I found this, 12 and ½ Writing Rules at AllPosters.com. I think I might order it, I might even order two, one for my granddaghter. It is all good basic advice for any writer.

1.  If you write every day, you'll get better at writing every day.

 

2.  If it's boring to you, it's boring to your reader.

 

3.  Get a writing routine, and stick with it.

 

4.  Poetry does NOT have to rhyme.

 

5.  Resist stereotypes, in real life and in your writing.

 

6.  Writers read.  Writers read a lot.  Writers read all the time.

 

7.  Make lists of your favorite words and books and places and things.

 

8.  There doesn't always have to be a moral to the story.

 

9.  Always bring your notebook.  Always bring a spare pen.

 

10.  Go for walks. Dance.  Pull weeds.  Do the dishes.  Write about it.

 

11.  Don't settle on just one style.  Try something new!

 

12.  Learn to tell both sides of the story.

 

12 1/2.  Stop looking at this list.  WRITE SOMETHING!

 

(From Knowledge Unlimited)

Year-Round:
National Novel Writing Year | http://wriye.co.nr | Known as WriYe.
This is the official [and permanent] home of the WriYe website, with a link to their forums. The goals are chosen by you and there are clubs for each goal groups, similar to AugNo. It's never too late to join WriYe and all of the words you've written this year [as long as they fit the rules] will count towards it. WriYe has a Twitter at http://twitter.com/wriye .

National Novel Publishing Year | http://www.nanopubye.org/ | Known as NaNoPubYe
There are various ways to mold PubYe into a way that's helpful for you. There are many different sections of the forums to work on query letters, synopses, writing, editing, and everything in between! The traditional PubYe Plan will have you submitting a class act novel within 12 months from the WriMo month that you write the novel during [traditionally: November].

Book-in-a-Week | http://www.book-in-a-week.com
This happens the first week of each month! Write a book in a week!

January:
January Novel Writing Month | http://www.ymakadomain.com/janno | Known as JanNo
This is another smaller WriMo where you can set your own goals. The community is very close-knit on the JanNo forums.

February:
Write Here, Right Now | http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/radioscot ... 8281.shtml | Known as WHRN
Another one I've never participate in, but the goal is 1k per day. In 2009, this was hosted over on the JanNo forums.

February Album Writing Month | http://www.fawm.org | Known as FAWM
The goal is to write 14 complete songs [lyrics and music] within the month of February. The idea is that by the end of the month, you will have an album ready to record by the end of the month.

Interactive Fiction Writing Month | http://www.instamatique.com/if | Known as IF
Write a Chose You Own Adventure type-novel from 15 February - 15 March.

March:
National Novel Editing Month | http://www.nanoedmo.net/xoops2/ | Known as EdMo
Within the month of March, you're supposed to edit 50 hours on your novel.

April:
April Fools | http://aprilfoolsnovels.com/forum/index.php | Known as April Fools / AF
This is another choose your own goal WriMo. It has a word count system set up on its own server and you are awarded PIPs [small avatars] when you reach milestone word counts.

Script Frenzy | http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/ | Known as Screnzy
One of the official WriMos hosted by the Office of Letters and Light. The goal is to write 100 pages of a script within the month of April.

National Poetry Writing Month | Known as NaPoWriMo
Write a poem every day during the month of April.

May:
May Novel Writing Month | http://maynowrimo.webs.com | Known as MayNo
Newly relaunched in 2010 by the same people that run PubYe, MayNo exists again!

June:
June Novel Stringing Month | http://stringingwords.com | Known as StringMo
This is run by the Stringing Words community every June. Fairly small community, but it's very close-knit and familiar.

Write a Damn Novel in June | http://wridanoju.forumotion.com/forum.htm | Known as WriDaNoJu
Similar to JulNo in July, this is a 50,000 word, NaNoWriMo inspired challenge to write a novel during the month of June.

Southern Cross Novel Challenge | http://kiwiwriters.org | Known as SocNoc
Another 50,000 word challenge in June, sponsored by the Kiwi Writers.

