Tag: featured
My Writing Journey: Life began at Forty-Four
I’ve always been a late starter in my life. I was twenty before I had my first alcoholic drink, twenty-five when I lost my virginity to a man, thirty-six when I got my driving license and fifty when I first had sex with a woman. And so it was with writing, I didn’t start until […]
Silk and Writing
Liz Trenow, author of The Dressmaker of Draper’s Lane, published by Pan Macmillan on 21st February 2019. I have written six novels and four of them were inspired by a single thing: silk! I was born and brought up next door to a silk mill in Sudbury, Suffolk. My family have been silk weavers for […]
Excerpt of The Family Wolves
Excerpt from the beginning of “The Family Wolves”, forthcoming novel by Jaki McCarrick. The book is set on the Irish/Northern Irish border. The opening passage is set in 1983. * He wakes with so much fury in his heart he thinks he is going to choke. Big Cat has just called, said he’s forgotten the […]
My Writing Tips And Advice
First up, if you have been thinking of writing and haven’t started, I suggest you do. It won’t write itself. You must unleash the demons so to speak and get writing. Don’t let any disabilities stop you from writing. If writing is your passion and you have dyslexia or are on the Autism spectrum disorder […]
Doing a PhD in Creative Writing: Is it for Everyone?
When I go to my local surgery, I often see a different GP, and invariably a moment comes when they ask, “Just what kind of doctor are you?” I assume they think I’m judging them, like a secret shopper. When I tell them I’m the kind of doctor who can spell, they laugh and we […]
No Mystery Here! Cozy British Mysteries—How They’ve Inspired Me to Write
I’ve been drawn to all things cozy mystery my entire reading life. My favorites in particular are British cozy mystery series—where I can get to know the characters (at least the surviving ones) and watch them develop and grow over the years. I consider Agatha Christie’s Poirot, Miss Marple, and Tommy & Tuppence (OK not […]
ANYWAY
Anyway is an adverb. I am not fond of adverbs. My first drafts are peppered with them until I go back over the text and score most of them out. I like the sentence to have made an impact without the insertion of an amplifier although there are exceptions. ‘Anyway’ is different. Anyway is often […]
Writers: Keep Your Heart Healthy and Your Stories Strong
Even though writing is one of the oldest and most enriching professions in the world, the writing lifestyle isn’t all glamour. It brings along with it some challenges when it comes to health. Writing is a stressful job that requires long hours of working in isolation and sitting in one place in, often times, in bad […]
COMEDY WOMEN IN PRINT PRIZE
I knew I had to pursue a comedy fiction prize when I was met with 100% enthusiasm, not one doubter – well, only one literary agent, who said she didn’t think there was ‘enough funny female fiction out there to justify a prize’ so I said “exactly! – that’s why we need this prize!” – […]
Nature and Writing: Water
I’ve always been inspired by water—be it a creek, a river, or the ocean. It’s probably no surprise then that all three of my novels have a connection to water. When I write a book, sometimes the words trickle in like an arid stream; other times, the words gush forth like a raging river or […]
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