Dark and moody versus light and funny

As most of you know by now, in the cold light of day, I’m a children’s author, non-fiction author and creative writing tutor. But in the dark tones of the night, I morph into a very different sort of writer, penning the D.I. Paolo Storey hardboiled crime series as Frances di Plino.

I’ve been asked so many times recently how I switch between the two, that it made me stop and analyse the process. If you want to find out how moody and dangerous Frances can switch to writing children’s tales, or how a humour columnist and children’s author can flip over to the criminal side, why not visit the Triskele Books Blog, where I was invited to answer those very questions?

From Writing Crime to Child's Play on the Triskele Books Blog




Critique Service for Writers
Flash 500 Home Page: Flash Fiction, Humour Verse
and Novel Opening Chapter and Synopsis Competitions

Flash 500 Competition Deadlines

Entries close at midnight (UK time) 3oth June

 

With the entry deadlines fast approaching, you only have just over a week left to polish up those stories and poems. Don't miss out as the Flash Fiction and Humour Verse categories both close at the end of this month.

Novel Opening and Synopsis Category

 

This category is open for entries until the end of October.

 

The judges this year will be (once again) the senior editors at Crooked Cat Publishing, who are the publishers for my own (writing as Frances di Plino) D.I. Paolo Storey series of crime novels, Bad Moon Rising, Someday Never Comes, Call It Pretending and Looking for a Reason (due out in October).

 

Crooked Cat Publishing cover a wide range of genres, from chick lit to horror, which is why they are the ideal judges for the competition.

 

Full details of all three competition categories can be found on the Flash 500 Home Page.

 

Hints from the Judges

No.4 – The Ending

 

The conclusion of any competition submission is the perfect opportunity to create a lasting impression with the judge.

 

Surprise is always likely to be a winner, providing it is relevant to the theme of the work and not farfetched. Such an ending requires great care in the development section of the work; whilst the judges should not have seen it coming, they must, on reflection, admire how you led up to it.

 

If you choose to finish your entry with a conclusion drawn from what has gone before, be sure that it is stated in an original way and, unless for a particular purpose, avoids mere repetition.

 

Good luck with all your writing endeavours.

 

Kind regards, 

 

Lorraine

Critique Service for Writers
Flash 500 Home Page: Flash Fiction, Humour Verse
and Novel Opening Chapter and Synopsis Competitions