July:
July Novel Writing Month | http://www.julnowrimo.com | Known as JulNo
Next to AugNo, JulNo is by far the best WriMo around. It is rigidly structured after NaNo and thus, the goal is 50k for everyone.

The 50 Song Challenge | http://5090.fawm.org/ | Known as 50/90
Starting on 04 July and ending on 01 October, you have 90 days to write 50 songs. I don't know if that means music and lyrics or just lyrics, but whichever. It exists.

August
August Novel Writing Month | http://augno.co.nr | Known as AugNo
This list was compiled by the organizers of AugNo.
There is also a livejournal community at http://community.livejournal.com/augnowrimo .

September:
September Novel Writing Month | http://SeptNo.tk | Known as SeptNo
Don't let the title deceive you, this WriMo is more about editing than writing. Of course, there can be a writing element if you chose that goal, but the main idea behind this one is to get your summer novels edited. There is also a livejournal community at http://community.livejournal.com/septnowrimo .

3-Day Novel Contest | http://www.3daynovel.com | Known as 3-Day
Write, edit, and enter a novel [usually more of a novella, but come on... it's 3 days!] that was written completely over the Labor Day weekend! Downside: $50 entry fee. Upside: PRIZES! And good ones: 1st Prize: Publication [via Arsenal Pulp Press]
2nd Prize: $500
3rd Prize: $100

October:
Gothic Novel Writing Month | http://gothnowrimo.proboards104.com/index.cgi | Known as GothNo
A month-long WriMo with a focus on Gothic Literature.

November:
National Novel Writing Month | http://www.nanowrimo.org | Known as NaNo
The original WriMo -- 50k in one month! Chris Baty is to thank for pretty much this entire list.

National Solo Album Writing Month | http://www.nasoalmo.org | Known as NaSoAlMo
This is what the site says:
"An album qualifies for National Solo Album Month if you have written, played and recorded it entirely by yourself during the month of November. The only slack you get is that one song is allowed to be a cover, your own freshly-recorded version of another artist's song."
And the album needs to be no less than approximately 30 minutes long.

December:
National Novel Finishing Month | http://www.nanofimo.org/forums/index.php | Known as FiMo
The goal of this WriMo is to add 30,000 new words to your NaNo Novel to make it a minimum of 80k, more the size of a novel, as opposed to a novella.
Erin Posts: 20 Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2010 11:20 pm Location: Central Florida

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I. Inspiration
(a) http://www.seventhsanctum.com/index-writ.php | Idea generator with the ability to create characters, plots, names, organizations, magic, and basically anything.
(b) http://www.writingfix.com/ | This is another huge site with a vast amount of prompts, writing games, even journals and notebooks to promote your writing daily.
(c) http://writinganovel.blogspot.com/ | "Thoughts about writing a novel from someone who's written three... Tips, techniques & theories... An introspective look at what it takes to sit down and create a manuscript a publisher might actually want to buy."
(d) http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/names/magicalnames.htm | A great name generator that explains a lot of magical names and their meanings. Great for you fantasy writers!
(e) http://nielsenhayden.com/overlord/ | A random plot generator that's great if you're out of ideas and looking for a way to break free from the cliches.
(f) http://chaoticshiny.com/ | Another website with over 50 random generators, including one that generates all aspects of a civilization, a religion, a political faction, etc.
(g) http://www.3daynovel.com/guide/ | The Survival Guide to the 3-Day Novel Contest.
(h) http://nine.frenchboys.net | Generators for just about everything: names, places, character building, titles, plots, everything. It also has links to a few other generator sites at the bottom.
(i) http://ebon.pyorre.net/ | Everchanging book of Names is a downloadable name generator (Windows only) that comes with tons of different flavors. It's pretty great.

II. Knowledge
(a) http://www.abcwritersnetwork.co.uk/ | Provides writers with a huge gallery of articles about events word-wide, writing contests, and the like.
(b) http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/nove ... _Novel.htm | About.com advice on writing fiction. It includes sundry links about evaluating the page numbers of your novel, asking if your idea is novel-worthy, and more.
(c) http://www.military-sf.com/ | This one has it all if you're writing military sf. It's created by a retired Marine, so it has all sorts of goodies.
(d) http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HomePage | A website dedicated to separating tropes and cliché from their stories, and making up names for all of them.

