HannonWrites

[hannonwrites]

YOUR XMAS PRESSIES

Merry Xmas, here's some reading goody #giveaways, enjoy! #xmas #amreading

Merry Christmas lovelies

So here’s what I’ve got for you. Something for your stocking and something for under the tree. Your stocking filler. Now, i thought long and hard about this. It had to be something small enough to fit in your stocking … so i found the perfect thing. A competition piece of sci-fi flash fiction under 99 wordsI wrote a while back – called “A few new seconds of me”. Gobble…

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[hannonwrites]

"I'm the sort of guy who looks like he knows NOTHING about martial arts..."

"I'm the sort of guy who looks like he knows NOTHING about martial arts…"

Domo arigato, 

Chris here, and i’m pretty nervous today. I’ll tell you why in a min.  First, some context: I write teen spy thrillers, and to do that you need to be able to write action convincingly.

Now, back to the nervous bit. When writing the follow up book to Orca Rising about a year ago, the main character–freelance spy Ocean Daley– needed to go deep into a martial art. Now, I’m not…

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[hannonwrites]

#navelorange tree is popping #oranges out the wazoo this year- so we boxed up 3 crateloads for a local cafe in #Motril for their #zumo . Put the little one to work on but he couldn't reach very high (or so he claimed). #toddler #toddlerlabour #vitaminc #orange (at Salobreña) https://www.instagram.com/p/B53c04yn3Uh/?igshid=166kn3cy11p5h

[hannonwrites]

Orca Rogue Agent

Hey everyone,

Really excited to announce that the follow up book to Orca Rising–you remember? That teen spy thriller shortlisted for the People’s Book Prize!– is ready for publication!

Orca Rogue Agent will be released on 30th November – more details to follow about pre-order and the cover reveal – so stay tuned.

Chris

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[hannonwrites]

Writing Hack #17: Introduce new characters with their own individual dramas

#WritingHack blog post 17: Introduce new #characters with their own individual dramas #writingtips #amwriting #writingcommunity #character

There’s a scene in the film I Heart Huckabees where Mark Whalberg’s character, (a secondary character) is about to be introduced to viewers. Two things happen in sequence to introduce him. We’re currently absorbed in a different scene with the main protagonist and his drama with two other people. A phone rings and we hear Mark W’s voice, ‘…got a serious situation happening over here…’ the scene…

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[hannonwrites]

Writing Hacks #16 Dialogue: communality, reciprocity and dominance in relationships.

Writing Hacks #16 Dialogue: communality, reciprocity and dominance in relationships.

One of my favourite quotes about dialogue is that it is two monologues clashing. It really gets across the idea that there are things said and unsaid which tell us competing wants and frustrations from two (or more) different characters at the same time. I don’t think that this quote applies to everypiece of dialogue though and today i want to talk a little about the hidden nature of the…

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[hannonwrites]

Writing Hacks #15 Make your minor characters more than just extras

#WritingHacks blog post 15: Make your minor characters more than just extras #writing #writingtips #minorcharacters #writingcommunity #amwriting #writingadvice

Minor characters people your novel and give your your main characters’ world verisimilitude. Die to their ‘minor’ standing it is easy to bung these characters into your story. After all, we certainly don’t want them to upstage your main character(s) or distract from their plight. However, you will find opportunities to make your minor characters more life like without compromising your main story…

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[hannonwrites]

Writing Hacks #14: Where to find the best writing prizes and competitions!

#WritingHacks 14: Where to find the best writing prizes and competitions! #amwriting #writingcommunity #writingtips #writingprizes #writing

Alright, hands up, slight ulterior motive to this intro. My book Orca Rising is up for the People’s Book Prize and has made the final few – thanks to the good folks at Thistle Publishing for sticking my name in the hat! It’s a prize voted for entirely by the public. If you’ve enjoyed reading my blog and want to give something back then help me out in April by voting for my book here It only…

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[hannonwrites]

Writing Hacks #13 : Creating Suspense (1)

this week on #WritingHacks 13 : techniques for creating suspense and some of my fave examples in books and film- let me know yours! #writingcommunity #writingtips #writingadvice #amwriting #amreading #suspense #creatingsuspense

Suspense is one of the most important things to infuse in your writing. It’s not just for crime thrillers, all genres need to have an element of suspense to keep your reader intrigued.

Pass me the onions dear.

So for a writer, what is suspense? Put simply, it’s raising a question in the reader’s mind and then delaying the answer. 

