Category: On Writing
The Highs and Lows of Life After Publication
It took years to get The Lodger published. I chose the traditional route and it was a long, bumpy journey, strewn with rejection letters from agents and publishers. Tears were shed and manuscripts ripped up. Publication was an unattainable goal, a holy grail, an end in itself. Several times, I was on the point of […]
Writing About Infertility: Breaking Down Social Norms
Infertility affects approximately 1 in 10 couples, and 1 in 4 pregnancies result in miscarriage. Fertility rates decline by around 10% per month for women over the age of thirty-five. Recurrent miscarriage (over three losses in a row) affects 1% of the female population. Nowadays, everywhere I go, it feels as though these infertility statistics […]
How Newspapers Inspire Fiction Writers
Historical documents can be treasure troves for fiction writers. We’ve all read stories based upon real historic events, or people, and no doubt some authors were inspired by historical manuscripts, either accessed in an archive, online, or in biographies. Letters, diaries, wills, government records – these are rich seams for writers to interrogate and use […]
Romance Writers, You’ve Got to Own it!
“Hi, my name is Densie and I write romance.” I could be a member of Romance Writers Anonymous, if such a thing existed. Okay, so maybe being a writer of novels with strong romantic themes doesn’t exactly carry the stigma of addiction, but it sometimes feels that way, especially when hanging with writers who have […]
Procrastination? Just an Unwelcome Visitor
Every day, around 4:00 p.m., I get this craving to write, like others yearn for a cup of tea or a chocolate biscuit. Sometimes I manage all three. Though usually just tea and choc. Some folks say it’s writers block – I call it procrastination. It walks in, shuts down my laptop, follows my every […]
A Day in the Life of a Writer
I would love to be able to say that I’m a full time writer, with an agent, PR officer and secretary to manage my career, organise promotion for me and type up stories I’ve dictated onto a voice recorder whilst sipping cocktail on a balcony (or reclining on a chaise longue Barbara Cartland style). However, […]
It’s Like Having An Alter Ego, But Harder
If you were to meet me on the good days, standing beside our minivans in the school parking lot, you’ll most likely see a woman wearing the uniform of an American suburban mother: boots zipped over jeans, hair that’s been flat-ironed too many times, dark sunglasses. On those good days, the ones where I behave […]
Finding My Voice
I lost my voice during my second year of college. And then I found it again after the plane crash. Wait. That’s not exactly right. I didn’t find it again until YEARS after the plane crash. And to be accurate, I didn’t “lose” anything. I put aside my voice in a valiant effort to pursue […]
Reading Wuthering Heights With Juvenile Offenders
The idea that literature changes people’s lives is the premise of a program I facilitate through Fairfax County Public Library. It’s called Changing Lives Through Literature (CLTL) and it’s run in partnership with Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court and Fairfax Library Foundation. I work with first time offenders and girls in a […]
How to make the truth Palatable
Toni Morrison said, “If there’s a book you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” Those words gave me the kick-start. I’d read some second generation Polish fiction (mainly from the U.S.) and a vital ingredient was missing – Europe 1939-1945. Could I manage to depict those years […]
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