Our guest speaker, Paul Richardson, is a great raconteur and has had a very varied life from which to draw inspiration for his writing. A County Councillor for Masham for 12 years, son of a rural Northumberland vicar and a dealer in maritime art and antiques, he has published poetry and short stories and is working on a series of novels set among Native Americans. Paul has set up his own company, Talulah Publishing, and employs designers and artists to design his books.
He gave the following advice about writing:
• There are no rules
• Write down what you are feeling
• Clarity – don’t be self-indulgent
• Construction – make sure you have beginning/middle/end and keep them balanced
• Rhythm – he compared the chapters of a book to heartbeats
• Keep readers interested by ending chapters with a hook
• Characters must be nuanced
After a break for refreshments, Paul read excerpts from his novel ‘A New Beginning’, answered questions from members and signed copies of his books.
