Writing Blog
Ten rules for writing fiction… from authors who know
This fantastic Guardian article came out two years ago and I read it then and loved it. Recently, I took another look at it and wanted to link it from my blog. After all, what aspiring writer can resist writing advice from the likes of Margaret Atwood (and her brilliant words of wisdom for writing…
Read MoreYou can’t judge a book by its cover … or can you?
Back when I lived in Milan, I had a friend who designed book covers for one of Italy’s largest publishers. I was just learning Italian back then and I remember asking her if there was an equivalent expression for “You can’t judge a book by its cover”, and being surprised to learn there wasn’t. I…
Read MoreAdvice from a debut author
In Rome, where I live, I’m lucky enough to belong to an amazing writing group. We meet every two weeks to read our work and receive critiques. At a recent meeting, we were fortunate to have as our guest Jessica Maria Tuccelli, debut author of Glow, a family saga set between Washington, D.C. and the…
Read MoreI received the Liebster Blog Award
I’ve won the Liebster Award, gifted to me by Melinda Dozier , talented romance writer and amazing critique partner. Thanks, Melinda! The Liebster Blog Award is given to upcoming bloggers who have less than 200 followers and Liebster is a German word which means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing…
Read More“Scheduling” daydreaming time…
Last week I posted about the fantastic Conversation with Joyce Carol Oates I attended. The prolific writer was in Rome and shared her views on writing, literature and the creative process. One of the things that struck me was how often she mentioned her need to be quiet and think – to daydream – as…
Read MoreA Conversation with author Joyce Carol Oates in Rome
There are many, many reasons I love my adoptive city of Rome. One of them is that it’s a city that has attracted some of the greatest artists, poets and writers in history. All you have to do to see this for yourself is to visit the Cemetery for Artists and Poets or stroll around…
Read MoreBest writing advice: Finish your book!
Over at the fantastic web site, Women’s Fiction Writers , debut novelist Kim Izzo, author of The Jane Austen Marriage Manual , offers some important, simple advice to aspiring authors – Finish your book ! Kim’s advice is to get it all down from start to finish, without getting too bogged down with perfect phrasing…
Read MoreBe inspired! In the Shadow of the Apennines
Melinda Dozier , talented romance writer and wonderful critique partner, tagged me for this Blog Hop!, hosted by Page after Page . Thanks, Melinda!! As Page after Page points out, all of our stories come from somewhere, whether it be a dream, another book, a life event, etc. And as writers, we need to be…
Read MoreDoes keeping up with social media take time from writing?
The literary agent Rachelle Gardner, whose blog is a treasure trove of useful information for aspiring writers, has an interesting post entitled My Love/Hate Relationship with Social Media. In her post, she poses a question to her readers: Is social media worth the time we spend on it? She also points to issues such as distracted…
Read MoreRejections can be inspiring?
Okay, so we all know an aspiring author must develop a thick skin. Critique groups dish out criticism, so do our beta readers. And on top of that, we’re probably our own worst critics. We’ve all sent out work that we’ve slaved over, but that just doesn’t wow an agent or editor and we have…
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