Okay, you got me. There are actually many variables that determine whether you succeed as a writer – not just one thing. If there was an exact magic formula there wouldn’t be a need for anyone to blog about this stuff…but…there is, in fact, one critical factor that determines just how good you get as a writer. And that one …
Capturing a character’s unique voice is an ongoing challenge but I feel like I’m making real progress with my latest work-in-progress. My main character is a 17-year-old girl and I was once that age so I figure I have a bit of a headstart. To get even further into my character’s head I dusted off diaries I had written as …
Why every aspiring author needs a writing group With everything going on in this crazy world right now, we can all appreciate how important it is to have good friends (albeit virtually) around us. I’ve very fortunate to count among my friends an amazing group of writers who I’d be lost without. Now I’ve been plugging away at this creative …
Saved away in one of the files on my computer is a numbered list of names. There are names of writing competitions and opportunities, publishers and literary agents. Each of the names has notes next to him. Dates of when something was sent or submitted. Some of the text is marked with strikethrough and details of a response received. Some …
What may come as a shock to some writers is that many agents and publishers need to fall in love with your idea, as well as you (as someone they want to work with) often before even reading your work. You need to hook potential agents and publishers with something that sparks their interest. You also need to help them …
Not many people can pull off the colour orange, except maybe Isla Fisher in those ING ads and an oompa loompa. I was neither of them but I’d left my Halloween costume to the last minute. As I yank down the rising hem I curse whoever designed this bloated sack-dress masquerading as a pumpkin. Tanya had insisted I attend her American cousin’s “legendary” Halloween party. I had reluctantly agreed to pop in after I finished the late shift at …
The pros and cons of pen names with best-selling author Bren MacDibble/Cally Black, plus other expert tips. I had never given much thought until recently about whether I needed a pen name for the books I’m writing. You see I have been firmly planted in the one genre for a while, specifically YA fantasy, so I figured it made sense …
‘Look she’s doing it again.’ It was psychology major uni-girl. She doesn’t think I can hear her. I fold and re-fold my T-shirt for the fifth time until just the right amount of Ravenclaw crest is visible. ‘Definitely on the spectrum,’ nervous-laugh-wants-to-impress-her-friend, other uni-girl, declares. They stuff their collection of still damp skinny jeans into a $9 Kmart overnight bag and leave. The laundromat is filled with the regular mix of middle-aged single men, …
I’m super excited to be delivering more workshops over the next two months. One is a FREE Social Media for Writers workshop and the other is Build Your Author Website in a Day. Social Media for Writers – FREE Workshop On Saturday 4 May I will be at Helensvale Library on the Gold Coast facilitating a FREE 2 hour workshop …
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that an (aspiring) author in possession of a book (idea) to sell, must be in want of an author brand or platform.” I’ve taken some liberty with Jane Austen’s words but I’m sure she would have agreed with the sentiment. Jane Austen lived at a time when books by women were usually published anonymously. …