III. Community of People Like You
(a) http://www.writing.com/ | This site has over 500,000 members and more than 1 million pieces of work. A free membership is offered, too, and provides a free writing portfolio, access to instant communication to other writers like you, e-mail services, bonding sessions (not sexual ), etc. Check it out!
(b) http://inspiredwriters.forum16.forumer.com/ | A community of writers for all ages and (most) genres to gather around and help other writers progress in their art through inspiration.
(c) http://www.cityofif.com/forum/index.php | A writing site that takes a different twist on traditional writing. The site invites readers and writers to particpate actively in writing a story in a format called Storygaming. Storygame involves writers writing chapters, then leaving a major decision undecided at the end of each chapter, readers are then invited to suggest a course of action, and then eventually a vote will be held to decide the ultimate action. City of If is a great site if you suffer from writer's block as it pokes and prods your story along.
(e) http://www.santharia.com | A collabritive writing community where the common goal is to create and dependen the Santharian world. Writers, Artist, Musicians, Poets, and anyone with a creative mind are invited to share along in the creative process. There is also a Role-Playing feature to the site for those who enjoy RPG's.
(f) http://www.youngwriterssociety.com | A writing community for writers age 13 to 25. Forum, writing/reviewing, blogs, groups.
(g) http://nanofimo.org/files/d100-plot1.pdf and http://nanofimo.org/files/d100-plot2.pdf | They're not actual plots but prompts. Both are pdf's from NaNo.
(h) http://nanofimo.org/files/d100-settings.pdf | Just a good read on setting and plot elements from NaNo in PDF form.
(i) http://www.pbase.com/photos/random.html | sSome people are visual learners... some people are visual plotters. Refresh the page and this will give you loads of random photos which could spark ideas.
(j) http://www.angelfire.com/nc/tcrpress/plots1.html | More plot prompts.

IV. Creating Characters, Specifically
(a) http://www.mysticgames.com/names.htm | Names (very good, including a syllable choice, origin choice, meaning choice…love it…except you can’t view all of the names at once, you have to keep clicking ‘see more’), gems, ‘natural’ remedies, horoscopes, tarot card, and rune type cool stuff.
(b) http://www.behindthename.com/ | Good name search engine, better organized, but not as many names in some places as mystic games.
(c) http://www.eclectics.com/articles/character.html | An awesome, comprehensive character chart (repetitive, through, I always 'fix' it before using it).
(d) http://www.namator.com/ | An excellent name generator, with both first names and surnames. It has an advanced mode that generates names with specific ethnicities.
(e) http://www.learntowritefiction.com/ecou ... rkshop.pdf | Gender Differences Workshop--pure gold. Gelps if you're writing for the other sex. It goes into all sorts of things, including speech, behaviour, body language and even the brain.
(f) http://www.babynames.com/ | Some people's favorite site to find names. It has millions of names with all their meanings, and you can search by beginning letter, ending letter, gender, nationality/origin, meaning or even the number of syllables! It has every name you could think of and then some.
(g) http://nanofimo.org/files/NameRandomizer-Female.xls and http://nanofimo.org/files/NameRandomizer-Male.xls | These only work if you have Microsoft Excel, but they're pretty amazing. They have thousands of first and last names and puts them together to give you a new set of names. Good when you're stuck for inspiration.
(h) http://nanofimo.org/files/d100-names.pdf and http://nanofimo.org/files/d100-surnames.pdf | These work if you don't have excel and need some helps with first and last names. In PDF format from NaNo.
(i) http://nanofimo.org/files/traits-list.pdf | Another pdf from nano, this will help if you ever have trouble thinking of a personality for your character, then this site will be your new best friend. It's got 177 personality traits in a checklist.
(j) http://nanofimo.org/files/d100-traits.pdf | Another pdf from NaNo that has you use dice to choose traits and occupation for your characters.
(k) http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp | Cool personality quiz for your characters. This takes a while to fill out, but it might be worth doing!
(l) http://www.eclectics.com/articles/character.html | An extremely detailed character quiz that, in the end, has you knowing your character better than you know yourself.
(m) http://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/Healthywe ... -+BMI+tool | So, you say your mary sue character is 5 foot 10 and 100lbs? Really? Get real. Check a BMI calculator.

