Category: How To and Tips
How a Message from the Past Became my Muse
by Amanda Geard High in the beams of the derelict Georgian house my husband and I renovated in southwest Ireland we discovered a hidden message – obscured by lime and horse hair – left by a long-dead carpenter. When this comes down, pray for me. Tim O’Shea, 1911. It was 2018, and we took that […]
The Question of Inspiration
For years I told myself that while I could probably write that novel, I would never be able to think up any ideas. I loved writing, I loved blogging, I was good at it – but fiction? That just seemed a scary step too far. In the end, a conversation with a friend finally pushed […]
The Power of Community in the Writing Process By Alida Miranda-Wolff
The Power of Community in the Writing Process By Alida Miranda-Wolff Writing my book proposal came easily; placing that proposal with a publisher didn’t. Between 2018 and 2019, I decided I both wanted to realize my dream of becoming a published author and spreading messages around diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). When it came […]
The Evolution and Inspiration of OK, Little Bird by Deena Goldstein
The Evolution and Inspiration of OK, Little Bird by Deena Goldstein On the first page of OK, Little Bird, readers are immediately catapulted into laughter at a seemingly inappropriate moment. And, therein, becomes the tempo and pacing of the book. Ok, Little Bird flips the expected on end and leaves readers both laughing and tearful. […]
Why Cooking is the Perfect Writing Companion
Stephanie Sowden, debut After Everything You Did from Canelo Crime 9th April 2022 I was in the midst of dicing a three-kilo sack of onions when my main character popped up and told me how to solve a particularly niggling plot hole that had been driving me crazy. I dropped my knife, opened the Notes […]
Finding The Story
I have been asked from time-to-time where I get ideas for stories. I wish I could say that I get one spark of inspiration and poof! A plot and characters are in my head. For me, stories evolve from a whiff of an idea and grow over time as I start imagining the characters: who […]
Rising Above the Stories we Carry—A Memoir’s 12,000+ nautical-mile journey
Rising Above the Stories we Carry—A Memoir’s 12,000+ nautical-mile journey By Heidi Love Art by Linden O’Ryan Authors of Knowing Acts—Engage in Healing It is a vision of paradise and the promise of escape. Verdant peaks rise to meet a tropical sun. Streams of water surge over a fissure in a sheer cliff, disappearing in […]
Bryn Turnbull: On Fountainpens
Recently, I attended an educational seminar about the merits of social media. Having some proficiency in the use of Instagram, I decided to attend in the hopes of brushing up my skills – however, what followed was an hour-long confirmation of my own obsolescence. “It’s easy!” the moderator said while discussing the difference between Instagram […]
From Book to Podcast: Creative Story-Sharing Strategies
FIND YOUR WAY: CREATIVE STORY-SHARING STRATEGIES CAN LEAD TO PUBLICATION My novel, Messenger, was making the rounds at traditional publishing houses in late 2019, getting reads but no takers, and then covid hit. I knew as a debut novelist with no established audience I had to find another way. Messenger tells the story of a […]
HOW TO WRITE YOURSELF CRAZY: Dual Timelines . . . or Split Personalities?
HOW TO WRITE YOURSELF CRAZY: Dual Timelines . . . or Split Personalities? By Suzette D. Harrison, author of The Dust Bowl Orphans Listen! I love writing. It’s one of my divine purposes and passions. Writing is the one thing I’d do even if I wasn’t paid to. Let’s be clear: I want to be […]
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