Category: How To and Tips
Doubtful Writing Habits You Should Forget About
Being an author is not the hardest job in the world. You rely on your imagination to make a concept. Then, all you need to do is sit down and write. Well, at least that’s how this profession looks to a complete outsider. To an actual author, completing a novel or even a short story […]
Lessons Learned From Writing a Memoir or Two
“Who would read a book about your life?” That question came from a former friend, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who in 1995 aimed to convince me writing a memoir was pure folly and would likely ruin my career as a serious journalist. After selling nearly 100,000 copies in seven languages of I Closed My Eyes […]
“It’s not you, it’s me” Navigating the Waters of Rejection
Soon, I will hit the “send” button on an essay. This is the twelfth submission of this piece. After eleven rejections, my finger hovers over the “send” button– cautious, conflicted. A flood of emotions rushes over me. I am drowning here. I have put this sucker out there so many times that I am beginning […]
On Writing Psychological Suspense
How to Make a Friend grew from my desire to explore what happens to unhappy and lonely children when they become adults. Having been in that situation myself I know that it is possible to lead a perfectly normal life, to make friends and build good relationships, but that it never leaves you completely. There […]
Let It Go
Years ago, at a party in Brighton I was introduced to a writer whose book had just been nominated for the Booker Prize. I had just started telling people I was writing my first novel. He was gracious, charming. ‘What’s your process?’ he said. Process? My mind went blank. Writers have processes? If I have […]
I Published My Book! Now What?
Once upon a time my writing life centered on writing, getting a short story published, writing another story, and so on. It went this way for decades. People asked me from time to time why I didn’t get a collection together, and publish an actual book. Finally, I did. All The Roads That Lead From […]
5 Steps to Original Character Creation
If you’ve done any fiction writing any your life, you’ve probably received some writing advice. And you were probably to do this: Avoid clichés in your writing! But what’s hilarious about that advice is that the advice itself is a cliché. (Whoa, so meta.) In fact, writing advice itself is full of great clichés. Let’s all […]
How to Use Memories to Enhance Your Writing
There is no such thing as a dearth of writing material. We sit with fingers poised over the keyboard and are met with a ghastly silence that threatens to be our undoing. All we need to do is to call up the past. One’s own past might seem mundane, but get out your microscope. Look […]
Critique Partners – Writing Together
Writing can sometimes feel like you are shouting into the void, especially when you are unpublished and need feedback, cheerleading, and deadlines. One of the best ways to give you this structure is find yourself a critique partner. Finding a critique partner can be a bit like dating. You can try also sorts of ways […]
Beta-Readers and Editors: Diversity is Strength
Two years ago when I started writing about my niece Deihlia four months after her passing, I wasn’t thinking about audience, promotion, or markets. At the time, I was far out to sea, carried there by waves of overwhelming grief. At first, I was writing it just for myself, so that I could capture details […]
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