How To writing ideas from me and a few of my writing friends.
I struggle with my commitment to writing. When I worked as a journalist it was easier. I would walk through my day on the look out for good stories, for juicy tidbits, for possible leads, gather all those pieces and head to my desk for some mad writing. As a fiction writer, the habit of…
In the beginning, the most difficult thing about writing can be what to write. Most writers tend to write what they love to read and reading exclusively in a certain genre makes them well-versed in that genre. Professional writers are usually more marketable if they stick to writing one genre, because when you are published…
It is the day all unpublished writers dream about and the day all published writers remember well. It is the day when you get a phone call from either an agent or a publisher telling you they want to publish your book. For a writer, it is a high-lighted moment. It is when you go…
November is just around the corner. In the writers world, that means NaNoWriMo. Yep, National Novel Writing Month, when a bunch of crazy writers decide this is the month they are going to write the novel that has been languishing about in their brains or hard drives. This is the month that writers take on…
It is that time of year again: NaNoWriMo! For those of you who are unfamiliar with this term, it stands for National Novel Writing Month which takes place annually every November on a global level. The goal is to write a 50,000 novel during the month of November. It is a great way to kick-start…
“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” ~ Stephen King I begin with those words as a reminder that if we want to be serious writers, we must first be serious readers. Reading Methods There is reading for enjoyment, reading for analytical…
Nibble writing is a great way to keep your writing moving, but there are still times when reaching your writing goals requires focused attention. If you have the time and the money, organised writing retreats like those run in the UK by The Arvon Foundation are a great solution. It is amazing how much progress…
Your computer already has what you need to be a winner during November’s National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Use these six computer applications (apps) to keep your progress constant at about seven pages per day. Spreadsheet Use single spreadsheet cells to briefly describe each main event from your story. On the line below each event…