Aliventures
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Latest Blog Posts
Why You Should Stick to One Name for Each Character in Your Novel
This post was first published in April 2018 and last updated in June 2025. You’re probably known by several different names in your life. I'm "Ali Luke" to Aliventures readers. I’m “Alison Luke” when I fill in a form. I’m “Mrs Luke” to my bank and to cold-callers. I’m...
What Are Supporting Characters? (Mentors, Best Friends, Love Interests, and More)
Your novel needs a protagonist (main character) … but unless you’re writing something highly unusual and experimental, you’ll have a cast of more than just that one person. Some of the characters in your story will have walk-on roles: the waiter who brings your...
How to Turn Your Year Around: Getting Your Novel Plans Back on Track
How’s 2025 been going for you? Maybe you started the year feeling enthusiastic and motivated: this was going to be the year you finished your novel. But we’re close to halfway through the year now, and perhaps things haven’t quite gone to plan. Novels often take...
About Ali
I’m an author (of both fiction and non-fiction) and a freelancer. Aliventures is my homebase online where I share articles on the art, craft and business of writing.
I live in Leeds (UK) with my husband and two kids, and I have degrees in English (MA Cantab, Cambridge University) and Creative & Life Writing (MA, Goldsmiths College, University of London).
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