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Every story in the world has one of these six basic plots
Researchers analysed over 1700 novels to reveal six story types – but can they be applied to our most-loved tales? Miriam Quick takes a look.
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George RR Martin: ‘When I began A Game of Thrones I thought it might be a short story’
Strict instructions are issued before interviewing George RR Martin: do not ask about The Winds of Winter, the sixth book in his A Song of Ice and Fire series, the one fans keep haranguing him about and Martin has been writing since 2011. Focus on Fire and Blood, his imagined history of the Targaryen dynasty, and all will be well. So I prepare for the interview with a certain amount of trepidation.
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'I've been struggling with it': George RR Martin on The Winds of Winter
George RR Martin has revealed that he has found it hard to finish the long-awaited sixth book in his A Song of Ice and Fire series, as the rise in fame and popularity that came with the television adaptation Game of Thrones has become a “considerable weight to bear”. In an exclusive interview with the Guardian ahead of the publication of his next book, Fire and Blood, a history of the fantasy universe of his hugely popular series, Martin said he’d been wrestling with The Winds of Winter, which has been eagerly awaited by fans since the last book in the series, 2011’s A Dance With Dragons.
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Crashing author earnings 'threaten future of American literature'
A major survey of American authors has uncovered a crash in author earnings described as “a crisis of epic proportions” – particularly for full-time literary writers, who are “on the verge of extinction”. Surveying its membership and that of 14 other writers’ organisations in what it said was the largest survey of US authors’ earnings ever conducted, the Authors Guild reported that the median income from writing-related work fell to a historic low in 2017 at $6,080 (£4,760), down 42% from 2009.
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+16 +1
George R.R. Martin Rumored to Be Working on New Game with FromSoftware
A rumor has emerged on the web suggesting that Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin is working with FromSoftware - the developers of Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and the recently-released Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - on an open-world video game. The rumor emerged on the Spawn Wave YouTube channel, citing Liam Robertson (a writer with a good reputation for scoops) as its source. Spawn Wave makes it clear that nothing here has been confirmed publicly, and therefore we should come at this story with some skepticism.
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On writing your way towards the unknown
Writer and editor Anna Moschovakis on unpacking the complexities of middle age, and using your creative practice as a way to untangle unfamiliar ideas.
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+23 +1
'My nerves are going fast': The Grapes of Wrath’s hard road to publication
Famously written in 100 days, John Steinbeck’s novel drew on years of other work and an agonised sense of duty to migrant farm workers
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David Chase on why he wrote The Sopranos: 'I needed help. I needed therapy'
The first image David Chase had in mind for the show that became The Sopranos was a closeup of Tony Soprano opening his eyes, “waking up for the day”. That scene ended up falling later in the pilot. The opening scene, as any of the show’s superfans will happily inform you, watches Tony eyeing up a sculpture in a therapist’s waiting room with baffled rage.
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+16 +1
Teen writes book with 84-year-old favourite author
US writer Carolyn Meyer was "blown away" by Taryn Everdeen's fan letter.
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+11 +1
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell author to return after 16-year gap
Susanna Clarke, whose bestselling debut sold 4m copies, will publish her second book, Piranesi, in September 2020
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+3 +1
Why L.A. is the perpetual dark heart of crime writing
Flawed heroes, dark angels and dashed dreams: Why L.A. and noir are synonymous
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+23 +1
Brandon Sanderson: 'After a dozen rejected novels, you think maybe this isn’t for you'
The fantasy author has an army of devoted fans and a record-making Kickstarter - but before the bestsellers, he spent a decade being told to be ‘more like George RR Martin’
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'I think I’ve written more Sherlock Holmes than even Conan Doyle': the ongoing fight to reimagine Holmes
The first ever mention of Sherlock Holmes came in A Study in Scarlet, published in Beeton’s Christmas Annual of 1887. Dr Watson is looking for lodgings, and meets an old acquaintance who knows of someone he could share with, but does not recommend.
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+6 +1
How to write the plot of a story
Writing the plot for a story is never simple. If you are just starting out writing fiction, a template can help you get started and structure your outline.
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+15 +1
Eric Carle, writer and illustrator who gave life to ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar,’ dies at 91
Simply told and radiantly illustrated, his books have been story-time staples for decades.
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Why FBI Profilers Mistake Writers for Serial Killers
You might be surprised by how many traits writers share with serial killers. FBI profilers have actually profiled a subject only to discover s/he’s not a killer. S/he’s a writer. Here’s why a profiler might mistake writers for serial killers.
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7 Tips for How to Write a Book When You Have No Idea What You’re Doing
Not knowing where to start is a problem countless writers before us have faced and figured out, so if you are feeling a bit lost when it comes to your big dream, these seven things can help you move forward and better yet, jumpstart your writing career.
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+17 +1
So You Want to Bury A Body: Grave Digging for Writers
There comes a time in most people’s lives, certainly in most writers lives, when they’ll need to start thinking about how to bury a body. A dead body that is. It can’t be that hard, can it? After all, we’ve seen them do it on TV. A brief shot of a spade (or is it a shovel?) in action, a brief cut in the film, and the body is next to the grave ready to be disposed of. The sides of the grave are always nice and neat and self-supporting as well, so how hard can it be?
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Adapting books to film – how to turn a novel into a movie or TV series
There are so many films based on books. You, too, might want to turn a novel into a movie. This complete guide offers 11 screenplay-writing tips to adapt a book into a movie.
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The Importance of Grounding Characters in the Reader’s World
We all know how important it is to build fully-fleshed characters by digging at their core. Exposing their attributes, flaws, morals, emotional wounds and fears that revolve around their basic human needs will influence their goals and desires within the story.
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