Here are the top five things which really irk me when I’m reading something: 1. Their, They’re and There all mean different things, i.e. They’re over there! There are the trees. Their hats look silly. I often want to grab a pen and correct these myself whenever I see them. 2. LOL (as in laugh [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Archive for January, 2010
Life and Death in Writing
I cried in my bed last night. I read the last few chapters of ‘The Time Travellers Wife.’ It made me think of life, death and all the colours inbetween. It made me look at my son’s baby face and weep, did I say that already? My review of ’The Time Traveler’s Wife’ in another blog post was made prematurely. I [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Need to reach the finishing line!
What do you do when you lose all interest and momentum on your writing project? I am close to the finishing line on my second draft, yet cannot muster a single piece of enthusiasm to cross the finish line. Answers on a postcard please! Ok, so I’ve called upon the services of another writer who will be [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Fleshing out a story.
I’m sure a lot of authors will agree with me that the first draft of their book is just the first layer of a multi-tiered cake! One of the problems with a first draft too, is that it can either be too long or too short. I’m not entirely sure which is the more irritating offender there, but the problem with [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Kindle or Traditional Book?
I really cannot imagine a life without paperbook or hardback books. I mean the type that have a freshly printed smell, differing thicknesses and textures, inner pages you can bend inside out, dog ear, or throw the whole thing behind the bed (without an error message). You can use books to balance your coffee mug, write a quick phone number on [...]
Read the rest of this entry »How I learnt to structure a novel.
When it comes to writing an actual novel, I can impart some very helpful advice which aspiring writers can either take, or leave at their disposal. What essentially gave me a good insight into the methods and mechanics of writing was not just reading a few novels, it’s actually taking them to pieces and making notes [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Get a writing schedule!
Being a self-employed (or rather self-imploding) writer it’s hard to separate work from home life. I mean how many sit-at- home writers actually manage a decent schedule of their time? Do they do three hours in the morning , break for lunch, maybe another two and then decide that they’ve had enough? Or do they do what [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Is Authonomy just a Con-omy?
I joined this promising site at the beginning of the month as it appeared to offer a wealth of support and promise to the unpublished author. Grabbing an almost-complete manuscript (which I had christened and buried in my hard drive long ago) I set about creating an account there. For those who haven’t heard of the [...]
Read the rest of this entry »The good the bad and the downright insane.
Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror and wondered if others see you the same way? Do you ever wonder why some people say ‘you don’t look fat’ when the scales tell you differently? Are they lying to avoid upsetting you, or are you really not as bad-looking as you think? I think similar questions could be asked about ‘character.’ We [...]
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The Time Travelers Wife Review
I thought I would take the liberty of offering some of my opinions on this book, which I am very close to finishing. Audrey Niffenegger’s powerful novel is based on the time-travelling exploits of Henry de Tamble. Firstly, if I was to comment on the book’s storyline, I would say that the plot offers both [...]
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