“Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address,” said Joe Fox in the 1998 rom-com You’ve Got Mail. While it’s not fall, a new year has a similarly uplifting effect on the writers among us. The first month on a freshly printed calendar or the blank opening … [Read more...] about 10 Gifts To Treat Yourself To in the New Writing Year
Writers' Tuesday
Emylia Hall’s Top 5 Writing Tips
1. READ. Read widely, and read well. And read critically. Get swept up in the story, sure, but also retain your critical powers. If a book's working for you, examine why. And if it isn't, work out why too. It's about gaining an understanding of the writing process, through reading. 2. WRITE. Write frequently, a little every day. And rewrite. People say 'writing … [Read more...] about Emylia Hall’s Top 5 Writing Tips
The Secret Dreamworld of an Aspiring Author – My Ultimate Fantasy Writer’s Life
by Anna Bell Whenever I tell strangers that I’m a writer, they usually tell me how wonderful it is to have a job, which allows you to daydream and write whenever the mood takes you. There are so many misconceptions about writers, but the funny thing is, even though writing is my full-time job, I still have fantasies about what it could be like. Top of my ultimate fantasy would … [Read more...] about The Secret Dreamworld of an Aspiring Author – My Ultimate Fantasy Writer’s Life
The Secret Dreamworld of an Aspiring Author – Feeling Like a Fraud
by Anna Bell When I was a museum curator I always felt like a fraud; that somehow I couldn’t believe I’d ended up with my job and one day someone would find out that I wasn’t supposed to be there. It’s exactly how I feel about being an author too. I keep thinking one day someone will tell me that I’m delusional for thinking that I could be a writer and they’ll tell me to leave … [Read more...] about The Secret Dreamworld of an Aspiring Author – Feeling Like a Fraud
The Secret Dreamworld of An Aspiring Author – Making Your Openings Work Harder
by Anna Bell In women’s fiction you quite often come across quirky openings to chapters. From text messages to letters, those quirky narrative devices help to give novels their own sense of style, but they can also be a clever way to move the story on. It’s very common to find little introductions to chapters, too. My favourite example has to be Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic … [Read more...] about The Secret Dreamworld of An Aspiring Author – Making Your Openings Work Harder