Sometimes writing a first draft is more like getting lost in a city, and sometimes it’s more like planning the perfect vacation. Either way, things rarely go completely according to plan….
Tag Archives: writing advice
March – On Rejection
There are things they don’t tell you about being an agented fiction writer. Some of this stuff, I learned the hard way when I briefly picked up the interest of an agent’s assistant on my first novel, way back in 2012. The interest proved to be short-lived. When you’re in the querying trenches, it seemsContinue reading “March – On Rejection”
February – Lockdown Updates and Worldbuilding Questions
In the midst of a third lockdown without sight of any sort of relief on the horizon, things have felt a lot more grim lately. I didn’t think that I’d be missing parties and my bookselling job all that much, and yet, here we are, and all I really want is to actually hang outContinue reading “February – Lockdown Updates and Worldbuilding Questions”
The Absolute Beginner Writers’ Guide: Freewriting, or how to get started with creative writing in just ten minutes
Writing, like any other craft takes practice. Take the pressure off your writing and let the words flow with this versatile and fundamental writing exercise.
Of Unpublished Novels, Competitions, and Shortlists…
If you’re finishing a novel but not quite sure you’re ready to share it, may I suggest a competition?
That Expat Girl edits a novel | Part I: Editing Goals
If, like me, you currently have a sprawling, vaguely-sensical monstrosity of a first novel draft on your hands, you may very well be wondering what to do with it. Let’s figure it out together.
How you can use Nanowrimo to build a year-long writing practice
Five days into November, the fireworks are flying, the coffee is flowing, and all over the world, novelists from all walks of life are furiously scribbling away, aiming to reach the goal of writing 50,000 words by the end of the month. Started in 1999 when Chris Baty was told, in no uncertain terms, thatContinue reading “How you can use Nanowrimo to build a year-long writing practice”
Six Things I Learned from Reading like THREE HUNDRED Stories Written by Six-Year-Olds
As a judge for Wimbledon Bookfest, I read three hundred (and forty two) stories written by children between the ages of six and eleven.
This is what I learned.
The Venture 