Flashback Time - card. With words 'How Good is Your Memory of Dialogue' and 'A Complete Guide to Point of View Part 2' - on it.

Writing exercise:

Write down the longest unbroken sequence of back and forth dialogue that you can remember from your life.

Every single line needs to be certain. You can’t resort to “and so and so said something like.”

How'd you do? How many lines did you get?

open.substack.com/pub/awriters...

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

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?

This is going to be fun.

April 25th.

A Complete Guide to Point of View Begins Today But why, really, bother following it?

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

Today is the start of my podcast series on POV.

Exercises, advice, a map of territory.

It's free. It's here awritersdiary.substack.com/p/a-complete...

#pov #pointofview #writingcommunity #writingadvice

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

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?

It being #NationalPencilDay, here are a few of my workhorses.

Thank you to all of them.

I've blogged about my other Means of Production over on Substack.

open.substack.com/pub/awriters...

I'm not sure it'll be recorded. I hope so. @swedenborghouse.bsky.social will know.

What links Swedenborg, Skateboarding and Sunlight?

"They are all approaches to forms of human happiness. They all assert a positive purpose to life. They are all simultaneously flying and grounding."

Free lecture on Thursday 26th March, booking advised.

www.swedenborg.org.uk/events/toby-...

On Mechanical Pencils and their practicalities

Any devotees of rOtring out there?

This may not be my last word on the subject, but it may be your first.

On Mechanical Pencils

open.substack.com/pub/awriters...

Blackwings seem to be winning on the pencil front.

I have a Tikky and a 30 rOtring.

What's your favourite pencil - the best you've every owned?

Today's diary entry on Substack covers the practicalities of writing with pencils.

(Yay, write upside down, hanging from a tree.)

Yes, I've got one of those, too. Just dug it out. I'll be covering sharpeners in the next few days. Thanks for the reminder. Hope you're well.

Every sounded nicer than ever.

What's your favourite pencil - the best you've every owned?

Today's diary entry on Substack covers the practicalities of writing with pencils.

(Yay, write upside down, hanging from a tree.)

Our graduates write books — published by the likes of @fitzcarraldoeds.bsky.social, @grantabooks.bsky.social, Peninsula Press — set up their own magazines and journals, edit others (The White Review, RIP), do PhDs, and also become primary school teachers. All good things.

They are rare. How did you find yours?

Are You Sitting Comfortably? If not, we can't begin

If you're a writer, how and where do you write? What's your posture like? How's your spine holding up?

Any advice for others?

Are You Sitting Comfortably?

open.substack.com/pub/awriters...

Are You Sitting Comfortably? If not, we can't begin

If you're a writer, how and where do you write? What's your posture like? How's your spine holding up?

Any advice for others?

Are You Sitting Comfortably?

open.substack.com/pub/awriters...

Yes, do. Thoroughly recommended.

This book sounds great and I want to read it immediately

On Distraction and Overcoming It or Giving In to It

Look, I'm here, rather than working.

How do you cope with/limit/work through the distraction of your screens?

Today's diary entry way over yonder on Substack.

On Distraction and Overcoming It

open.substack.com/pub/awriters...

A Long Game by Elizabeth McCracken review – here’s how to really write your novel The novelist and writing tutor delivers bracing advice that demolishes familiar ‘stick to what you know’ nostrums

I said I'd share the link when the The Guardian posted my review of Elizabeth McCracken's whipsmart writing manual, A Long Game: How to Write Fiction. (Following their publication of an extract.)

So, here it is -

www.theguardian.com/books/2026/j...

On the Ghosts Haunting Your Writing Space Even if you don't know they're there

Today's entry in the diary is on the Ghosts of the Desk.

Who haunts yours?

open.substack.com/pub/awriters...

On Elizabeth McCracken's A Long Game: How Write Fiction A mini-review

I've also spoken about it in today's Writer's Diary over on Substack.

awritersdiary.substack.com/p/on-elizabe...

A Long Game by Elizabeth McCracken review – here’s how to really write your novel The novelist and writing tutor delivers bracing advice that demolishes familiar ‘stick to what you know’ nostrums

I said I'd share the link when the The Guardian posted my review of Elizabeth McCracken's whipsmart writing manual, A Long Game: How to Write Fiction. (Following their publication of an extract.)

So, here it is -

www.theguardian.com/books/2026/j...

Dreaming of writing your novel this year? Rip up all the rules! After 35 years of teaching fiction writing, the prize-winning author shares her wisdom. First tip? Don’t write what you know…

I was very glad to be asked to review Elizabeth McCracken's A Long Game by @theguardian.com

No spoilers, but they should be publishing what I wrote soon.

Here's a taster - just the right kind of thing to read if you're starting a new piece of fiction.

www.theguardian.com/books/ng-int...

There will be 5 minute daily-ish podcasts, with advice, writing exercises and answers to subscribers' questions.

We're Starting to Write a Book A Writer's Diary enters the New Year with a new project and a new sound.

New Year, New Writer's Diary.

This year, I'm going - with my subscribers' help - to draft a writing manual (working title is 'The Page: On Drafting').

I'll be podcasting and writing about it on my Substack.

Together, hopefully, we can write our books.

open.substack.com/pub/awriters...

Ongoing decimation of British universities part 252:

Apx. 1000 academic staff at University of Essex just received formal ‘risk of redundancy’ letters via email.

Please share @ucuessex.bsky.social @ucu.org.uk

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.