Category: How To and Tips
Writing Letters to Lost Loved Ones
Writing Letters to Lost Loved Ones As a child, I was fascinated by the “dead letter office,” picturing misaddressed mail piling up in a room. Thinking someone should read all that forsaken mail—surely unopened letters were lonely—I wondered if the post office took volunteers. My romantic notions about “dead letters” took a turn in my […]
How History Inspired THE SECRETS ACT Alison Weatherby
How History Inspired THE SECRETS ACT Alison Weatherby When I visited Bletchley Park with my family, I was supposed to be taking a much-needed break from writing. I’d recently broken up with my US literary agent and had put my YA mystery in a virtual drawer. It was also a tense time for women, as […]
The World Through Your Eyes: A Journey Of Self-Discovery Through Love
In her debut novel, released on 1 May 2022 by Guernica Editions and set between the UK, Italy, and the Middle East, UK-based journalist, writer, and gender equality advocate Valeria Camerino aims to bridge the gap between different cultures through the universal language of love. “We are all just humans trying to figure out life,” […]
Writing Biographies For People With a Life-Limiting Illness
I am a writer. I am a counsellor. Ever since training in Death, Dying and Bereavement in my twenties, I have been interested in these issues and how we talk about them – or avoid doing so. More recently I read about Dignity Therapy, a set of skills particularly aimed at helping people at the […]
The Places and Pictures Which Inspire Me
Catherine Hokin My fascination with Germany – and in particular the history-soaked city of Berlin where my novels are set – began on a school exchange trip when I was a teenager forty years ago. So many memories were made on that visit but the most vivid of all was standing in the town of […]
MAKING IT MINE: How I Kept my Virtual Book Launch Fresh
MAKING IT MINE: How I Kept my Virtual Book Launch Fresh By Caitlin Hamilton Summie I had originally planned an in-person launch for my first novel, Geographies of the Heart, at my local coffee shop, with my local indie store selling books. The coffee shop is just down the road, and they even serve beer […]
When Characters Come Alive
When Characters Come Alive By Christina Consolino One of the most memorable characters in my debut novel, Rewrite the Stars, is Pickles Martin. A gray-haired retiree who volunteers at the Walloon Lake Branch of the Crooked Tree Library, she’s connected to several characters in the story, including a main character, Sadie, and her love interest, […]
Practice Beats Procrastination: a Writer’s Suggestion
In the world of yoga, there is a famous saying by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, “Practice and all is coming.” For those new to the world of yoga legends, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois is a voice that comes up a lot in the Ashtanga practice. And Ashtanga Yoga is all about practice, practice, and practice. I feel […]
The Submission Process
Meera Shah is a psychological suspense writer based in London, UK. Her debut novel will be published by Hodder Studio, an imprint of Hodder & Stoughton in Spring ’23. The submission process. Google it and you’ll find only a handful of entries on what it entails. A couple of blog posts. A video or two, […]
Novel Problems: Finding Solutions in Revision
by Lynne Reeves Griffin Rarely in my roles as counselor and teacher do I shy away from conflict. I’m not one to think problems are bad things; they’re merely situations in need of closer attention and creative plans for resolution. In my personal life, with clear and kind confrontation, my husband and I grow closer […]
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