writing techniques, writing tips, writing advice, collections, rantings, information surfeit
Deep inside, you know you have a book in you. The challenge is getting it from an inner desire to a reality on the page, be it print or digital. I don't know you personally, so I can't recommend a specific book for you to write. However, I can offer some general advice that might… Continue reading Which Book Should I Write?
Recently I sat in on a session with Dr Neeta Bhushan who has now published her book. In that process she gave a talk about lessons learned in writing her book to help other nonfiction writers get it right up front. These are my notes based on her talk and my own input to expand… Continue reading Writing Non Fiction Tips
Learn how to improve your chances of being selected for Seniors Stories Volume 9 in 2023.
Non-fiction is not fiction. Duh. It's generally material which is objective, factual, and useful. I'm not including narrative nonfiction here but the principles could equally apply. If you plan to write non-fiction, (and you should because everyone knows something about something, right?) then it pays to think more broadly about the type of publishing format… Continue reading Writing Non Fiction
Happy International Women's Day 2023 #EmbraceEquity. In the world of creative writing, women seem to outnumber men in local writing groups and literary festival participation. One could be forgiven for thinking it's a woman's world in that space these days. Yet men continue to dominate the field of awards and prizes. (https://lithub.com/on-sexism-in-literary-prize-culture/) Additionally, research demonstrates… Continue reading IWD 2023: Equity
Sitting in on a workshop by Claire Buss on creating a world of magic, she referenced Brandon Sanderson's Laws of Magic. There is some debate about the relevance of some of these laws but they are a highly useful beginning for writers new to the world of writing and creating magical worlds. Magical worlds are… Continue reading The 3 Laws of Magic Writing: Brandon Sanderson
Recently I sat in on a session by Joe Bunting - these are my notes that may prove useful for others. Bestsellers = have a value in conflict at their core and everything else is built on that What does that mean? A value can be: provision - getting the basics like survival from nature… Continue reading 5 Principles of Best Selling Books
Roald Dahl was a World War II fighter pilot and an accidental author who sold 250 million copies of children’s books. That's two hundred and fifty million. Imagine that. And in 2023, the publishers to whom Dahl's family sold the rights, have decided to sanitise the language used by Dahl. Cancel culture is alive and… Continue reading Advice From A Successful Author – Roald Dahl
Writing short stories sound so easy … it’s only a few thousand words on a page, not double-digit thousands, right? A lot of people diminish the effort required to produce a highly readable short story. Fortunately, though, there is something of a resurgence in the popularity of the form these days. When writing a novel… Continue reading The Keys to Writing Short Story
Is a novel 50,000 or 120,000? Is a short story 1000 words or 10,000? Well ... it depends. I know. You wanted something concrete, didn't you. Sorry. But we're largely talking about creative writing here and that is inexact: it's art, after all. Let's play with some ballpark figures to satisfy your curiosity and test… Continue reading How Many Words in a Novel, Short Story or Book?
melanie wass 
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