Category: How To and Tips
From PhD Research to Fiction: The Struggles and Opportunities of Compiling and Editing “The Unpicking” for Commercial Publication
From PhD Research to Fiction: The Struggles and Opportunities of Compiling and Editing “The Unpicking” for Commercial Publication Historical novel “The Unpicking” (October 2023, Fly on the Wall Press) is the creative writing element of a PhD thesis which explores the role of women between 1870 and 1920, particularly marginalised women whose lives are often […]
Writing Organically Can Be Messy
Writing Organically Can Be Messy I write organically. This sounds significantly less weird than the usual description of my writing process, which goes something like this: “I vomit out my first draft, which will be undeniably horrible, and then do most of the actual ‘writing’ in revision.” I guess that version is also organic in its own […]
Have Fun: Inspiration, Process, and Approach
Have Fun: Inspiration, Process, and Approach In 1653, Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle —‘Mad Marge’— wrote that woman’s intelligence was equal to man’s, therefor women learned as easily.(1) She argued that the only difference was that men had more opportunities to educate themselves. In 2nd and 3rd grade, Cindy Myers, Denise Wallenstein and I played […]
Leisl Kaberry on Writing
I was never going to be a writer… It’s the truth, I’ll tell you that now. This was despite the fact that from as early as I can recall I have been a storyteller of sorts and one of my favourite pastimes as a child was simply swinging on the swing in the backyard and […]
Why I Decided to Write my Memoir and Share my Story
The seed for my memoir was planted in 2009 when I first read Primo Levi’s book “The Periodic Table.” I was living in Rome, researching the history of vandalism to art and public places on a fellowship. I had spent three decades working as a conservator of sculpture and buildings, and this was a year […]
Learning to Listen: The Journey to We Have Always Been Who We Are
Learning to Listen: The Journey to We Have Always Been Who We Are By Sofia T. Romero When I was in middle school, we had these current events assignments where we were supposed to choose a story from the newspaper and write about it. Most kids chose a serious news story. But one time, I […]
The Joy of Older Characters by Susan McCormick
The Joy of Older Characters by Susan McCormick Murder mystery protagonists come in all flavors, and my favorite is the elderly detective. While underrepresented, Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club, Elly Griffiths The Postscript Murders, television’s Only Murders in the Building, and my Fog Ladies cozy murder mystery series all feature loveable, complex older characters […]
Suzanna Welby: On Publishing Rufus in Rabitannia
When I was 21 and newly married, I found myself living in the wilds of Lincolnshire with dogs, horses and very many wild rabbits. The garden was pretty non- existent so they were perfect adornments rather than the pests so despised by proper gardeners. I discovered, when I grew up and had a garden – […]
Discovering My Story Within – My Memoir Writing Journey
Discovering My Story Within – My Memoir Writing Journey From the time I was a little girl, I have felt a strong pull to write a book. A teacher once said to me, “if you write, you are a writer.” I was inspired by her and journaled for years, still continuing to do so today. […]
HARVESTING MEMORIES WITH THE MUSE
By Sophia Kouidou-Giles The other day, my neighbor spotted me out in the backyard watering and asked me, “I see you sitting in your kitchen by the hour and writing. Where do you get your ideas?” I blurted out, “Serendipity,” and laughed. The question lingered in my mind. However, my response did not feel entirely […]
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