V. Plot Elements, Specifically
(a) http://www.sfheart.com/flowers.html | Flower meanings, also click links for stone meanings and color meanings.
(b) http://www.random.org/ | Ready for randomness? Random integers, virtual coin flipping, time generator…need random? This is the place. (There’s a decision making coin! It’s awesome. Should she go talk to this guy, or should she go dump that guy? Answer: flip the decision making coin. Virtually.)
(c) http://www.occultopedia.com/occult.htm | Read about anything and everything supernatural here.
(d) http://www.dramatica.com/ | A very complicated and thorough theory of story, with a lot of stuff to go through. Has an entire PDF of the theory book, Podcasts, diagrams, a comic book and (one of the only things that involves spending money, though you don't need it to get the theory) a very expensive software program. The book is the densest thing I've ever tried to get through, and while its a great and useful theory, it is not something you can pick up a week before a WriMo - plan ahead and use it for next year, with a few months to get through it. Would suggest starting with the comic book, though.

VI. Articles
(a) http://words.turtles-paradise.net/?p=5 | The Top Ten Tips for Improving Your Writing.
(b) http://bethanyharvey.com/blog/posts/200 ... mary-sues/ | Write Characters, Not Mary Sues.
(c) http://hollylisle.com/fm/ | Tons of precious articles on writing. Ebooks too!
(d) http://www.YoungWritersSociety.com/writing_tips.php | Basically it is a detailed outline of things to do in the pre-writing stage, writing itself, writers block, editing, etc. Yeah, you won't use all the tips but it'll help you find what you're comfortable with.
(e) http://coyotecult.com/communities/sfand ... myaael.php | A near-complete list of Limyaael's Fantasy Rants - and there are a lot of them. Plenty of snark and opinion, and a lot of helpful information on plots, characters, world-building, foreshadowing, and just about everything else involved in fantasy and writing in general.
(f) http://www.forresterlabs.com/limyaael/rant202840 | Abused characters and why they usually suck balls. (But not always!)
(g) http://www.forresterlabs.com/limyaael/rant129040 | Character flaws, including what are and what aren't good ones to give.
(h) http://www.forresterlabs.com/limyaael/titlelistall | A load of other rants. Read some, you never know, you might pick up some tips.
(i) http://mhari.fateback.com/sues.html | Mary Sue types. They may be more familiar than you'd think. And you thought there was just one type...
(j) http://www.katfeete.net/writing/marysue.html | A test to see if your super cool, super original character is actually a dreaded Mary Sue.

VII. Software
(a) http://www.baara.com/q10/ | Amazing distraction-free free writing software!
(b) http://www.spacejock.com/yWriter.html | I've never been a fan of it, but there are some who can't help but to love yWriter.
(c) http://www.jerssoftwarehut.com/download.shtml | It's relatively simple while having character database, margin notes, etc. It's awesome! Also it has a What You See is What You Want editor... so you write like how you want it to look when you're writing, but it will print in proper manuscript form. How cool is that?
(d) http://ginstrom.com/CountAnything/ | Count Anything counts, well, anything. Supports most major document types, especially the ones you'd be using for AugNo. You can count different files at one time and save a report, so it's perfect for AugNo users who are working on more than one work during the contest.
(e) http://writemonkey.com/ | Like q10, but infinitely better. Allows formatting, a bar to prevent you from seeing your word count for the obsessive writers here, and a free flow mode that disables the backspace key. Even more features, too! Check WriteMonkey out. Only for Windows.

AugNoWriMo 2010
 
You can always change (just read the rules about it), but you have to start off AugNo with an official goal.  
Now some of my senior friends are busy with stock market portfolios and learning to follow systems and learn technical analysis through Forex training seminars. lol J, my crazy writer friends are joining my in writing projects like this AugNo.
 
