Graham Edwards's Blog

You’re plotting your next novel. Naturally, you want to populate its pages with a cast of unforgettable characters. But where do you start?

With these fifteen Character Archetype Cards, of course. They’re my version of the various character wheels and charts you’ve probably seen knocking around online. The idea is that you set up each of your main characters as a different archetype, bless them with basic drives and ambitions, and set opposites against each other in the hope of striking a...

You’re writing an outline for a new story. Quite naturally, you want to pack it full of drama. How do you do this?

The answer’s simple. You find a way to add the word BUT to every single sentence you write.

Here’s an example:

Jack sets off across the rope bridge BUT torrential rain has made the planks slippery. He manages to keep his balance BUT he drops his map in the river. He finally makes it to the other side BUT a landslide has taken out the path. He scrambles down the rocky s...

Do you want to know what to do with adverbs? I’ll tell you.

Ditch them. Trash them. Toss them overboard and watch them sink without trace. Rip them to shreds and trample their pitiful remains into the ground. Don’t ask why. Just do it. I’ll wait …

Have you done it? Good. Now start seeking out alternatives. Instead of writing Alice ran quickly, think hard about how Alice actually looked when she took to her heels. Did she sprint? Did she scuttle? Did she dash, or gallop, or scamper? Per...

Forget April Fools’ Day. Today marks the official publication of Spellcraft: The Art of Golden Lightning, the final volume of my fantasy trilogy for young readers. The novel is written under the pseudonym R.L. Ferguson and published as a German language edition by Ravensburger. Want to know what it’s all about? Here’s the blurb:

When Lucy first lays eyes on the Bright One, she is entranced. Here is the world’s most powerful sorceress, returned to London to free the Spellcrafters from opp...

Let’s get something straight. I’m not a robot. I’m a flesh-and-blood human author alarmed by the rising tsunami of AI-generated books threatening to wash away everything that’s sacred about art, beauty, the meaning of life, tea, cake and, by the way, international copyright law.

Adding insult to injury, I’m flabbergasted by the emerging need to assert that the books I write (indeed, everything I write, or have ever written, including this blog post) is generated by my squishy human brain ...

During the seven years I worked at Cinefex, the journal of cinematic illusions, I wrote over 40 long-form articles on the making of films including The Shape of Water, Black Panther and Solo: A Star Wars Story. The focus was mainly on special and visual effects, accompanied by healthy dollops of animatronics, make-up, cinematography, production design … you name it, we covered it. More often than not, we interviewed the directors, too.

Recently I set about reorganising my old Cinefex file...

‘Tis the season to be jolly, and what could be jollier than a Christmas ebook sale?

Throughout the 2025 festive season, all the ebooks shown above will be selling at a reduced price at selected Amazon stores worldwide. In some cases you can save up to 50% on the regular cost!*

So, if you’re looking for a holiday bargain, or can’t decide what to spend that Amazon gift voucher on, you’re in the right place. Buy all three novels in The Ultimate Dragon Saga (Dragoncharm, Dragonstorm and Dr...

I can’t believe it’s 1st October already! The leaves are turning yellow and the nights are drawing in. But before we start talking about Halloween and, dare I say it, Christmas, I’m delighted to announce the official publication day for Spellcraft: Power of the White Sun, the second volume of my latest fantasy trilogy for young readers.

Set in modern-day London, the series continues the adventures of young Spellcrafter Lucy Fairwright, in a hidden world where a bustling society of adepts ...

Buried treasure. You can find it anywhere. A forgotten corner of a dusty cupboard. A waterlogged ditch in a muddy field. Or, in my case, the pages of an century-old family photo album.

The album is one of many I inherited some years ago. It languished on a shelf with its companions until, one day, I decided to undertake the monumental task of scanning the entire collection to create a digital record I could share with other members of my family. The task – still ongoing – has proved to be...

Crime fiction is as popular now as it’s ever been. Some readers love it because they enjoy solving puzzles. Others like experiencing all the dark and dangerous things they’d prefer to avoid in real life. Still more just want to see justice done.

So much for the readers. What compels crime writers to grab their pens or fire up their laptops? I can’t speak for anyone else, but here’s a list of ten things that motivate me.