Through my studies, work experience, and social exchanges with writers (online and real-life), I can confidently say that we are all quite different from one another. I recognize our differences, but I also see what connects us, and nothing highlights this better than how we respond to the question, ‘Does writing advice work?’ Writing advice…
Tag: Writing process
Should writers worry about offending readers?
The answer is yes. Writers should worry about offending readers. Just not for the reasons you’re thinking. On ‘controversial’ topics in fiction, Moy McCrory once said, “The only writing that offends me is bad writing.” And that’s my truth too. So despite its subject and plot, Lolita didn’t offend me, and Fifty Shades of Grey is…
Carver and Lish: how much editing is too much?
Raymond Carver was a short story writer and poet, recognized as one of America’s greatest writers. But how much of that is down to his editor, Gordon Lish? And how much editing is too much? Creative Writing degrees love Carver. His stories are short, and his writing is a perfect model for minimalism. And at university, Carver became…
F—k Writer’s Block!
‘Writer’s Block’ is a huge topic. Since graduating from university in 2012, I’ve spent most of my time writing in isolation, and writing a lot. I only realised that writer’s block was affecting a lot of writers out there when I joined the online writing communities when I launched the About Writing blog last year….
If you’re going to try, go all the way.
I haven’t been updating the blog as often as I usually do because I’m deep into something—my novel. And I had to remind myself very recently that ‘If you’re going to try, go all the way.’ By the way, I will start posting regularly again, and I see this site as a long-term project that…
What is a motif?
Understanding the motifs in your writing will help your creative process and how you talk about and sell your work. In this post, I’ll define a motif, show how it differs from a theme, and then suggest how you might use a motif in a story. A motif is a dominant or recurring idea with…
NaNoWriMo 2021: The End of the Road.
This year, I participated in NaNoWriMo 2021 for the first time. I’ve written around seven novels in my life. However, this experiment was the first time I tried to write an entire book in one month. The good news is that I now have a new 50,000-word novel—my eighth novel, still unnamed. I titled it…
Writing a novel in one month – halfway through!
Phew, for a minute then, I lost myself. But, I guess that’s to be expected when you’re writing a novel in one month. I’m not sure when and I’m not sure how, but I’ve caught up with the goal. On the 9th day, a writer needs to have 15,003 words down to be on track,…
Questions writers should ask themselves.
I’ve collected this list of questions writers should ask themselves through a combination of research and experience. You may have read some of these before, and maybe even thought about them, but it’s never a bad time to go over them again. I sat and thought about each one again myself while compiling this list:…
NNWM: The First Five Days.
My NaNoWriMo (NNWM) is in full swing now. I’m approaching the end of the first week, and I’m beginning to get somewhere. Here are a few of my notes from days 3, 4, and 5 (yesterday), sharing my process and progress. Day 3 of NNWM After the 3rd day, I had almost 2800 words down…