What is good writing? What oft was thought but ne’er so well expressed (Alexander Pope) Only Connect (E.M. Forster) To write fiction well is to communicate precisely what you intend to a number of people (the more, the better in the context of the modern market) in a dramatically satisfying way, without your style and language failing to support your endeavour, and without either being too blown up with those well known failings - ‘aren‘t I clever-ism‘ or static ‘purple prose’ to achieve the aim. << Previous page   What doesn't work as a novel?   Once again the list is endless. Poor grammar, punctuation, repetitions, static narratives, poorly realised characters, long expository and descriptive passages, lack of dramatic narrative movement, purple ‘look-how-clever-I-am’ prose, personal preoccupations that take precedence over the characters and thrust of a narrative, linear narratives that contain little in the way of tension and surprise… You are asking a publisher to make a substantial financial investment in something you have produced. The market dictates that the publisher sees the possibility of a clear commercial gain in making this commitment, or the prestige of publishing an author whose work may qualify for one of the major prizes. You need constantly to remind yourself that you are writing to communicate your characters and their narratives to a paying readership – not to satisfy yourself or gain the approval of your peers in a writing group – and your future success, or failure, will depend substantially upon how well you have learned these lessons.   Next page >>