News, Posts or Views
Understanding Others: The Benefits of Romance Novels
Originally posted on Kristen Twardowski:
Just as some readers turn up their noses at young adult fiction, many sneer at romance novels. But these books aren’t simply trashy bodice rippers filled with swooning and ridiculously attractive heroes. They may also increase self-reflection and empathy in readers. (There is often still swooning though. Lots and lots…
Discovering My Characters’ Secrets
Originally posted on Shannon A. Thompson:
Every human being has secrets. Why we hide the truth (or lies) from others and sometimes ourselves is often the most interesting part behind a good secret, but understanding what makes up a secret can help an author write a character in a more genuine way. So what should…
30 WRITING COMPETITIONS with Amazing Prizes
Every few months, I like to collate a bucket load of writing competitions and plonk them in a post for you to peruse and enter at your leisure. I say it all the time, but writing is a muscle. If yo… Source: 30 WRITING COMPETITIONS with Amazing Prizes
Writers, are you showing off or sharing? A way to kill your darlings
Originally posted on Nail Your Novel:
I’ve been reading Bill Bryson’s Notes From A Small Island and he describes a moment in an Edinburgh art gallery when he saw a father talking to his son about the difference between early and later Goya. Bryson says: The man was describing the pictures with a fondness and…
On Love and Letters: Writing for Those You Know
Originally posted on Kristen Twardowski:
Though I write with terrifying frequency, I fail at an essential type of writing; letters make me fumble. They cause me to be tongue-tied and stuttery. Cards that I give to friends and family are inevitably filled with long spaces and smudges where I have paused to think or where…
How to paint with a jittery duck
Originally posted on Sue Vincent's Daily Echo:
When I left him, my son was gleefully painting with a duck. The duck had, in the early stages, seemed a bit jittery, but once it had its feathers smoothed, the results were quite amusing. Now, lest we invite less-than- civil comment from the Animal Rights lobby,…
Viv Drewa - The Owl Lady 