Tag: women writers
Planning the End or Ending the Plan?
Incredible what a tweet can do. On 18 April Barbara Bos of this esteemed site posted a quotation from Rose Tremain, “In the planning stage of a book, don’t plan the ending. It has to be earned by all that will go before it.” I raised the query whether this was clever, or just poor […]
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 […]
Mindfulness and Writing
You are probably familiar with an image that has forged its way through social media. It outlines the creative process as follows: This is awesome This is tricky This is shit I am shit This might be ok This is awesome I am going to walk you through each stage of the process with useful […]
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 […]
Should Everyone Publish a Book?
I was chatting with an acquaintance recently when we got onto what I’d been up to lately. “Just finished my second novel,” I chirped, certain he’d be mightily impressed. Instead, I got a judgmental pause followed by: “You and everyone else on the planet!” Umbrage was taken, but the comment did strike me… as sort […]
Facebook: Love It or Leave It?
Back in February a writer/friend, Donna Zukaitis Falcone, posted a question on Facebook: Building a platform as a writer: Can it be done without Facebook in the 21st century anymore? Do the old tried and true ways still work in a digital age? She sparked a lively conversation, and it struck an especially resonant chord […]
Q&A with Trisha Ashley
1) What are your top five writing tips? a) Writer’s block (and see question 3): if you come to a stop in your novel and can’t see a way forward, then employ lateral thinking and walk around that big rock, or tunnel underneath it, or do a sharp right turn and go somewhere else. But […]
A Day in the Life of an Editor
When you, the tired, withdrawn author, come to me, the fresh-eyed, enthusiastic editor, and say, ‘I need help’ or ‘Something’s not working, but I don’t know what’ or ‘I’m receiving countless rejections’ or ‘I keep getting 2 star reviews’ or ‘I CAN’T GO ON!’, I’m quick to offer you a virtual hug because I recognise […]
Recent Comments