writing Archives – Page 2 of 6

KonMari, the Cabinet and the Cliché – Flash Fiction

06 Mar

Another freakin’ candle. How many was that now? I’d lost count after the eleventh one. I read the embossed label. Leather and cedar infusion – what the…? “Okay, candle. Thank you for…I don’t know what, and goodbye.” I chuck the candle into the donation box. I was nearly finished with the fourth KonMari category, komono, or miscellaneous items. Now you won’t find any Instagram posts of my perfect rows of underwear and fitting sheets standing to attention in their origami-like …

The New Me – Flash Fiction

01 Feb

New. “Today is the start of the new you.” My mother’s words are an earworm burrowing into my mind. What’s wrong with the old me? In the mirror she stares at me, daring me to defy her. My inner voice screams to defend the current me. My mother flashes me a Sale of the Century model smile, and I stay …

Famous Authors Who Nail Their Marketing & What You Can Learn From Them

23 Jan

The idea of marketing yourself as an author can be understandably overwhelming, especially if you are in the early stages of your writing journey. Aspiring authors may wonder what they can do to enhance their chances of making money from their future books. Recently published authors may question what they can do to increase their profile and book sales. The …

5 Life Changing Books Every Writer Needs to Read Today

18 Dec

I love being a writer. It is all I have ever wanted to do, but doing it for a living and balancing it among other work and life priorities can be downright hard. Whenever I do need a boost, inspiration, motivation or writing tips I turn to a few key books – here are what I think are the top …

3 Things Infinity War Can Teach Us About Belonging

24 Oct

So many of us struggle at one time or another to find where we belong. From kindergarten to university, to the communities we live in, our jobs, and in our relationships – we all want that feeling of belonging. We want to feel we are a part of something, and we can be ourselves. Even superheroes aren’t immune to this. …

5 Tips For Writers to Boost Creativity

28 Jul

Creativity has many definitions but when it comes to writing it often refers to the innovative use of the imagination or original ideas to create something. Whenever we write we’re creating something, but our level of innovation may feel like another matter. Some days we feel the muse with us, but on other days, weeks and months even, we remain in …

How to Stay Motivated When Writing a Novel

28 Jun

Passion is what drives many of us to undertake the Herculean task of writing a novel. However, even the most passionate writers suffer from lack of the motivation from time to time. Motivation is important no matter what you do. In order to stay motivated, writers need to have techniques and tools to help them finish their novel. Tips for …

Why You Don’t Need a ‘Pitch’ to Successfully Pitch

19 May

I’m a writer. I’ve been writing for a living for more years than I care to remember. At risk of sounding up myself, I aint too shabby when it comes to putting a few words together. I can be pretty damn persuasive as well, when I want to be. There’s one caveat though. I may be the cat’s meow (at …

Stop Waiting for the Muse to Arrive – Just Write

20 Apr

‘My writing has just stalled completely. I haven’t written anything for weeks.’ I was sitting with a lovely writer, on our lunch break from a writing workshop, listening to how she didn’t know what to write next, so she’d stopped writing. She was devastated, because she was so attached to the story and its characters, but the ‘muse’ had left …

Forget 10,000 Hours of Practice – Embrace Shokunin To Be an Expert

16 Feb

Uncharacteristically, I had a hour or so to spare the other day, and I remembered that a new episode of Vikings should have been available SBS On Demand. I was bitterly disappointed to find that the show hadn’t aired that week. Instead I poked around for something else to watch. My eyes fell on Jiro Dreams of Sushi. As a …