The Craft of Writing: How Crucial It Is to Maintain a Daily Practice
skyword.com – Wednesday November 15, 2017
Long before I was a freelance writer, I wrote fiction. One of the key things I learned from my writing mentor, the late novelist Les Plesko, was the importance of writing daily. “Write every day, even on your birthday,” he would say with a toothless grin. Maintaining such a practice is crucial in your success as a writer.
Trick Yourself Into Writing Well by Telling Yourself to Write Badly
lifehacker.com – Sunday November 5, 2017
One of the best things about NaNoWriMo, or any terrifying deadline, is that it forces you to write quickly. (Hello, procrastinators.) If you’re writing quickly—if writing quickly is your stated goal—then you don’t have time to do the number one thing that interrupt your writing flow: think about whether what you’re writing is good.
The secret of how to write a bestseller
independent.co.uk – Saturday November 4, 2017
The one thing that stops people being good writers is the myth that there is such a thing as good writing, says Andy Martin. The point of the creative writing course is to get you over the delusion.
Words You Can Use Instead of "Very" to Punch Up Your Writing
lifehacker.com – Tuesday October 31, 2017
Learning how to write is like learning how to play a musical instrument: Once you learn the basic rules—grammar, spelling and punctuation—and are writing technically correct sentences, there’s a still the whole world of syntax, diction, and style to conquer. And this is where writers, like musicians, have opinions: Is it better to write straightforward, no-frills prose, or to weave verbal flights of fancy that illustrate complex, poetic sentiments? Or something in between? For me, diction is a big deal—the writers I admire are precise in their word choice—and I appreciate tidy sentences that get to the point.
5 things I wish I’d known before writing my first novel, Five Parks
metro.co.uk – Sunday October 22, 2017
I have written a novel.
Five words that every writer, aspiring or otherwise, longs to pen, or, as is more likely these days, type.
And I am lucky enough to have joined the club.
My first novel, Five Parks, a psychological thriller, was published by Endeavour Press in August.
It’s about a female freelance journalist who is kidnapped after going on five different blind dates with five different men in five different parks in London.
When she wakes up after the fifth date handcuffed in a dark room, she has to figure out – by continuing her dating blog, Five Parks – where she is and who took her.
It’s High Fidelity meets Misery, with a dollop of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory thrown in. And it was a lot of fun to write.
But it was also bloody hard.
Here are five things I wish I’d known before writing my first novel.
What I Learned From Binge-Writing Nine Bad Novels
vitals.lifehacker.com – Friday October 20, 2017
This year, I will write my tenth terrible novel. I do this every November; it’s part of the NaNoWriMo tradition. I’ve never published these novels, but I grow as a writer and as a human being every time I write one. Let me tell you why it’s worthwhile.
Philip Pullman: Rules of writing from man behind His Dark Materials
bbc.co.uk – Thursday October 19, 2017
So what are the tricks of the trade that has made Pullman such a success - and the tips he can pass on to budding writers?
He spoke to the BBC about his lucky pen and why he can work to the sound of a pneumatic drill, but never to music.
Writing for free undermines profession
irishtimes.com – Monday October 16, 2017
I’m a full-time writer and illustrator and was approached recently by an editor working for a reputable company who asked me to contribute a piece for an anthology of contemporary Irish writers. There was to be no fee. The company expected me to to provide the work for free, because of who they were and, presumably, the exposure I’d get for it. It was a commercial business, not a charity, although it said that any profits would go towards supporting emerging writers – as if established writers don’t need “support”.
5 things you should expect when writing short stories, according to Eden Robinson
cbc.ca – Friday October 13, 2017
Eden Robinson's latest book, Son of a Trickster, is a finalist for the 2017 Scotiabank Giller Prize. Son of a Trickster is a fantastical coming-of-age story about a teenage burnout visited by strange apparitions, and was recently defended by Anishinaabe comedian Ryan McMahon on Turtle Island Reads. Her first novel, Monkey Beach, was shortlisted for a Governor General's Literary Award and Scotiabank Giller Prize in 2000.
Robinson is serving as a jury member for the 2018 CBC Short Story Prize, alongside Heather O'Neill and Kevin Hardcastle. Together, they will determine the winner, who will receive $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, have their story published on CBC Books, and have the opportunity to attend a 10-day writing residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
For all those already hard at work on a 2018 CBC Short Story Prize submission, Robinson shares five things about expecting the unexpected.
5 Writing Tips: Harlan Coben
publishersweekly.com – Saturday September 30, 2017
Working off my Rule 3, I'm going to skip boring you with a long introductory paragraph and get straight to it:
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