Writing tips

First: I haven't been blogging as much as I've wanted to this week, partly as (yay!) I now have a full-time job, and partly as I've been slightly busier this week anyway. My evenings have been taken up with committee meetings, making mulled wine and playing Wii, and celebrating five years with Dan. (I'm not sure whether he thought having put up with me for five years was a cause for celebration.)

Moving on: I've been reading a lot of debut authors' blogs today, and thought I'd share some of the wisdom.

The talented Sarah Rees Brennan, whose debut book I've blogged about previously, has released the original first chapter for The Demon's Lexicon.

I haven't yet read The Demon's Lexicon, but it is currently winging its way to me, so I was curious to read the original first chapter (complete with author's annotations). I was also slightly relieved to read it — Ms Rees Brennan's blog is entertaining and funny, but those traits in a blog don't translate to writing ability. This chapter shows her writing skill.

...It also made me start comparing her writing to mine, as I sometimes do, and although she writes much better than my current draft is in, I'm taking note of her style. I don't want to copy any writer's style, but I think a vital part of writing is reading, and learning from other writers' styles.

I found a helpful writer's resource today: Carol North's writing tips. A few of the links weren't relevant to me, but I found her tips on writing Chapter One and Story Arcs a useful reference, as well as the Critiques don't bite PDF from the Muse It Up Club.