Image by Myriam Zilles from Pixabay We’ve all been there. You’re down to the nitty gritty bits of your manuscript. You’re not quite sure how your character gets from A to B, you’ve written yourself into a corner and don’t know how to get out, and your enthusiasm just seems to have stalled. And then, lo and…
Tag: blog post
Years later: Reflecting on your own writing, by Jess Rae
I read a short story I wrote 10 years ago and I have some thoughts… COVID-19 self-isolation has meant spring-cleaning time for my family and I. For clarification: we have a shed that is the family’s dumping ground. In the midst of cleaning it recently we came across boxes of all our primary school documents…
Social Media Finally Invests in Wellbeing by Dylan Dartnell
Cover image from Pixabay free images My uncle has lived a life of first-class flights, with contacts and friends in every country around the world. He has been retired for a number of years but still has a robust calendar of luncheons and ceremonies, and holds a mentoring role for many members of his former…
How To Create a Compelling Villain, by Jess Rae
Image from the Victorian Illustrated Shakespeare Archive I recently re-watched all the Harry Potter films and whilst doing so found myself rolling my eyes at “he-who-shall-not-be-named.” I found Voldemort to be, quite frankly, rather boring, with boring motives; his followers were far more interesting. It got me thinking about villains I do enjoy in series…
What to do when you receive feedback on your writing, by Jess Gately
Image from Canva Free Stock Images Receiving feedback can be a painful process. As writers, we should actively seek it, but there’s no taking away that sting when your feedback says something isn’t working. And it’s ok to feel that sting. It’s only natural when you’ve shared a project you’ve worked hard on and feel passionate about…
Writing a Story Cycle, by Kate Lomas Glendenning
As an admirer and writer of short stories, I decided to challenge myself by writing a different genre. After a bit of research, I discovered I did not have to stray far from my beloved short stories! Enter: the short-story cycle (also called short-story sequence, short-story composite, composite novel and novel of interlinked stories). A…
Freelance Writing series part 9: Getting your first paid gigs
Article by Jess Gately Image from Canva Free Stock Images In the last post we discussed ways that you can start a portfolio of your writing by incorporating articles you may have written for university, for your personal blog or things you’ve written for former employers, or by listing previous ‘clients’ you’ve worked with for free. In this…
Writing Your Author Bio, by Jemimah Halbert Brewster
Image from Canva Free Stock Images Whether you enjoy or loathe writing them, an appropriate author bio is essential when presenting yourself to your audience as it orients you within the writing canon, and educates others on your particulars. Some authors use their bio to denote what genre or format they work in (e.g. poetry, essays, etc….
Is Your Idea Worth It? By Jess Rae
How to tell what story is worth writing. I know as a writer I always have so many ideas but I never have any clue which idea to run with; I don’t know about you but I’m not usually confident in myself enough to make that decision. Well I’m here to tell you there are…
Book Cover Monotony and the Rise of the ‘Bouquet Book’, by Shelley Timms
The term ‘judging a book by its cover’ pretty much sums up my shopping technique when looking for new books. Even when I’m at the library, an attractive cover can determine whether or not I bother to learn more about the book. Recently, I have begun to realise that book covers (especially those from the…
Writing big topics for the small page, by Jess Gately
[Image Description: A silhouette of a soldier carrying another soldier who is presumably injured or dead across an empty battlefield. The text reads ‘The bigger the issue, the smaller you write. Remember that. You don’t write about the horrors of war. No. You write about a kid’s burnt socks lying on the road. You pick…
7 Books That Celebrate Books, by Jemimah Brewster
I’m a book person: I read them, I write about them, and I like reading about how great they are. Deep meta. The following are novels that have, as a central theme, the importance of books, stories, reading, and writing. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Annie Barrows & Mary-Ann Shaffer I’ve written…
Writer’s Block. Is it real and how to get past it? by Jess Gately
Writer’s Block is the bane of all writers. Whether it takes the form of staring at a blank page not knowing what to write, or helplessly writing and rewriting the same line over and over again and never actually moving forward, writer’s block can be very destructive to those who allow it to rule them….
When Should I Write? By Kate Lomas Glendenning
When should I write? How do I motivate myself to write? How do I make time to write? Honestly? It’s up to you! One method isn’t going to work for each person, so below I’ve compiled a list of 10 ways to make time and motivate yourself to write. During the commute: On my way…
21 Things I Learnt from Books, by Jess Rae
In mid-April I turn 21 (I know: I’m such a baby) and so of course I’m having a 21st birthday party. In true book nerd fashion, my 21st is book-themed and so I’ve spent the last month or so reflecting on what books changed my life throughout my 21 years. I thought to celebrate my…
3 Things I Learnt During NaNoWriMo, by Jess Gately
3 Things I Learnt During NaNoWriMo By Jess Gately Over the years I have participated or skipped NaNoWriMo as I see necessary. For me, NaNoWriMo has always been an opportunity to fully explore an idea and get the groundwork going for a novel. It’s also a great time to build your writing skills, identify your…
3 Tips for Generating Ideas During NaNoWriMo, by Jess Gately
Stuck for ideas during NaNoWriMo? Here’s 3 tips to get you back on track… Whether you’re pantsing it and having a bit of a dry spell or planning it and need a little something to fill the gaps, it’s almost a given that at some point in NaNoWriMo you’re going to be stuck for ideas…
7 Tips for Surviving NaNoWriMo, by Jess Gately
Are you ready? Tomorrow is November 1st and the beginning of NaNoWriMo! If you haven’t already, I sincerely suggest you head on over to our first NaNo post, Pantser or Planner, Top Tips for Preparing for NaNoWriMo, to get some tips on preparing for the month ahead. First, a recap, because there’s some stuff in…
8 Tips for Starting a Blog, by Jess Rae
8 Tips for Starting a Blog by editor Jessica Rae Wilson-Smith Last month, in an effort to build my freelance business, I started writing a beauty blog. If anything it’s become a creative outlet of mine and I have been enjoying it so far. However, the Internet is forever, and with so many blogs out…
3 Ways I Trick Myself Into Writing More, by Jemimah Halbert
3 Ways I Trick Myself Into Writing More By Editor-in-Chief Jemimah Halbert If you haven’t already read last month’s blog post I suggest you read it now. It covers the basics of defining where and how you write, and without knowing those elements it will be difficult to make any of the following tricks work. All…