Book Review: Betrayal by Sharon Brownlie Growing up, Helen King was let down by people who should have protected her. A father. A teacher who looked the other way when Helen was desperate for help. A social worker who didn’t believe the young girl’s stories of abuse. At twenty years old, she is a prostitute and drug addict who is filled with rage and consequently seeks revenge on people from her past. While trying to clean up her act, she heads to Edinburgh to hunt down the t

Outlining makes the daunting task of writing a novel much less difficult. It’s where you create a story from beginning to end by letting your imagination roam freely. It’s fun, creative, and one of the best aspects of fiction writing. Without worrying about the scene-by-scene specifics, you develop the general idea of a plot, and afterward, you have a skeleton, no more. No flesh, just bones. By outlining, you can avoid writing plots, characters, and descriptions that lead to

1. Identify a germ of an idea, which starts with a memory of a problem, a slice-of-life anecdote, a person, or a conflict that resonates in your world. Create your hook and begin the story with it. 2. Brainstorm the plot from beginning to end, letting the imagination run freely. Don’t worry about grammar, spelling, punctuation, or clichés, just let the story develop. 3. Use classic structure, which is like a three-act play, with beginning, middle and end. 4. Even in the begin