Let’s look today at just one technique for how you can…

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[hannonwrites]

Writing Hacks #12: Understanding the true work involved beyond the first draft will prepare you for success

#WringHacks 12 is all about being prepared to continue working hard after your #firstdraft. #writingtips #writingcommunity #amwriting #writingadvice

So you’ve finished your novel. Whatever happens now, take a breath because you’ve done something truly amazing! The hard work and effort that goes into it, only you truly fathom (but other writers will have a pretty good idea)! Do something to mark the moment, I love to go out for a meal with my wife and son. We aren’t celebrating exactly, more acknowledging a milestone. A first draft is…

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Writing Hacks #11: Keep your Character point of view tight

#WritingHacks 11: Keep your #character point of view tight #writingtips #writingcommunity #amwriting #PoV #writing

One of the things I underestimated most when I started out writing was the importance of point of view (PoV) in writing fiction. In fact, I didn’t really give it much thought. After learning about it and re-reading my old work, I quickly realised that sloppy PoV writing undermines the rest of your story, its clarity and impact. With PoV our job as writers is to make clear which character the…

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[hannonwrites]

Writing Hacks #10: Nuke your adverbs

This week on #WritingHacks 10: Nuke your adverbs #writingtips #amwriting #writingcommunity #writingadvice #writing

Alright, let’s kick this thing off and read a short paragraph about Reginald shall we?

“Reginald walked quite quickly across the forecourt, bumping angrily into one person and then another. ‘Watch where you’re going,’ he said crossly, swatting violently with his newspaper at the nearest blunderer. ‘Make way!’ Once through the heaving throng of people, he tossed his frayed newspaper…

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Writing Hacks #9: Use plot points to map out your story structure

Got an idea for a #novel?Check out #WritingHacks 9: Use #plot points to map out your story structure. #amwriting #writingtips #writingadvice #writingcommunity

Plot is a massive topic and one I’ll frequently return to in Writing Hacks.Today, I want to talk about macro-plotting and using plot points to anchor your major story destination points to help keep your novel’s shape. I would always recommend that you write knowing how your book is going to end, but more than that, you should know (at least roughly) what your major plot points are along the way.…

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[hannonwrites]

Writing Hacks #8: Infuse narrative passages with character using "free indirect speech"

Woah! This week on Writing Hacks: #8: Infuse narrative passages with character using "free indirect speech" #writingtips #writinghacks #amwriting #authoradvice #amreading

Narrator or PoV character?

I first came across the term Free Indirect Speech when reading a book by renowned critic (and author in his own right) James Woods, in his book How Fiction Works. As an aside–it’s a great read, you should check it out if you’re interested in learning more about the craft of writing.

So what is Free Indirect Speech?

Well, i’d describe it as a blending of the…

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[hannonwrites]

Writing Hacks #7: Getting thick-skinned, in conversation with author Shaun Baines

This week on writing Hacks #7: Getting thick-skinned, in conversation with author Shaun Baines @littlehavenfarm #writingtips #writingcommunity #writingadvice #pallbearer #authortalks #authorinterview #amreading

Shaun, on his way to doing some editing

This week I talk with author Shaun Baines. I met Shaun having shared an agent and a publisher and found we had more in common than just writing. We both left the city to live in rural areas to write, tend to our gardens and chickens! Shaun’s author of Peoples Book Prize Nominated book Woodcutter, the first in The Daytons trilogy of gritty, gangster noir…

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[hannonwrites]

Orca Rising in the press!

Orca Rising in the press!

Delighted to see Orca Rising appearing in the Worthing Herald, announcing that the book has made it to the final six of the 2018 Peoples Book Prize. Read the full article here

Haven’t read it yet? What are you waiting for! You can buy Orca Rising here

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[hannonwrites]

Writing Hack #6 : Metaphors and Similes. My top 5 tips are like...ah...an octopus with three tentacles cut off?

Writing Hack #6 : Metaphors & Similes. My top 5 tips are like...ah...an octopus with three tentacles cut off? #writingtips #amwriting #writingcommunity #fiction

This week let’s talk metaphor and simile. Both are used as comparators, and when used well can make your writing leap off the page. First, what’s the difference?

A Simile is apparent when you see the word ‘like’ or ‘as’ before the comparison. Here’s a couple of examples from my friend Shaun Baines’ upcoming book Pallbearer. If you’re into gangster noir, you should check out his work, it’s…

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