To help give inspiration for all the budding writers taking part in NaNoWriMo this November, a selection of Farshore authors share their best tips for writing. First up is the beloved, award-winning former Children’s Laureate Anne Fine.
Anne Fine is one of Britain’s most distinguished writers for both adults and children.
Among numerous national and international awards, she has twice won both the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children’s Book of the Year Award, as well as the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, the Smarties Prize, and has twice been voted Children’s Author of the Year.
She has written upwards of 40 books, for adults as well as children, and was the second Children’s Laureate, from 2001 to 2003.
Several of her beloved books have been turned into adaptations for film and television, including her novel Madame Doubtfire, which was transformed into the popular Robin Williams film Mrs Doubtfire.
Anne Fine’s writing tips
- If you don’t get started you will never finish
- Write the story that you yourself would most like to read but no one has bothered to write for you.
- Keep your story hidden unless you feel like sharing. Some people enjoy talking to others about what they’re doing. Some people don’t. Do whatever works for you.
- Don’t take on too much. Stories get complicated very fast, so stick with a fairly simple idea and develop it well
- Don’t just tell us what happened next, over and over, like a cartoon. Explain what your characters are thinking and feeling and worrying about. Believe it or not, that’s far more interesting for a reader than things like car chases and fights, which are so much better on screen.
About NaNoWriMo
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), is an annual, online creative writing project that takes place every November. Around the world, people of all ages try to write a 50,000 word manuscript between November 1 and November 30, and gain support from other writers and NaNoWriMo participants. Find out more on the NaNoWriMo website.
