When I was younger, I baulked at the idea of reading more than one book at a time. It felt like cheating on the book I was reading. How could I give it anything less than my full attention? It was one and one alone for me. However, once I started living on my own … Continue reading Why You Should Read More than One Book at a Time
writing community
Looking at the Positives: Negative Feedback Isn’t All There Is
Ah, critiques. Don't you love them? Exposing your book baby to someone else and watching them tear it apart piece by piece... Well, hopefully your critiques aren't actually like that (and if they are, come talk to me so I can give you a more constructive critique). But they are scary! It's hard to separate … Continue reading Looking at the Positives: Negative Feedback Isn’t All There Is
Reblog: Become a Better Speaker; Talk to Yourself by Tracy Meler
Ah meeting facilitation. It is an art form, it is. It is so much so that one of my goals this quarter is to publish an online course on meeting facilitation. There is plenty of advice out there on how to become a more confident speaker and presenter. The easiest and most accessible one to […] … Continue reading Reblog: Become a Better Speaker; Talk to Yourself by Tracy Meler
Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Book?
Books are scary things. Sure, they can be exciting, but they are a massive undertaking. Sometimes, they even have teeth (or at least it feels like they do). I don't know if you've ever been afraid of the book you're writing, but I know I have. In fact, it's the most common form of writer's … Continue reading Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Book?
Talking It Out: It’s Okay to Need Help
Writing a book is a long, personal, fulfilling, and vulnerable project, to name just a few adjectives. It's such a big undertaking that it feels incredibly good to be able to claim, "I wrote a book all on my own." But even such a personal project was never meant to be tackled alone. It's easy … Continue reading Talking It Out: It’s Okay to Need Help
Renewed Energy: Putting Yourself in a Writing Mood
Habits are formed by doing things day after day, even if we don't necessarily feel like doing them. This includes writing. Making writing a daily (or almost daily - rest is important!) habit sometimes requires pounding out words even if they all feel like garbage. But sometimes, it's okay to put yourself in a "writing … Continue reading Renewed Energy: Putting Yourself in a Writing Mood
2 MORE Cheats That Instantly Fix a Scene
I wasn't lying to you the other week, I promise. Those "cheats" I talked about in my Friday post a couple of weeks ago really are the first ones I go to when I get stuck with a scene. But soon after writing that post, I realised that there are two more fixes I look … Continue reading 2 MORE Cheats That Instantly Fix a Scene
Flow
No. 35/100 flash fiction stories. Inspired by the piece "For Chris" by Brock Hewitt. The scene is clear in my mind. It's almost the same as the one before my eyes, but the forest is greener, younger, like I was. The stream was swollen in those days and now I can barely hear it trickle on … Continue reading Flow
Resolution Check!
How are you doing on your New Year's resolutions? I can see some of you avoiding eye contact. Some others are already moving on to the next blog post. Don't check out on me yet! When it comes to my resolutions, I'm not doing superbly, either. Did January hit anyone else like a truck, or … Continue reading Resolution Check!
Wordiness – Why It’s a Problem and How to Recognise It
I'm wordy, guilty as charged. Strangely enough, I'm not a big talker, but when I do talk, I often state my points a few times in different ways before shutting up. It's my perfectionist streak coming out - the first thing out of my mouth never feels good enough, so I have to try and … Continue reading Wordiness – Why It’s a Problem and How to Recognise It
The Story Canvas 