about a house with family secrets, is it set on a wild, remote Scottish coastline, or a mansion in Saint Tropez? The settings conjure up very different sights, sounds and smells. How would it work if the book was set in a jazz club instead? Can you already smell the sticky carpets and stale cigarette smoke, and hear the sound of the saxophones? See which setting works best to bring your story to life.

Make your own time to write
A fairy isn’t going to fly down with a magic wand and grant you more time to write. You need to find the time to do it. Maybe you can eat beans on toast for tea on Mondays from now on, or you commit to writing for twenty minutes before bedtime. Pledge not to take business calls on your commute, because you’re writing instead. Be firm. It’s the only way you’re going to find that elusive time for yourself, to write.

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