A Problem Shared: Volume One: Ten Writing Dilemmas
()
About this ebook
Jane Wenham-Jones - agony aunt for Writing Magazine - gives advice on literary queries, writing worries and the obstacles faced by anyone hoping to be published.
In this volume the questions answered are:
1. I can’t get it down on paper.
2. I’m retirement age – can I still get started?
3. I soon dislike my own ideas!
4. How do I choose a name for my heroine?
5. Do I always have to show not tell?
6. How do I make my writing longer?
7. Do I need to be an “expert” to write a non-fiction book?
8. Should I ask for feedback?
9. My family don’t support me.
10. How do I handle rejection?
Jane Wenham-Jones
Jane Wenham-Jones is an author, journalist, presenter, interviewer, creative writing tutor, writing competition judge, and speaker who lives in Broadstairs, Kent, a town that appears in two of her novels. The author of four novels (Raising the Roof; Perfect Alibis; One Glass is Never Enough; and Prime Time, the latter being shortlisted for the RNA’s Romantic Comedy of the Year award), two non-fiction writing guides (Wannabe a Writer; and Wannabe a Writer We’ve Heard Of) and a humorous diet book, 100 Ways to Fight the Flab and Still Have Wine and Chocolate. As a journalist she has written for the Guardian, The Bookseller, Booktime, Sunday Express, Daily Express, The Sun, The Times, Sunday Times and numerous women’s magazines. She has regular columns in Woman’s Weekly Fiction Special, her local paper the Isle of Thanet Gazette and Writing Magazine, where she is the agony aunt, and you can find many of her Plain Jane posts on this site’s blog. A member of Equity, Jane also broadcasts on radio, works the after-dinner circuit, talks to writers groups and conferences, and has worked as a celebrity speaker for P&O. She has hosted the Romance Novelists’ Association’s RoNas – the annual awards for the best in Romantic Fiction – for the last six years, presented many events at the Guildford, Belfast and Whitstable book festivals and been a regular at ChipLitFest at Chipping Norton since its inception. As an interviewer/chair, she has presented panels and been “in conversation with” dozens of authors and personalities including Jonathan Aitken, Rachel Allen, David Baddiel, Lynn Barber, Tim Bentinck, Fern Britton (pictured left), Kay Burley, Darcey Bussell, Tania Carver, Mavis Cheek, Julian Clary, Ann Cleeves, Jenny Colgan, Charles Collingwood (actor), John Crace (writer), Nadine Dorries, Tim Dowling, Stella Duffy, Jenny Eclair, Katie Fforde, Judy Finnigan, Steve Furst, Mel Giedroyc, Joanne Harris, Angela Hartnett, Veronica Henry, Victoria Hislop, Gill Hornby, Peter James, Lisa Jewell, Cathy Kelly, India Knight, Irma Kurtz, Helen Lederer, Prue Leith, Kathy Lette, Richard Madeley, Lucy Mangan, Jill Mansell, Santa Montefiore, Bel Mooney, Kate Mosse, Jojo Moyes, David Nicholls, David Nobbs, Amanda Ross, Barbara Taylor Bradford, Penny Vincenzi, Fiona Walker, Fay Weldon, and Kate Williams. TV Credits include: Ready, Steady, Cook; Loose Lips; Kilroy; Just for Starters; The Russell Grant Show; The Heaven and Earth Show; The Politics Show; The Property Channel; Legal TV; The Wright Stuff; and Inside Out.
