Aliventures

17/06/2025

🎯 Finish that novel by the end of 2025 ... or hit any writing goal you're going for!

I'm running a workshop next week in Writers' Cafe (aliventures.com/writers-cafe) to help members plan out their writing journey over the next six months. Join us for just $5.

Writers’ Cafe online community with support & accountability Writers’ Cafe is an online community for all writers, offering support, encouragement, and (gentle!) accountability as you work towards your writing goals. It costs just $10 per month (£8 if you prefer GBP) which gives you full access...

12/06/2025

Does your novel have enough (or the right) supporting characters? In this week's post, we're digging into what supporting characters are ... and how to create well-rounded characters that help move your story along.

https://www.aliventures.com/what-are-supporting-characters/

11/06/2025

"I want to write but life's so busy."

Sounds familiar? I hear this a lot ... and I totally get it!

I created Writers' Cafe—a welcoming online community—to help you actually make time for your writing.

👉 https://www.aliventures.com/writers-cafe/

We’ve got:
🗓️ Live writing hours you can put on your calendar
✅ Weekly check-ins to encourage you in making progress
💬 A chatroom for impromptu writing sessions
🤗 Feedback and support from me & fellow writers
It’s just $5/£4 for your first month—less than a coffee, and it might be just what you need to finally make serious progress with your writing.

Check out all the details here:

👉 https://www.aliventures.com/writers-cafe/

P.S. If cost is a barrier right now, I’ve got a few free places available—drop me an email at [email protected].

Writers’ Cafe online community with support & accountability Writers’ Cafe is an online community for all writers, offering support, encouragement, and (gentle!) accountability as you work towards your writing goals. It costs just $10 per month (£8 if you prefer GBP) which gives you full access...

22/05/2025

New on Aliventures: What's an "epistolary novel" and what are the advantages of writing in this form? I take you through everything you need to know, with lots of examples.

https://www.aliventures.com/epistolary-novel/

04/04/2025

New on Aliventures: I share how I've been getting on with my writing goals so far in 2025. (I'd love to hear from you about how your goals are going, too!)

https://www.aliventures.com/writing-goal-progress-2025-q1/

27/03/2025

What exactly IS plot? Is it the same thing as "story" or "narrative" ... or something else? In today's post, we dig into what we mean by "plot" when talking about fiction-writing ... and look at some key elements of plot.

21/03/2025

How should you fit editing into your writing process? Some writers edit as they go along; others finish their first draft then restart from scratch. In today's post, I go through four different options, looking at the advantages (and potential pitfalls) of each.

https://www.aliventures.com/editing-in-writing-process/

14/03/2025

Not sure whether to use the first or third person perspective in your story? This week's post goes through lots of ways to use the first person, along with pros/cons, and plenty of examples too. https://www.aliventures.com/first-person-point-of-view/

06/03/2025

This week on Aliventures, I've got a big round-up of all my posts on developing and writing characters. Whether you're just coming up with characters for a new project or you're trying to nail different aspects of characterisation, there's sure to be a post here that'll help you. :-)

https://www.aliventures.com/writing-developing-characters/

28/02/2025

Do you struggle with writing character descriptions? It can be tough to know how much information to give your reader or what to focus on ... and it's easy to end up writing a boring description that readers skip. Here's my thoughts on writing great physical descriptions of your characters, with plenty of examples: https://www.aliventures.com/character-descriptions/

13/02/2025

Can ChatGPT help you be more creative or get you past writers' block ... without actually doing the writing for you? Yes! There are lots of great ways to use AI as a virtual creative writing buddy, without handing over creative control. Here are five to try: https://www.aliventures.com/creative-uses-chatgpt/

06/02/2025

You probably know your protagonist needs a "character arc" ... but what exactly IS that? And does it necessarily need to mean a change for the better? In this week's post, we explore different types of character arcs, consider whether all characters need an arc, and dig into some examples.

https://www.aliventures.com/character-arcs/