Aaron Mullins
BESTSELLER BOOKS | AUTHOR RESOURCES
How to Write Children’s Books in 15 Easy Steps (with examples)
Writing and publishing your own children’s book is much easier (and cheaper) than it used to be. This article will show authors how to write, edit and publish their children’s book.
Imagine how it feels to read your own book to a child for the very first time!
Many authors have great ideas for story books for kids, but don’t know how to turn that idea into a popular children’s book. It’s true that any writer can put together books for children, but with the help and support of this article, yours can be the one that kids love to read.
How to write children’s books? To write a children’s book you must choose an age range for your idea, create popular story characters and then illustrate your book. Children’s books can be self published or you can submit them to traditional kid’s book publishers.
BOOKMARK this step-by-step guide on how to write children’s books in 15 easy steps. Then use this list to create your own amazing story books for kids!
One children’s author who has achieved her dreams of publishing a story book for kids is Claire Owers, who has published a trio of popular children’s books featuring her Labrador, Monty.
As a fantastic children’s author and mum of two kids, Claire took her children’s story idea and turned it into a physical book she can hold and read to her children. And she’s here to provide support and author insights into how you can achieve this too.
Read More50 Scottish Urban Legends, Myths and Folklore Tales
Welcome brave reader to the definitive list of Scottish Urban Legends, the most intriguing legendary myths and folklore stories revealing Scotland’s mysterious past.
Where is the most haunted road in Scotland?
Who got caught cheating while playing cards with the devil?
Which innocent rhyme can be used to summon a violent poltergeist?
Find the answers to these questions and much more… including the truth hidden within each of these historical myths and legends.
50 Scottish Urban Legends
On this page you’ll find a huge list of 50 Scottish Urban Legends, Myths and Folklore Tales. These include scary urban legends, creepy stories and Scottish tales of the unexplained. The history and origins behind each Scottish urban legend are also explored, bringing these myths and folklore tales to life.
Scotland has always been a land filled with magic, myths and mystery. Its rich history has created many folk tales and legends that have been passed down through the generations. Within these myths lurk true stories and unexplained events I have witnessed with my own eyes.
The true power of these Scottish tales lies in their ability to not only entertain us in the present but to forge a link to our past. From tales of great battles to pagan rituals that are still performed today, new generations can enjoy the stories and feel connected to the land and its people.
Read MoreAverage Length of Fiction Writing: 6 Forms with Typical word counts
How many words are in a short story? What is the ideal length for a fiction novel? How long should my book be? Find the answer to these writing questions here.
There are six main types of fiction writing forms. These six categories are flash fiction, short story, novelette, novella, novel and epic. The length of your writing determines which fiction format your story falls into. The average word count, or typical length, for each fiction writing category is listed in the image and table below.
When it’s time to finally start writing and shaping your ideas into an actual story, you must choose what form your fiction writing will take. If you have already completed a short story, or are part-way through a novel, then you must still check that your chosen fiction form matches with your writing goals.
Read MoreWriting Fiction in a Dystopian Reality: How 2020 has Lost the Plot
In our somewhat dystopian society of 2020, everything you thought you knew about writing speculative fiction has been turned on its head.
Dystopian meaning: A dystopian world is one where there is great suffering or injustice. Stories of struggle are often set within a dystopian society in these books. Usually set in the future, dystopian fiction books are often aimed at the young adult book market. The Handmaid’s Tale is a famous dystopian series and 1984 is a dystopian novel.
I think you’ll agree with me when I say that 2020 is turning out to be the strangest year that any of us have ever experienced. And as authors who try to analyse events and capture the fears and feelings of our readers, it’s doubly difficult.
Ten years ago I began writing a novel while at university. It was a detective crime thriller story, set in a dystopian society, in a world that had been ravaged by a virus. Militaries had seized control of governments and citizens lived under restricted conditions, similar to the COVID-19 lockdown.
Read MoreMysteries and Misadventures: Tales from the Highlands
You’ll never guess what happened to me this morning, before I even had my coffee…
…I opened an email from Amazon saying that they had finally linked the ebook and paperback versions of my new Scottish short stories collection, which meant I could claim them on my Author Central and start marketing them!!
