Passion for reading from a young age sowed the seed for writing stories. After life got in the way I rekindled that passion in 2007 to sacrifice time to write.
The last five years have been a learning curve in terms of how to write, practice, tips, as well as elements that I didn’t respect before, such as prepositions, conjunctions, show not tell, arcs, point of view, and all of the things that irritate you when you read a badly written book.
I set out to be an adult fantasy writer but now I’m writing YA. I’ve written eight novels, and am now working on my ninth – it took five years of sweat to write my first novel. I’ve self published four novels, but that doesn’t stop me from plugging away, meeting literary agents and attending many writing events each year. I’m getting closer – and with work – I might clinch an agent. I don’t write for fame and fortune – not that I’d decline it – but to be respected as a writer, and to build a readership that come back for more. Each person that contacts me to say that they admired my novel, the characters, or some aspect of it – brings a tremendous smile to my face. That’s why I write. That’s what motivates me.
I want others to give writing a go too, and to experience the thrill of creating, destroying, and tinkering with your own world. And with that comes my latest Non-Fiction book: The Simple Creative Writing Book, released this month.
I want others to give writing a go too, and to experience the thrill of creating, destroying, and tinkering with your own world. And with that comes my latest Non-Fiction book: The Simple Creative Writing Book, released this month.
I always hear people confused about POV, Prose, Show Not Tell, Dialogue, Synopsis, Letters, Commas, Plot, Structure, Ending, Title, Time to write, and much more. And while there are tons on Creative Writing books out there, and websites, often the information is spread over zillions of web pages, and the books can be filled with theory and be pricey.
You don’t need to read a book that’s 200+ pages of info-dumping without giving you the ingredients to apply to your work. This book even includes the method of creating a synopsis that works for me, as well as how to layout a synopsis and the covering letter.
My top tip: Never miss a day of writing. Even when you do, always have the plot, the characters, or the next scene bubbling away in your mind.
After surviving a brain tumour, Leicestershire-based Imran Siddiq, made writing a novel a challenge to conquer. A veteran of writing festivals, a mingler with literary agents, a presence on social media, he is always keen to pass on advice and tips about writing.
www.facebook.com/imransiddiqwriter