This is the FIFTH YEAR of AugNo
This is AugNoWriMo's fifth year of existence--this will be muy first year of involvement. 
Good luck everyone.
 
Can't wait to start writing!  Join in at  http://www.augno.co.nr. 

Writing officially begins from 12 MN on August 1st 2010.  I haven't even decided what I will write about but see this short story in August as being a great warm up for the official National Novel Writing Month in November

Reg and I left Flying Fish Point, last Sunday on route back to northern Victoria. First we headed towards Charters Towers, then we went outback Queensland, country we both love and camped in the bush near Hughenden where I unpacked the car and dried out everything that remained damp after our stay in the tropics. I should have brought women's rain boots with me because I threw our leather shoes, handbags and suitcases into the rubbish bin, I could not stop the mould growing on them while in the tropics. I hate mould.

Then we drove south arriving at Moree today, bush camped all the way and LOVED it. Soaked in artisan pools on arrival and booked to stay a week here at Moree beside the thermal pools as our half way break we will nejoy, in the long drive south :-). Well I have LOVED the bush camping and the mixture of locals and salt of the earth travelers, not an ounce of snobbery in any of them. These are the people I will be writing about in my novel, the Australians, of the land, the unpretentious, unsophisticated, open, friendly, people who live in the inland, the heart of my country.

I took a break from the internet since last Sunday. During this tour from north Qld to north NSW, I have been rereading one of my favorite reference books, each evening, a book I highly recommend to fellow writers.

The Everything Guide to Writing a Novel
From Completing the First Draft to Landing a Book Contract - All You Need to Fulfil Your Dreams.

By Joyce Lavene, James Lavene

Paperback, 320 pages

Inside, readers will learn how to: - Create a compelling plot that makes sense - Develop realistic characters - Establish style and voice - Avoid mistakes made by first-time novelists - Edit and revise. I have bought many books on how to write, this one has been the best value for money, in my opinion and covers all the basics. Click link below to find out more about this book. 

Resources Here is a list of links that may be helpful to you as a writer.
If you have a link to add, please contact me.
Who will join me? :-). I already know of three frineds who will be participating with me in the November, National Novel Writing Month.
.
Editing & Publishing Competitions

NaNoEdMo - Do you have a finished novel, but haven't found the inspiration or time to edit it? This is an editing contest that takes place every March and runs for the entire month. The goal is to edit your novel for 50 hours, or roughly one and a half hours a day.

NaNoPubYe - So, you wrote your novel. Now what do you do next?

Writing Competitions
 
April Fools Writing Challenge - Like the National Novel Writing Month, but this one takes place during April. Be a fool and join the fun! 

Then if the November National Novel Writing Month, is not enough madness for you there is July National Novel Writing Month
JulNaNoWriMo 

AugNoWriMo - Like JulNoWriMo, only a month later.

JanNoWriMo - Write 50,000 words at the start of the new year. (Does this description sound familiar?)

NaNoirWriMo - Write 50,000 of a piece (or pieces) of fiction that fall, in some way, shape, or form, into the mystery genre, all within the confines of the month of August. "Dark" fiction is also acceptable.

NaNoWriMo - The mother of all writing competitions! November is National Novel Writing Month, and this is the official web site for the incredibly insane and incredibly huge contest. Check it out!

NaNoWriYe - If you can't find the perfect month to write, do it the entire year instead.

National Novel Finishing Month - If you didn't quite finish your novel in November, do so in December!

Script Frenzy - NaNoWriMo introduces you to yet another twist—write an entire screenplay during the month of April.

Writing Resources Alfabette Zoope Name Lists - A comprehensive list of over 10,000 names. Having trouble finding the perfect name for your main character? Look no further.

AllExperts.Com - Tired of researching? Ask an expert! AllExperts.Com is the oldest and largest free Q&A service on the internet.

Baby Names - All about baby names. Includes a whole array of information, with a section especially for writers.

Behind The Name - Yet another extensive web site detailing more names than imaginable, along with their meanings and origins!

Critique Circle - Critique Circle is a free online collaborative writing workshop for all genres with an extensive array of features. Improve your writing and meet other writers today!