Mysteries and Misadventures: Tales from the Highlands by me, Aaron Mullins, is a collection of Scottish short stories based in the Highlands of Scotland, featuring Caithness tales of the unexpected. Mystery, crime and thriller short stories abound in tales of Scottish life. The Story behind the Stories section reveals the inspiration for each short story, based on my childhood experiences growing up in Caithness.
So I suddenly found myself with a mystery short stories book launch to prep for. I knew I wanted to do a book promo video for the launch, so I set about making that first and adding it to my Aaron Mullins Author YouTube Channel:
Available as a paperback or an ebook, including on Kindle Unlimited, you can grab your copy HERE:
Read MoreScottish Dialect: An Author’s Guide to Highland Dialogue
The beautiful lilt of a Scottish accent. It’s a wonderful thing to hear, but as I have discovered, an absolute headache to spell Scots dialect words so they sound just right to the ear.
How to write Scottish characters: with an authentic sounding Scottish accent, your character’s dialogue must contain the correct Scots words, to really bring the people of Scotland to life. Authors writing books in Scots must maintain the Scots language for their entire length, in their chosen Scottish dialect.
Writing Scottish Dialects
The Scots language consists of four main dialects: Insular, Northern, Central, and Southern. Many sub-dialects exist across Scotland, which in turn also have their own local Scots accents. For example, a Glasgow Accent, is a local variant of the West Central Scots accent, which in turn is a sub-dialect of the broader Central Scots dialect. These variations need to be taken into account when learning how to write a Scottish accent.
Read MoreCreative Writing Inspiration and Ideas: 10 Beach Writing Prompts
Creative writing inspiration often comes to us in waves of inspirational writing ideas. Sometimes quite literally, when we head to the sands for some beach story ideas.
Short story inspiration can be found within the relaxing sound of the waves. Poetry inspiration formed along with footprints with the soft crush of sand beneath your feet.
Beach writing prompts are scattered across the sand. Creative writing inspiration discovered among the lost items washed ashore. Beach short story ideas forming from a mysterious object bobbing on the waves. Good story ideas are sometimes hard to come by, but a stroll along the beach may be all the writing inspiration you need.
Read MoreTop 10 Tips for Writers: Author Advice
My Top 10 Tips for Writers provides quick advice for authors on how to improve their writing.
Every writer develops their own voice. They each have their own unique mannerisms, quirks and ways of working. And we all learn what works best for us, as authors.
Creative writing tips for writers cover a variety of writing advice. From novel writing tips to short stories, the top tips may vary, but every author needs to make a list of the best tips that help their own writing. This is because tips for writing a book are not set in stone. This list covers 10 of the best writing tips for beginners, personal to my own writing.
I like having a set of rules that I write by, and a few quick ways to self-edit my writing. These may not work for everyone. They may be generic writing rules and advice applicable to all authors, or they may fly in the face of convention. But these are the writing tips that keep me focused, structured and able to maintain both my author voice and the quality of my writing.
In no particular order of importance, here’s my own personal Top 10 Tips for Writers.
Read More5 Places in Paris for Writing Inspiration
Paris is a fantastic source of inspiration for writers. Book yourself into a Paris writing retreat and prepare to be inspired!
When we think of the French capital, Paris conjures up images of fashionable people, streets lined with cafés and beautiful buildings. There’s always the smell of great food and the hint of romance in the air.
The City of Light is also an inspirational place for authors who enjoy writing mysteries, horror and adventure books. We all know about the skull-lined catacombs that lie beneath the Parisian streets, holding the remains of six million people.
So with both the dreamy and the darkness in mind, here are my top 5 places in Paris for writing inspiration:
Read MoreFree Poems: Broken
This free poem was originally composed in the style of free verse poetry many years ago.
2021 Update: An updated version of the poem shown below, composed at the start of the 2020 Coronavirus lockdown, has been chosen as a winner of the Passing Time competition and will be displayed on train station billboards throughout Renfrewshire.
This is part of the Renfrewshire Mental Health Arts Festival, which will be displaying the best poetry winners, on the theme of mental health.
The free verse poem underwent many revisions, becoming a more structured poem. Is it a love poem? Probably not. It’s the aftermath of a breakup. It’s sad poetry, an ending verse of love poems, where the love has unfortunately faded. Like most of our best poetry, this free poem started out based on personal events, but then became fictional poetry as the story progressed. This poetry is free for all to enjoy.
Read MoreView Books on Amazon
View Books on Amazon
