Ian Rankin was recently quoted as saying that when he re-read his first novel in the Inspector Rebus series it read like a ‘Phd thesis.’ His advice is that ‘there is little room for purple prose.’
'Think about what should happen next and then write the opposite.' - Stephen King.
'Nobody ever had such pains to learn a trade as I had; but I slogged at it, day in, day out; and I frankly believe (thanks to my dire artistry) I have done more with smaller gifts than almost any man of letters in the world.' - Robert Louis Stevenson.
'There are only three books...page turning crime fiction. The literary novel...often criticised for style over substance. The classic - the book we are all trying to write.'
RJ Ellory - Writing Magazine interview, April 2011 issue.
RJ Ellory - Writing Magazine interview, April 2011 issue.
Here's a link to a RJ Ellory interview here - http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/jul/23/rj-ellory-wins-crime-novel-year