My OpenLearn Profile
- Personalise your OpenLearn profile
- Save your favourite content
- Get recognition for your learning
This page was published over five years ago. Please be aware that due to the passage of time, the information provided on this page may be out of date or otherwise inaccurate, and any views or opinions expressed may no longer be relevant. Some technical elements such as audio-visual and interactive media may no longer work. For more detail, see our Archive and Deletion Policy.
This album provides the budding author with everything they need to know about approaching the art of fiction writing. Each track contains discussions and interviews with best-selling novelists from a variety of backgrounds including Alex Garland, Louis de Bernières, Abdulrazak Gurnah and Monique Roffey. This enlightening and engaging series tackles the practicalities and pitfalls of writing fiction. It contains invaluable advice on the creation of characters, the structure of narratives and how to turn an idea into the book you’ve always wanted to write. This material forms part of The Open University course A174 Start writing fiction. (New and updated content added July 2009)
- Duration 1 hour
- Updated Wednesday 8th July 2009
- Posted under History & The Arts
Track 6: Redrafting and editing
Good writing isn’t really about writing – it’s about rewriting. The crucial aspects to consider in the editing process, including the pace and precision of your prose.
© The Open University 2008
- Read a transcript of this track - you'll need a PDF viewer, such as Adobe's free Adobe Reader
- Download this track from iTunes U - you'll need Apple's free iTunes software
- See details of the Open University course this album comes from
- Discover more from The Open University and iTunesU at open.edu/itunes
Tracks in this podcast:
| Track | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Start writing fiction | An introduction to this album. Play now Start writing fiction |
| 2 | Starting the writing process | Here, the novelists on the panel discuss what first attracted them to writing prose and what writing means to them. Play now Starting the writing process |
| 3 | Researching and influencing your fiction | In order to write, every novelist must read. The importance of reading and how this can influence your own style. Play now Researching and influencing your fiction |
| 4 | Characters and genre | How do you create a believable character, and how can genre hinder or help a writer? Play now Characters and genre |
| 5 | Narrative and structural techniques | Technical methods of storytelling and how to structure a book. Play now Narrative and structural techniques |
| 6 | Redrafting and editing | Good writing isn’t really about writing – it’s about rewriting. The crucial aspects to consider in the editing process, including the pace and precision of your prose. Play now Redrafting and editing |
| 7 | How to keep going | Examining the importance of a writer’s own experience and how this feeds into prose. The value of self-criticism and how to keep writing when the going gets tough. Play now How to keep going |
About the author
Tags, Ratings and Social Bookmarking
©1999-2020. All rights reserved. The Open University is incorporated by Royal Charter (RC 000391), an exempt charity in England & Wales and a charity registered in Scotland (SC 038302). The Open University is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in relation to its secondary activity of credit broking.
We invite you to discuss this subject, but remember this is a public forum.
Please be polite, and avoid your passions turning into contempt for others. We may delete posts that are rude or aggressive, or edit posts containing contact details or links to other websites.