Read more from Jane Wenham Jones
A Problem Shared: Volume Two: Ten Writing Dilemmas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Problem Shared: Volume Three: Ten Writing Dilemmas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Problem Shared: Volume Four: Ten Writing Dilemmas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to A Problem Shared
Related ebooks
Finish the Damn Book!: An Inspirational Guide to Writing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsProject Management for Writers: Gate 1 – What?: Wordsworth Writers' Guides, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings30 Day Novel: How to Write a Book in a Month: Misque Press Writing Guide for Fiction, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAre You Actually Going To Write A Book Or Just Talk About It?: Actually Author Series Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5So You've Written A Book. Now What? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsImproving Your Craft for the Professional Writer: Business for Breakfast, #18 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBlood, Sweat and Ink: The Pleasure and Pain of Writing a Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTips for Novice Fiction Writers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFinish Your Fucking Book: The Unfocused Writer's Guide, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings50 Common Writing Sins and How Not to Commit Them Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWriting Myths: The Write Mindset, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFinding Your Fiction: Concise Steps to Writing Successful Fiction Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSlushpile Memories: How NOT to Get Rejected (Million Dollar Writing Series) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWho's Buying Which Popular Short Fiction Now, & What Are They Paying?: How to Write, Customize, & Sell Tales Online or on Paper Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrom Baby Brain To Writer Brain: Writing Through A World of Parenting Distractions: Writer Chaps, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings30-Second Commute, The: A Non-Fiction Comedy about Writing and Working From Home Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Make Money: A Freelancer's Survival Guide Short Book Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWrite it Now. Book 7 - The First Draft: Write Your Novel or Memoir. A Series Guide For Beginners, #7 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWHAT'S YOUR PLAN: A Pathway to Writing and Publishing Your Work Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSelf-Publishing for the First-Time Author Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow to Live an Amazing Life: The No-Nonsense Guide to Sorting Your Life out and Living the Best Life Ever! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMore Popcorn Principles: The Sequel!: The Popcorn Principles Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWriting-Publishing Survival Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVanquish Writer's Block!: Writing Skills, #2 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Busy Writer's Kickstart Program: The Busy Writer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Congress of Rough Writers: Flash Fiction Anthology Vol. 1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNo More Excuses!: Write a Successful E-book Now Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdverbs & Clichés in a Nutshell: Demonstrated Subversions of Adverbs & Clichés into Gourmet Imagery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLove Yoga Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Language Arts & Discipline For You
Barron's American Sign Language: A Comprehensive Guide to ASL 1 and 2 with Online Video Practice Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Dirty Sign Language: Everyday Slang from "What's Up?" to "F*%# Off!" Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings100 Words Almost Everyone Confuses and Misuses Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Talk Dirty Spanish: Beyond Mierda: The curses, slang, and street lingo you need to Know when you speak espanol Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLearn Sign Language in a Hurry: Grasp the Basics of American Sign Language Quickly and Easily Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fluent in 3 Months: How Anyone at Any Age Can Learn to Speak Any Language from Anywhere in the World Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Verbal Judo, Second Edition: The Gentle Art of Persuasion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Speed Reading: How to Read a Book a Day - Simple Tricks to Explode Your Reading Speed and Comprehension Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5500 Beautiful Words You Should Know Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Show, Don't Tell: How to Write Vivid Descriptions, Handle Backstory, and Describe Your Characters’ Emotions Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Easy Spanish Stories For Beginners: 5 Spanish Short Stories For Beginners (With Audio) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Lost Art of Handwriting: Rediscover the Beauty and Power of Penmanship Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Everything Sign Language Book: American Sign Language Made Easy... All new photos! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Craft of Research, Fourth Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Writing to Learn: How to Write - and Think - Clearly About Any Subject at All Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Metaphors We Live By Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5We Need to Talk: How to Have Conversations That Matter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Get to the Point!: Sharpen Your Message and Make Your Words Matter Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Dramatic Writing: Its Basis in the Creative Interpretation of Human Motives Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for A Problem Shared
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
A Problem Shared - Jane Wenham-Jones
A Problem Shared
Volume 1
Ten Writing Dilemmas
posed by Writing Magazine readers
Answered by Jane Wenham-Jones
Compiled and edited by Morgen Bailey
Copyright © 2016 Jane Wenham-Jones.
Copyrighted as per the UK Copyright, Design and Patents Act, 1988.
All rights reserved.
Cover design and published by Morgen Bailey.
No part of this book can be reproduced in any form or by written, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information retrieval system without permission in writing by the author or authors involved, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. (And we’d love you to review this collection!)
Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of information contained herein.
Smashwords Edition 2017
Jane Wenham-Jones has been Writing Magazine’s agony aunt since 2005. This is how she describes her role…
"My monthly column in Writing Magazine, ‘Talk It Over’, is a discussion of some sort of writing dilemma – from what to do if your work keeps getting rejected, for example (have a stiff drink and send it out again), to whether it’s a good idea to give up the day job to do it full-time (probably not!), and why you can never get past the 10,000-word mark when you try to write a novel (you’re being a wimp – don’t give up so easily).
Doing it is particularly special to me as I can remember reading Writing Magazine and sister publication, Writers News (they are now combined into one volume) when I first started out, and gazing enviously at all those tales of book deals etc. Writing Magazine is a very useful source of information if you’re any sort of writer or would like to be – there’s lots of info on markets, competitions, who’s looking for what and so on as well as interviews, how-to articles – and Me! :)"
This e-book features a hand-picked selection of ten of those Talk it Over columns intended to help or inspire you, whether you are a new writer seeking guidance or you are further along the path to publication and need reassurance that you are doing the right thing.
Read the questions posed by Writing Magazine readers and Jane’s replies, with additional updates to reflect the changes to the writing industry and book world that have taken place since these columns first appeared. Where other authors’ books have been mentioned, it is likely they have published other work since, so rather than list them all, we have provided you with their latest titles (at the time) and / or their publisher name, so you can check them out yourself, if you wish.
Enjoy!
Contents
1. I can’t get it down on paper.
2. I’m retirement age – can I still get started?
3. I soon dislike my own ideas!
4. How do I choose a name for my heroine?
5. Do I always have to show not tell?
6. How do I make