Category: On Writing
Journalism and Fiction Writing
Journalism and fiction writing are often seen as two very different beasts, but my years spent as a journalist have, without a doubt, informed my fiction writing, mostly for the better. As a journalist you quickly learn how to grab your reader from the very first sentence, after which you slowly unspool your tale, dropping […]
Is It Chick Lit? Is It Not Chick Lit? What Do We Call It?
In The Writer on Her Work, Vol. 1, an essay collection edited by Janet Sternburg and published in 1980, Mary Gordon writes, “I have been told by male but not by female critics that my work was ‘exquisite,’ ‘lovely,’ ‘like a watercolor.’ They, of course, were painting in oils. They were doing important work.” Three […]
Qaisra Shahraz: Researching a Novel in Morocco
Qaisra Shahraz, born in Pakistan, is a critically acclaimed novelist and scriptwriter and has lived in Manchester since she was nine. Her books have been published in numerous countries and translated into various languages. We asked her if she could tell us about her latest research for her novel based in Morocco. Apart from journalism, research […]
Cerrie Burnell: How Motherhood Led me to Writing
Cerrie Burnell is an actress and well loved CBeebies presenter and one of the few visibly disabled presenters on television. She wrote a wonderful piece for us last year (read it here) and we’re delighted to feature her again! Before I had my daughter, writing was a love which wove in and out of my […]
You Are Not Unique
My love of writing didn’t come to light until I actually sat down and did it formally. It wasn’t until a topic stirred me with such intensity that it made me realize that maybe it was worth sharing with the world. Once I put my proverbial pen down to rest, and sat back to admire […]
From Journalist to Children’s Author
It’s a funny thing, the permanency of a book. In the past month or so, I’ve been lucky enough to hold in my hands a book that I wrote – Celia and Nonna, illustrated by Kayleen West. Lucky, because over the past few years an element of Powerball lottery has crept into the traditional publishing […]
Coming Back to Writing
When I was a little girl I made a choice. At least I thought I did. I was nine years old. Mousey and a bit serious. I only cared about two things – reading teenage horror novels and Westlife. My Aunt was allaying herself of some furniture – she had a beautiful house – and […]
What is the Best Thing About Writing?
What is the best thing about writing? — Women Writers (@WomenWriters) September 18, 2014 @WomenWriters To have written 🙂 — Kathleen Fordyce (@KathleenFordyce) September 18, 2014 @WomenWriters Serves as a catharsis. #writing — Sarai (@sarah_rahman) September 18, 2014 @WomenWriters Writing is the only thing that stops me from ruminating about the things I know I […]
The Gatekeeper
On the morning of Friday, May 30, my husband and I got a call from India: my mother was in critical condition and hospitalized in New Delhi. I thought it was a bad joke because (a) My Mom wasn’t sick. I had barely spoken with Mom two days ago and promised to cook, Kalam Polow, a […]
Lost in Translation
The first guest post I wrote for WWWB was about me (you can read it here) but this time, it’s kind of about everyone else. And so it begins. The name of my book is Lost in Translation. It has my name on the cover, but for now that’s irrelevant. I’ve lived with that title […]
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