Writing Blog
Coca Cola, chocolate bar … and a short story?
Viva la France! If we hadn’t reach that conclusion alone in these weeks after the events of Paris last month, we would have arrived there by the admirable appreciation of culture and literature in that country. France – and specifically the pretty, southeastern mountain city of Grenoble – is the first city ever to offer…
Read More400 posts … and still going strong
Excuse me a moment of crowing. But after almost four years of blogging, I’ve reached my 400th post, and sometimes it’s worth it to simply stand back and pat ourselves on the back for managing to do what we set out to do… and to reflect on how we got here. Back in 2012, I…
Read MoreA Nobel laureate’s views on women’s stories
Women tell things in more interesting ways. They live with more feeling. They observe themselves and their lives. Men are more impressed with action. For them, the sequence is more important. Svetlana Alexievich 2015 Nobel Prize Winner for Literature quoted in the New Yorker, 26 October 2015 I was struck by this observation by Svetlana…
Read MoreIt’s National Short Story Week 2015!
It’s that time of year again. 16-22 November this year marks National Short Story Week. Readers, writers and listeners of short stories are asked to focus attention on this important literary form. Take a look at the whole range of events and resources here. For those of us who love short stories, we often have…
Read MoreHope all you NaNoers have gotten a running start
To all writers out there participating in National novel Writing month (NaNoWriMo), the annual writing marathon, here’s hoping you’ve gotten a great start to your month-long scribbling challenge. Just like a real marathon, it’s important to pace yourself and to just keep going, even if you don’t feel you’re doing as well as you should.…
Read MoreYou’ve finished writing your book. Now what?
The always helpful Writer’s Digest has a great post up: 7 Things to Do After Finishing Your Book. Authors – fairly enough – consider their first job to be writing their books. But today you have to be a master-of-all-trades when it comes to promoting your writing career. So you’ve finished your book and broken…
Read MoreBoys don’t read?
I’ve already written about my fantastic annual pilgrimage to the Women’s Fiction Festival in Matera last month. One of many interesting discussions for writers was the (terrifying?) assertion that boys don’t read. Media consultant Porter Andersen discussed this interesting topic. When boys and girls are young, they are read to by their parents, caretakers, teachers,…
Read MoreNovember’s almost upon us. Will you be NaNo-ing?
We’ve arrived once again, fellow writers. November is just around the corner, and you know what that means… For a small group of writers (and those, like me, who cheer you on from the sidelines), it means the annual challenge known as National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) This insane inspiring novel-writing challenge asks writers to…
Read MoreWrap-up of the Matera Women’s Fiction Festival 2015
Wow, another amazing year in southern Italy at the annual Matera Women’s Fiction Festival. I have been going for the past few years, and I always enjoy this yearly pilgrimage to this beautiful Italian cave town, and the chance to learn about trends in publishing and writing, to attend writing workshops and one-on-one sessions with…
Read MoreGreetings from the Matera Women’s Fiction Festival 2015!
When this post goes out, I’ll be happily on my annual hajj to Matera, the beautiful cave town in southern Italy. Each September, the town plays host to the Matera Women’s Fiction Festival, and I always enjoy my literary escape to this idyllic spot. Each year, I learn so much about the publishing industry, chat…
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