Fiction Factor - An online magazine for fiction writers featuring tips on writing better fiction.

Fiction Writer's Character Chart - An in depth character chart. Fill one of these out for all your main characters and you'll probably know them better than your Auntie Sue.

Holly Lisle - Published writer Holly Lisle offers great resources for writers including articles, quizzes, workshops, and more.

Imagination Prompt Generator - This web site offers many thought-provoking writing prompts to help you get started with your writing.

The Snowflake Method - A cool method for creating a novel, this is a good solution for writers that are stuck!

SFWA - About Writing - Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America's section on writing for beginners and advanced writers alike.

Unpublished Guy - An infotaining diversion site for fiction writers. Whether you are a casual or more active writer, this site will meet your procrastination needs to help get you into the writing mindset.

Write101 - "All you need to know to write well". This web site contains over 1,000 pages about writing!

Writers Circle - The Writers Circle is free to join and has a monthly writing competition. Meet other writers and improve your writing!

Writer's Toolbox - Yet another resource for writers. Includes a glossary of writing and publishing terms, story starters, printable forms, and more.

WritingFix - WritingFix is the only site of its kind. It was designed by writers, teachers, and students 'to spark the imaginations of writers, teachers and students of all ages.' It is another great resource for writing prompts if you're stuck in a writer's block!

Writing Tools AutoCrit - A useful tool that analyzes entered text and gives suggestions on how to correct it. Options to search for include weak words, repeated phrases/words, sentence lengths, unusual/common words, and more.

ClicheCleaner - ClicheCleaner is a program that helps you write better by highlighting passages in your text that are either cliches, other overly-used common expressions, or phrases of your own that you have repeatedly used within the same document. ClicheCleaner includes a list of nearly 7,000 unique cliches and common expressions that are compared against your text. Give it a try!

Write Or Die - Not exactly a writing 'tool', but will help you to stay on track and stop procrastinating!

yWriter 5 - A word processor created by a novelist. This software has several distinct features that will help keep your writing organized. A must-have!

Writing-Related Sites IBDOF - The Internet Book Database of Fiction. Search authors, rate/review books, chat on the forums, and meet new people!

Writing Excuses - A weekly 15-minute podcast on writing. "Fifteen minutes long, because you're in a hurry, and we're not that smart."

ASA Seminar: Becoming an Authorpreneur (Brisbane) Public Event 

Time September 30 · 10:00am - 1:00pm Location B224, B Block Level 2, Queensland University of Technology, Gardens Point Campus 2 George St Brisbane, Australia
Created By Australian Society of Authors 

In this workshop, children's book author Hazel Edwards shows you how to design an individual self-promotion plan and put it into action, including strategic use of website, blogs, networking and other essentials for today's competitive environment. Find out how to increase your m...edia-worthiness, the process and pitfalls of having your book translated and published internationally, and what a literary agent will do for you.

Full details and bookings at http://bit.ly/cDBc7D

This post is illustrated with fridge magenets from the art of artist, author,  Kathy Shell.

In learning the craft of novel writing I have often looked at the grand Dame of crime, herself, Agatha Christie and examined the formula she used so successfully in all her books

I have watched several TV documentaries about her writing formula, several times.

I remember learning that her novels always began with a murder, having already happened or about to happen.  

Her plots involved sufficient side stories or red hearings that you rarely guessed who the real killer was.

Her sleuths; the person who solves the crime, were always a little quirky, Miss Marples or Hercule Poirot  

Due to my interest in the methods an accomplished writer uses to create a novel I was interested in reading about the notebooks Agatha Christie used to create her books. If you are interested in how writers write, then this is one book that you definitely want to grab, but through the barcode scanner or buy here through fishpond, and read.

As her notebooks contain unpublished novels and it is said that these read nothing at all like the finished published Agatha Christy Books it is presumed that the author treated the editing task of the novel in a totally different manner than she tackled the original writing as the final edited work has a different style.

It is also discovered, through the Notebooks of Agatha Christie that she often did not know who the murderer was, herself, until she was well into her novel.

Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks

Fifty Years of Mysteries in the Making - Includes Two Unpublished Poirot Stories

By John Curran

A fascinating exploration of the contents of Agatha Christie's 73 recently discovered notebooks, including illustrations, deleted extracts, and two unpublished Poirot stories. When Agatha Christie died in 1976, aged 85, she had become the world's most popular author. With sales of more than two billion copies worldwide, she had achieved the impossible - more than one book every year since the 1920s, every one a bestseller. So prolific was her output, it was even claimed that Agatha must have a photographic memory. Was this true? Or did she resort over those 55 years to more mundane methods of planning her ingenious crimes? Following the death of Agatha's daughter, Rosalind, at the end of 2004, a remarkable legacy was revealed. Unearthed among her affairs at the family home of Greenway were Agatha Christie's private notebooks, 73 handwritten volumes which, though known about for years, had been largely ignored, probably because

Agatha's unmistakable handwriting was so hard to read. But when archivist John Curran began deciphering the notebooks, the extent of this treasure trove became apparent! This book lifts the lid on Agatha Christie's biggest secret - how her pencilled notes, lists and drafts led to her many successful books, plays and stories. Alternative plots, titles and characters, deleted scenes, even her plans for the books she didn't get to write - John Curran's investigation reveals a wealth of unpublished material, including two complete Hercule Poirot short stories never before published: The Incident of the Dog's Ball and the unseen thirteenth Labour of Hercules!

Reviews

'Many of Curran's discoveries will shape how Christie is read in future! This book is fascinating.' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY 'Agatha Christie's notebooks have had to wait for the meticulous attention, dedication and prodigious knowledge of John Curran to achieve publication.' THE TIMES 'This book is the story of a love affair between Curran and the notebooks, revealing above all how hard Christie worked.' INDEPENDENT 'A meticulously detailed study that is packed with shrewd perceptions about Christie's fiction! Curran has produced an enthralling miscellany of a book, in which her fans will rummage to their heart's content.' SUNDAY TIMES 'Curran has organized his material as efficiently as an Agatha Christie mystery! His enthusiasm for his subject carries us along.' IRISH TIMES 'Something unimaginably unique: an unknown Poirot story, one that had lain silently between its covers for over 60 years.' THE SCOTSMAN

About the Author

John Curran, a lifelong Christie fan, lives in Dublin. For many years he edited the official Agatha Christie Newsletter and acted as a consultant to the National Trust during the restoration of Greenway House, Dame Agatha's Devon home. John has been working with her grandson, Mathew Prichard, to establish the Agatha Christie Archive, and is currently writing a doctoral thesis on Agatha Christie at Trinity College, Dublin.

 

 

Sheridan Davis Has just had her first published proof novel arrive and its looks so professional!
CONGRATULATIONS Shreidan!

I Love NaNoWriMo!  It was Sheridan and another friend, Carol Willis who introduced me to NaNoWriMo and got me started on something I said I was going to do, when I was 13.  That was 50 years ago.  It is time I was kicked, in the butt, and inspired, to make this, my dream too.   I love the pictures of Sheridan and her proof copybook.

I am learning how to write my first novel, so I have developed a great interest in reading about others who are in this same process, learning the craft of novel writing. One thing I read consistently being repeated as one of the most important things to do if you are an aspiring writer , is the need to read other people’s written words.  I will be adding listening to novels as well as reading them, as part of my own development as a novelist and I need to learn how to download talking books to ipods  as this would be a less expensive way to listen to them than my current method which is buying the talking book CD’s.

Sheridan wrote the romantic novel as a participant in the NaNoWriMo! or National Novel Writing Month which is a challenge to everyone, to write 50,000 words in 30 days as part of National Novel Writing Month (happens in November), this year.

If you achieve the goal of the 50,000 words, you get one free published proof novel.

Sheridan refers to the proof copy of her book, as her ‘baby’ and says 'it will live on my book shelf'. 

I love the look of joy on Sheridan’s face; it certainly inspired me to want to write my first novel

Maybe my participating in writing a novel in November, will inspire others to make a move on their first novel. too. :-). I would love that.