FOCUS ON STYLE AND CLARITY

Does your work sometimes suffer from ‘stylism’? Do verbosity, minimalism and originality lure you like sirens onto the rocks of mumbo-jumbo? Does your internal critic then sail past with a loud hailer, shouting comments about ‘trying to be clever’ – and does your novel subsequently end up at the back of a drawer for another few months? Head for the calmer waters of Chapter 2 and Tune in. Inside is where your true writer’s voice is to be found. Like structure, it is organic and can not be bolted on.

• Repeat some of the exercises from Chapter 2, then return to the piece you are crafting at the moment. The following exercise will improve both its style and its clarity.