Isabel Wolff Writer’s Tips

I think the most important thing for anyone when setting out to write a novel is to have a strong, compelling plot that the readers will lose themselves in. To do this you have to employ analytical skills because in my view a novel is really a matter of problem-solving. Who are the main characters and who, or what, connects them in a way that doesn’t rely on coincidence? What, credibly, can happen to these characters during the life of the book and how will they change? From whose point of view is the story to be told? How can the different elements be made to mesh together in a satisfying way? So I think that budding writer should concentrate on this – the mechanics of their story – rather than on developing a beautiful prose style.
Isabel Wolff