the hangout for new and inexperienced writers of nonfiction
At Beginners Guide to Writing we specialise in helping new and inexperienced writers get started writing in a range of nonfiction genres. We provide one-to-one and group support, an online writing community where you can exchange ideas through our writing forums, a variety of writing, editing and proofreading services and a selection of books, courses and regular blog posts.
Never use a long word where a short one will do A mistake some new or less experienced writers make is to believe that if they want to appear clever they should avoid short words and use long, pretentious words or phrases…
Cinquains - what are they and how do you write one? My blog on six-word memoirs is all about brevity and and so continuing with this theme let me introduce you to the world of cinquains.
Distraction-free writing tools to let you get on with your writing If you want the freedom to write without being overwhelmed by the number of features available in popular word processors such as Microsoft Word and Pages…
Clichés - why you should avoid them like the plague Clichés are words and phrases that have been used so often they have ceased to have much impact. When they were first written they may have been original and colourful…
Write a blog post that tells a story by following these simple tips It doesn't matter whether you are blogging your way to an entire family history, or the complete story of your life story, or any other non-fiction genre,…
The use of apostrophes - banana's 70p a kilo Can you spot what is wrong with banana's 70p a kilo in the title to this blog post? No? Then probably like many other people you are confused about where and when to use apostrophes…
Active voice or passive voice - which should you use? If you don’t understand the difference between active voice or passive voice read on for a quick explanation. If you do understand the difference but have been warned…
Nostalgia in a family history narrative - is there a place for it? Can you be too nostalgic when writing a family history? Professional historians don’t really do nostalgia and sentiment. It is not their job to interpret…
Life story gumption trap If you have you been thinking about writing your life story but have been put off because the whole process seems just too daunting then read on. Like many other people you probably think that…
Write a family history that people will want to read Why is it that some family historians get so immersed in their family history research they think that everybody else will be equally fascinated by dry and dull lists…
Commonly confused and misused words in the English language There are some words in the English language that sound alike but have different meanings (these are known as homophones). There are also words that have similar…
Choosing a blog platform In my blog Blogging your way to a book I included some reasons why writing regular blog posts is a great way of building up a book piece by piece. If you have been convinced (or at least tempted)…
Editing and proofreading - do it yourself with these free online tools In addition to the variety of resources freely available online to help you get to grips with English grammar (see my blog Online English grammar…
Take a closer look at photos to create memorable stories If you have a collection of photos but don't know what to do with them, why not use them as the inspiration for a collection of stories. If you take a closer look…
Capture your life in six words with a six-word memoir Could you capture your life in six words with a six-word memoir? Legend has it that in the 1920s Ernest Hemingway made a $10 bet with some friends that he could write…
Opening sentence - use it to grab the attention of your readers Arguably the most important words in a book are all contained in the opening sentence. But do you know why? Although the title of your book or narrative…
Starting to write - just do it Don’t let a fear of getting something wrong put you off writing. Your grammar may not be perfect, you may make some spelling mistakes or you may put a comma in the wrong place but none of…
Family recipe book - how to create your own
You may have seen my a blog about writing a foodoir (a genre which combines memoir writing with recipes or food-related experiences). So, to continue with the food theme,…
Putting your family history in context Although researching and writing your family history gives you the opportunity to explore and write about the lives of people you have a personal connection to, there will also be…
Family history research - discover your heritage Although the study of genealogy (family history research) has been around for a long time, it’s popularity has increased significantly over the past few decades. This is…
Have you always wanted to write about your life and experiences but lack the confidence to get started?
Have you been researching your family or local history and want to start telling the stories you have uncovered?
How about a memoir which focuses on food?
Are you a keen traveller with stories to tell?
Do you run a family or local business with an interesting history which would make a great story?
Are you an enthusiastic scrapbooker who would like to go one step further and start telling the stories behind your pictures and photos?
If you have answered yes to any of the these questions and you are a new or inexperienced writer, take a look at Beginners Guide to Writing for everything you need to get started writing.
At Beginners Guide to Writing we have a great selection of information products and courses plus regular blog posts to help you start writing in a variety of nonfiction genres from life stories, family histories, memoirs and autobiographies to local and social history, travel stories, foodoirs, scrapbook- and photo-journaling, nostalgic memories and company/corporate histories.
If you have already started writing, then check out our Writing and editing services . At Beginners Guide to Writing offer one-to-one help and support via phone, email, Skype (or in person if you live nearby). It doesn’t matter where you are in the world we can work together. We also provide editing and proofreading services and we run workshops for writers of nonfiction.
If you fancy seeing your stories in print we can advise you on the different ways you can go about this. For example, if you just want to print a few copies for family and friends you could use a print-on demand-service or you could turn your stories into an eBook which you could upload to a website or to Kindle or Amazon’s e-reader. Just let us know what you want and we will do our best to advise and help you.
Would you look to join a friendly and supportive network of writers without leaving the comfort of your own home? Then why not join in on one of our Beginners Guide to Writing forums. You can ask for help or you can share your own experiences with like-minded people.
