Mark Barrowcliffe is the author of three novels including Girlfriend 44, Infidelity for First Time Fathers and Lucky Dog. His latest book is The Elfish Gene: Dungeons, Dragons and Growing Up Strange, a comic memoir of his days playing Dungeons and Dragons and explains what happens when a boy spends his whole teens without speaking to anyone female. To buy The Elfish Gene, click here. Mark lives in Southern England with his wife and daughter. Mark gave us his five writing tips and essential reads.
Mark Barrowcliffe's top 5 writing tips
1. Write.
Do at least 1000 words a day. You'll get better with practice. Don't give yourself excuses 'I need more research', 'I'm not feeling inspired'. Force yourself to do 1000 words a day and, by the end of a couple of weeks you'll find it flows much easier.
2. Read.
Not just people in the area you want to write in. Read widely and note what you like and what you don't like about the writer's style. Literary writers can learn from Stephen King, romantic novelists from Martin Amis.
3. Use your faults.
Go through and look for cliches and hackneyed writing. If you've written 'they got on like a house on fire', remove it and think of how they really did get on. Try to picture them in your head. What expression do they have on their faces as they're getting on? How close are they sitting? What are they talking about? These are the questions you need to answer. Delete 'he stuck out like a sore thumb' and come up with something to challenge Raymond Chandler's: 'about as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel cake'.
4. Make things particular.
Don't have: 'He showed satisfaction as he took possession of his well-earned reward', have: 'He grinned as he pocketed the coin'.
5. Stick to 'said' in dialogue attribution.
We don't need 'he guffawed', 'he brayed', 'she exclaimed', 'they Lindyhopped'. 'Said' will do. The dialogue and its context should give the reader the idea of what is happening without the need for further explanation. Similarly, avoid adverbs in dialogue attribution: 'she said, knowingly,' 'he said, pointedly.' If you think you need them it's probably a sign your dialogue isn't working hard enough for you. Adverbs get in the way of the flow of the dialogue and treat the readers as idiots. If you have a sentence like: '"Give me the map or I will shoot you," he said, menacingly,' is anything really added by the 'menacingly'. Would 'Father forgive them for they know not what they do', gain anything by the addition of 'He said, imploringly'? Probably not.
Mark Barrowcliffe's top 5 essential reads
(click on image to buy book)
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
An excellent illustration of how plot comes from character. Brilliantly written, very funny, almost the perfect novel.
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark.
A book with a truly complex comic character at its heart. It's also proof that books with comedy in them don't need to be lighthearted or to handle frivolous themes.
The Elements of Style by William I. Strunk (Author) & E.B. White (Editor).
Anyone who wants to write should read this. It's a very short book on how to write clearly, concisely and memorably. It also sorted out my semicolons for me, for which I shall be eternally grateful.
The Code of the Woosters by PG Wodehouse.
The first time I read this book I had to throw it behind the sofa. I was laughing so much that I could take the pain no longer. Wodehouse is the master stylist and I have laughed more often and harder in a paragraph of his writing than I have in whole books of other comic writers.
Miguel Street by VS Naipaul.
Again, anyone wanting to write should read this book. It creates a teeming world of intrigue and drama using a spare and uncomplicated style. The book is a masterpiece of storytelling, creating comedy and tragedy in a thoroughly believable world. It's almost at the other end of the scale to Wodehouse. There are no linguistic fireworks here, just powerful stories of ordinary people told with wit and insight.
'An emotional, smart modern drama.' heat, June 2007
'Both funny and moving this will have you reaching for the tissues.' Closer, May 2006
'What makes The Chocolate Run such a winning read is that
Koomson's characters develop in a believable way.' Heat, April 2004
'A laugh-out-loud, feelgood page-turner.' She, Feb 2003
Mark Barrowcliffe is the author of three novels including Girlfriend 44, Infidelity for First Time Fathers and Lucky Dog. His latest book is 
