Tag: women writers
THE SETTLEMENT BY RUTH KIRBY-SMITH
‘I am going to write a book’ was my mantra throughout life, but university, travel, career and children got in the way. I tried to start writing a few times, but it just petered out. The main reason was I did not have a subject that gripped me. My reading has always been eclectic – […]
The New Native Renaissance’s Resistance through Literature
The New Native Renaissance’s Resistance through Literature It always amazes me how many different things the act of writing can become. It began of course simply as a method of communication. However, now, putting pen to paper, or rather passing fingers over keyboard as is more common today, is hardly ever just uncomplicated, straightforward communication. […]
Why I’m Missing My Commute
For some it’s the shower, but for me, driving has always awakened my muse. Sometimes, I think a long commute is part of my destiny. Long stretches of road, wind in my hair, music blasting—for me those three things always equal inspiration. Out of college and throughout my MFA program, I worked for a tri-county […]
How I Bring My Characters To Life & Tòp Five Tips For Writing Character Driven Fiction
By Hélene Fermont I’m both a practising psychologist and an author of character driven psychological thrillers. For me, my characters take centre stage. Their individual backstories and journeys are key. I focus on each character’s traits and how they fit with other characters of similar and opposite backgrounds. You’d be right thinking I view them […]
I persisted
Despite obtaining my master’s degree in creative writing, and early encouragement from the professors I respected most, my route to becoming a novelist has been a circuitous one. When I was ten-years-old, at sleep away camp, I composed my first tome between archery and swimming lessons. In letters to my parents, I complained about having […]
Writing Loving before Loving: A Marriage in Black and White, Joan Steinau Lester
If I had a nickel for each time a stranger has told me, “I know my life would be a bestseller!” I’d be wealthy. Sometimes they even offer their story, asking me to simply write it down. “My life has been so amazing, the book would write itself.” Well, not really. Books do not write […]
Why Your Sixth Decade is the Best Time Ever To Write a Novel
Jane Rosenthal “You either walk inside your story and own it or you stand outside your story and hustle for your worthiness” Brene Brown I keep this quote from the lecturer Brene Brown framed in a little green heart on the bulletin board above my computer to remind myself why I write, why I put […]
A WOMAN WRITER’S MANIFESTO
By Joan Steinau Lester When people ask me what do you do, for the last twenty-five years I’ve answered, “I’m a writer.” Sometimes I add, “An author.” If the questioner still looks blank, I’ll say, with authority, “I’m a professional writer.” I’ve learned to define myself in a powerful tone because so many people have […]
Secrets
The roots of secrets can go deep, making it difficult to unearth. It takes time, patience and determination. It means poring through old scrapbooks, scrolling through newspaper archives at libraries, looking through government records. You need to pick at painful memories, where loss can overshadow past joys. It is hard to keep a secret. Benjamin […]
How My Women’s Writing Group Vents Together Instead of Tearing Work to Shreds
When I started writing a novel based on the story of Cupid and Psyche, I fell apart. I completed a hundred pages that covered the Greco-Roman pantheon before realizing I needed to focus only on my one new Internet goddess. I showed my fiasco to a kind, well-intentioned reader who happened to have an obsession […]
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