Novel Writing Help and Me

The aim of Novel Writing Help is to show people - newcomers and more experienced writers alike - how to write a novel.

More than that it is to teach it in sufficient depth. Far too much novel writing advice barely skims the surface of the subject, but I firmly believe that kind of knowing your craft and being a master of it is what separates those who succeed from those who don't.

But who am I? And what are my credentials?

My name is Harvey Chapman and I live in Woodbridge in England. At the time of writing (2010) I am 40 years old, though I suspect that figure might increase over time.

I have been involved with creative writing, in one way or another, all of my life...

• I have written poems and short stories and had many published.

• I have written four novels, though the first three were unsuccessful. The fourth - Beth and Ben Joe - is currently with an agent.

• I have taught creative writing.

I love reading and writing fiction, but it is the theory of how fiction is made that has always fascinated me the most.

I read my first book on the art and craft of novel writing when I was still at school - that gave me the bug. Since then, I have read hundreds of those books (most of them twice), and I have devised many theories of my own, and this website is the result.

I am now able to work on Novel Writing Help full time, though I still think of it as more of a passion than a business. If I can pass only a small amount of that passion on to you, I will have done my job.

P.S. Follow this link to read an extract from my novel.