creative writing

Welcome to Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. Not been here before? Want to submit your own work? Please read the submission guidelines and FAQ. Thanks very much to David for this week’s extract, and thank you to everyone who has submitted their work, or who … Read more

Merry February, dear friends, and welcome to Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. New here? Want to submit? Please read the submission guidelines. Beware – there’s a long waiting list! As always, read the extract below, decide what you think about it, then compare with my … Read more

Good day to you, noble friend, and welcome to Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. If you haven’t been here before or you fancy submitting your first page for a turn In The Barber’s Chair, please read the submission guidelines. As always, this is about developing … Read more

Generation (by Jenny) Lucy shoved through the sea of legs, ignoring her mother’s frantic calls. The people she knocked tutted and muttered under their breaths but she didn’t care; the President was coming. She burst through the front of the throng and straight into a huge soldier dressed from head to toe in black armour. … Read more

Welcome to Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. If this is your first time here, do me a massive fave and read the submission guidelines. Always looking for new first pages, although please bear in mind that the waiting list is humungous. If you enjoy this … Read more

Hello, fellow cutters. Welcome to Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. This is a blog about editing fiction – if you’d like to know how it works, or submit your own work, please read the submission guidelines. There’s currently a lengthy waiting list, so if you … Read more

Welcome to another Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. Every week I suggest ways we can make our fiction suck slightly less. Sometimes I write little mini-essays on one specific improvement you can apply to your work, and sometimes I put an aspiring author’s first page … Read more

Welcome to Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. This week we’re putting another aspiring author’s first page in the barber’s chair. If you feel your work could do with a similar trim and you’re not afraid of a little honesty then please submit via the ‘Contact … Read more

Welcome back to Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. Sorry for the brief hiatus – as explained on Monday, a big workload coincided with a heavy cold that knocked me out for two weeks. I also needed some time to work on my own novel, practising … Read more

Welcome to Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. I’m running low on first pages, you lovely people. Stop procrastinating, bite the bullet, and send me the first page of your incredible, super-polished, future prize-winning novel or short story. 250 words max, just title and text, via … Read more

Welcome to Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. Sorry for the delay in getting this week’s post up. I have been editing my own novel, which as you can imagine is a pretty traumatic process. Coming face to face with my own shitty dialogue and improbable … Read more

Welcome to Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. Each week we take a look at the first page of an aspiring author’s novel or short story, and figure out ways to make it better. Good self-editing chops are what writing is all about. Think of this … Read more

Bonsoir, and welcome to another Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. This week, we look at another aspiring author’s first page and take the scissors to it. If you would like me to look at the first page of your novel or short story on this … Read more

Ola! Welcome to (a slightly tardy) Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. I am almost completely out of first pages, you guys! I’m firing the flare gun into the night sky. Please put the word out: aspiring authors, send me the first page of your novel … Read more

Welcome, friend, to Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. Remember, I need first pages for In The Barber’s Chair, where I lay into the opening of an aspiring writer’s novel or short story with the scissors, in the hope of sharpening all our editing chops. If … Read more

Welcome to Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. This week, it’s Sally’s turn In The Barber’s Chair. If you fancy having the first page of your novel or short story edit-bombed, send it to me (250 words max) via the ‘Contact Me’ link on the right. … Read more

Welcome to Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for another In The Barber’s Chair. As always, read the extract, gather your thoughts, then read my suggestions in ‘The Cuts’. If you have the first page of a novel or short … Read more

Welcome to Death Of 1000 Cuts – making you an awesome writer, one cut at a time. I’m here every Monday and Thursday with posts full of writing tips, apopleptic rants, interviews and links to things I think you’ll love. At the moment, Thursday is Barber’s Chair day, where I take a budding author’s first … Read more