TOBY LITT

Writer of short stories, novels, comic - often about ghosts.

[tobylitt]

POV: POV

A Complete Guide to Point of View Begins Today

But why, really, bother following it?

POV: You sit down to keep writing your novel and then you start screaming.

Why?

Most likely because there's something not quite working with the Point of View.

Maybe you chose First Person Present Tense, and now you can't do a flashback?

Or you went for Third Person Omniscient, but you don't know when to head hop?

Today is the beginning of my mini-series of podcasts on POV.

Exercises, advice, and a map of territory.

It's free. It's here --

A Complete Guide to Point of View Begins Today

But why, really, bother following it?

[tobylitt]

I'm reposting some of my writing advice videos, to go along with launching A Writer's Diary Podcast.

Here's the most popular -

My Favourite Creative Writing Exercise of All Time

[tobylitt]

RIP Martin Parr.

I have a story, from the one time I met him. At the Port Eliot Festival. It gave, eventually, the secret to his genius.

We were standing under a tree, chatting, and I was asking him about how he worked? How he got such diverse people enough at their ease that they'd forget he was there?

And he said something like, 'Oh, there's a way of doing it, a technique, but I'd never tell anyone.'

I tried to continue the conversation, but within a couple of moments, and I can't say how, he had become the world's most boring man. He radiated conversational tedium. He was incandescently bright grey.

I asked him another question, about cameras, and the answer was on a Marvin the Paranoid android level of focussed tedium.

I couldn't bear it. The burden of being interesting rested entirely upon me.

I gave up and walked away - letting the world's most boring man get on with taking his surely boring photographs.

It took me a number of years before I realised Martin Parr had just, in that moment, demonstrated his secret technique.

[tobylitt]

I'm seriously delighted to have a 14 line poem in Richard Skinner's 14 magazine.

Here's me looking seriously delighted.

Everything else I've read in it has been top.

14 magazine

Hasna-Housni Ally / Raymond Antrobus / Sophia Argyris / Jean Atkin / Bob Beagrie / Clare Best / Tom Branfoot / Zoë Brigley / Jane Burn / Lor

[tobylitt]

New Non-Fiction Writing Prize Open Today

On Philip Hoare's birthday, and to celebrate his life and career, not least teaching at the University of Southampton, we're opening the Philip Hoare Prize for Non-Fiction.

It's free to enter with £300 to the winner.

Non-fiction of up to 500 words on any subject.

Closing date - 31 July 2025.

Here's what Philip has to say - "'Non-fiction'. So what is that? A non- thing? Actually, it's the licence to explore your writing in wild and wonderful ways.'

Please share, and enter.

[tobylitt]

This is the way to get your novel moving again, if it's stalled, or back on the road, if it's crashed.

(We are trained narrative mechanics.)

Arvon often do a discounted rate for those who feel they might not be able to pay. If you're interested in attending, but feel it is too much, DM me. I'll see if we can work something out.

Online Writing Week: Fiction Work-in-Progress | Making progress with your novel | Arvon

Join Toby Litt and A.L. Kennedy for an online course designed to fit into your busy life while providing the expert guidance and support you

[tobylitt]

This is the way to get your novel moving again, if it's stalled, or back on the road, if it's crashed.

(We are trained narrative mechanics.)

Arvon often do a discounted rate for those who feel they might not be able to pay. If you're interested in attending, but feel it is too much, DM me. I'll see if we can work something out.

Online Writing Week: Fiction Work-in-Progress | Making progress with your novel | Arvon

Join Toby Litt and A.L. Kennedy for an online course designed to fit into your busy life while providing the expert guidance and support you

[tobylitt]

Fantasy Book Cover Designer Needed

I'm looking to commission a cover for a middle grade supernatural adventure, 'POSSESSIONS: The Books Against Ravenglass'.

The artist will need to read the book and respond with something cool.

If you liked my work on #deadboydetectives, I hope you'll like this.

Please spread the word, and share your work below if you'd like to put yourself forwards.

No AI.

Otherwise, I'm going with this -

[tobylitt]

Substack, and how to do it

I was delighted to be asked by Eleanor Anstruther to join the 8 Questions club.

I’ve written strangely little on my approach to Substack, and sometimes haven’t much thought about it, so it was good to be forced to formulate.

8 Questions for... Toby Litt

A Writer's Diary

[tobylitt]

Pacing Your Fiction - a Masterclass

Looking to cut that novel down to size? Or build up that short story into something with volume?

I'll be addressing these, and other questions of pacing, for @arvonfoundation.bsky.social this coming Valentine's Day.

Places still available --

Masterclass: Pacing Your Fiction | From breathless plotting to breathtaking details | Arvon

This Masterclass with Toby Litt, author of the daily Substack A Writer’s Diary, will be a practical, craft-based look at the best ways of ke

[tobylitt]

Essential question for fantasy writers

How do you get your main character through that magic portal, and off on their adventure?

On Magic Portals and Doors into Otherwheres

and Books

#amwriting #writingcommunity

[tobylitt]

Some advice on taking writing advice.

And not taking it too personally.

On How to Take Writing Advice

That's Not Bespoke

#writingcommunity #amwriting

[tobylitt]

[tobylitt]

LILIAN'S SPELL BOOK - Lilian's Spell Book

Read Lilian's Spell Book from the story LILIAN'S SPELL BOOK by TobyLitt (Toby Litt) with 176,110 reads. healing, englis...

My paranormal romance, Lilian's Spell Book, is being serialised again - for free - on Wattpad.

If anyone here liked my run on #deadboydetectives, and how that came through in the Netflix series, I hope they'll like this, too.

[tobylitt]

Deep aesthetic lessons

on personal identity from the Teds who drove the 142 bus I took to and from school.

Bedfordians and Ampthillians know.

On the Teddy Boys who Drove the 142 Bus from Bedford to Ampthill

and Beyond

[tobylitt]

Hard work is hard

A tough truth from Rebecca Smith - passing on her son Gabriel Smith's advice.

'You just have to work harder than everyone else.'

On the Hardest Truth about Writing

c/o Rebecca and Gabriel Smith

#writingcommunity #amwriting #writingadvice

[tobylitt]

What do people get out of creative writing courses?

Not short cuts, I say.

On Creative Writing Courses and Short Cuts

(There are No Short Cuts)