How do you create a believable character, and how can genre hinder or help a writer?

Start writing fiction - Audio

Characters and genre

Start writing fiction

Transcript -- An introduction to this album.

Transcript -- Start writing fiction

Here, the novelists on the panel discuss what first attracted them to writing prose and what writing means to them.

Starting the writing process

Transcript -- Here, the novelists on the panel discuss what first attracted them to writing prose and what writing means to them.

Transcript -- Starting the writing process

In order to write, every novelist must read. The importance of reading and how this can influence your own style.

Researching and influencing your fiction

Transcript -- In order to write, every novelist must read. The importance of reading and how this can influence your own style.

Transcript -- Researching and influencing your fiction

Transcript -- How do you create a believable character, and how can genre hinder or help a writer?

Transcript -- Characters and genre

Technical methods of storytelling and how to structure a book.

Narrative and structural techniques

Transcript -- Technical methods of storytelling and how to structure a book.

Transcript -- Narrative and structural techniques

Education

This album provides the budding author with everything they need to know about approaching the art of fiction writing. Each track contains discussions and interviews with best-selling novelists from a variety of backgrounds including Alex Garland, Louis de Bernières, Abdulrazak Gurnah and Monique Roffey. This enlightening and engaging series tackles the practicalities and pitfalls of writing fiction. It contains invaluable advice on the creation of characters, the structure of narratives and how to turn an idea into the book you’ve always wanted to write. This material forms part of The Open University course A174 Start writing fiction. (New and updated content added July 2009)