A few months ago a friend asked me for some writing tips for an aspiring author. When I told her I have over fifty blog posts she might check out, she elaborated: the aspiring author happens to be in the 5th grade. So… we’d be looking at more basic tips than my usual posts.
Read moreMaking self-editing easy
Self-editing is that important step each writer must take before handing over a manuscript to the beta reader or editor. It is a daunting prospect, especially after having finally finished the thing! But, did you know that you can give yourself a leg-up before you even begin writing?
Read morePolarisation of worldviews
You’d have to be living as a hermit, St. Anthony style, to not know there’s a polarisation of viewpoints at present. Friendships, customers, and family relationships have been lost. Dinner conversations have become tense. Rather than lament this, I think it is an opportunity for writers for several reasons.
Read moreEmotion is character
Do you feel emotion? Are you an “emotional” person? Do you wear your heart on your sleeve? Do people criticise you for being “too emotional”? Depending upon your cultural background, the level of acceptable emotions will vary greatly. But, by the time we become adults, we’ve come some way to controlling our emotions within those cultural boundaries. Well, hopefully.
Read moreSeeking clarity
Rejection. Lacklustre progress. Few subscribers. Fewer readers. How do we navigate the disheartening nature of most writing careers? Especially when failure is the rule rather than the exception. How do we press on when each step of the journey sometimes feel futile?
Read moreRevise and resubmit
For those who have been in this writing game for a while, you will be familiar with the “revise and resubmit” (or R&R as I call them). The horrible irony that this will give neither rest nor relaxation, but hopefully will allow your reader to ultimately enjoy the book—like that lady in the picture, having some actual R&R.
Read moreEncouragement in pain
During a recent sermon on encouraging each other in our faith, the minister said something that really landed with me. When we comfort others who are going through difficult times, rather than using platitudes or our own words, why not use the words of our Lord? He has experienced everything that we are experiencing, and He understands what we are going through.
Read moreMotivation for murder
Did you know that while there are limitless motives for people to murder other people, they all boil down to a handful? When I recently researched motivations for murder—I’m sure that if I wasn’t before, I’m now on another watch list somewhere—I found some interesting statistics.
Read moreThe central question
A few months ago my agent asked me to write a covering submission for my novel. Honestly, I thought that once I had an agent, the days of writing a covering anything were over! Turns out there is no way around writing a synopsis, a blurb, or any other part of the covering submission. At this point, it wouldn’t even surprise me if J.K. Rowling still has to.
Read moreFinding their voice
Of recent times, I’ve been critiquing the work of a range of writers—from first timers to the multi-published. What is often the difference between me slogging through, and wanting to read more, is the characterisation. If you’ve been following along, you know this blog harps on about character. But something happened that made me remember the importance of character voice.
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