As writers and authors we know we need capture our readers attention. After a potential reader has picked up our book, possibly due to the cover artwork and reading the blurb, the first line or two can clinch the deal. So the most worked on, pondered and despaired...
Over the last fourteen years of being a published author, I have become less nervous about reading to an audience. I'm not sure anyone is ever totally confident when standing in front of a large group of strangers, but I might be wrong. Anyway, here are some tips to...
With the excellent mentoring support and encouragement I received from my local writing group, the Writers Foundation of Strathcona County, I would not be writing today, that's a fact. And so after sixteen years of experience, I am more than happy to help other...
As writers and authors we want and need to find ‘our people’. This enables us to be connected even while solitary in our work. There are myriad of ways of doing this, so let’s get started. We can begin with finding comparable authors in our genre(s) on social media,...
Many of us have been scrambling to meet our November writing challenge deadline, no matter which challenge platform we participated on, 30th November is the completion date. There are two schools of thought about writing deadlines: a) an excellent resource b) creates...
Photo by Andrew Neel on Pexels.com I think we are all guilty of poor posture while writing. We adopt a hunched over position as the story reveals itself and we become immersed in the narrative and characters. However, sitting is now the new smoking and as writers - we...
I'm often asked how do I come up with the ideas. I think this post may be of interest to writers and readers alike. One thing that sparks my imagination is a writing prompt. This can be a selection of words, a picture, the starting sentence, or a title. Recently I was...
When a publisher requests revisions, don't feel disheartened. Of course, stand by your work, but see this request as a learning tool. They have specific criteria for the genre and their publishing house and want to ensure your book holds true to both. Just remember...
Writing fiction as opposed to non-fiction is a vastly different skill and mind set. In fiction, we entertain the reader, by fabricating characters and their journey, rather than presenting factual information. Initially, when you are considering this change of...