Tag: featured
The Third Stage of Writing: The Promotional Stuff
Sometimes as writers we need to push ourselves to do things we don’t necessarily feel comfortable with. I’m not talking about the content or the writing process here, but the stuff that comes after publication. The promotional side of things. Like a lot of writers, I am fairly introverted and a fairly private person. So […]
The Allophone Writer
I was in my third year at high school when my Galician Literature teacher gave us a lecture on allophone poets – that is, those non-native speakers who had written poetry in Galician, including a couple of internationally known names such as Federico García Lorca. I remember thinking at the time that writing literature in […]
How to be More Productive
I’ve been thinking a lot about my writing productivity and questioning my daily routine. I picked up Daily Rituals: How Artists Work from the library because like the author, Mason Currey, I want to know how great artists organize their days in order to be creative and productive. Currey does not pretend to offer certainties […]
Mistakes to avoid in Short Story Writing
As the fiction editor for Eclectica Magazine, it’s been both a privilege and pleasure to read story submissions. Finding the handful of pieces that take my breath away is what it’s all about. The good ones shine through, those that are brilliant positively sparkle. That said, it’s too bad that so many stories that come […]
Six top tips for writing historical fiction
I love writing fiction set in the Twentieth Century. My first book, The Separation, published by Penguin, takes place during the 1950s, the second The Tea Planter’s Wife, Penguin 2015, explores the 1920s and 1930s and the third kicks off in 1940s Vietnam when it was part of Indochina. Here I share the tips I’ve […]
The Settling Earth: Emigration to New Zealand in the Nineteenth Century
Imagine packing a trunk, probably a box no higher than your knees. In it you place clothes to see you through your journey and beyond. You squeeze in sewing equipment, a few books, photographs or miniatures – all mementos of a home that you are about to leave, possibly forever. Perhaps you are able to […]
Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil
Beryl Kingston is an 83 year old author, currently writing her 25th novel. She tells us what happened when she decided to share her truth. Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil… Well yes, but be careful. There are some pretty tricky devils out there, as I know rather too well and they can do […]
What Makes You Pick Up A Book?
What makes you pick up a book and read it? The cover? The blurb? The title? — Women Writers (@WomenWriters) December 3, 2014 @WomenWriters Cover, recommendations, sometimes award thingies on the front, author’s name…many, many things. — Heather Wheat (@hwheaties) December 3, 2014 @WomenWriters An interest in the subject matter, the title, and the endorsements. […]
What I Learned from my Writing Retreat
Facing my empty nest and a ticking clock, I finally decided to plunge into the writing life. Writing more seemed too obvious so I searched for conferences or classes. I came across a “retreat” offered by the author of a bestselling memoir I’d recently read. Though I hadn’t done anything like this before, I was […]
From Homeshopping Diva to Writer
Millions of viewers have seen Meg Flather on QVC, USA and on The Shopping Channel of Canada as a brand ambassador and skin wellness expert. But in her new book, Home Shopping Diva: Lessons, Lyrics, and Lipstick, we learn that there is much more to her story. I am the writer who did not know […]
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