Posts Tagged ‘writing’
Life in the fast lane? … Or not
I’m not referring to authors here. The last time authors lived life in the fast lane may well have been back in 1920s Paris. Instead, I’m interested in novel pacing. As authors, we all know how crucial it is to find the ‘hook’ – that situation that will compel our readers to continue reading after…
Read MoreThe Seven Deadly Sins of Writing
As a Europhile and an admirer of medieval churches, I’m always drawn to the fire and brimstone depictions of the seven deadly sins. I’ve been dragging my kids around with me since they were old enough to toddle across ancient floors, pointing out these fascinating frescoes that would explain to the poor parishioners of old…
Read MoreLooking for romance, medieval battles, and time travelling adventure all rolled into one? Read Tales of a Traveller.
How exciting for me to have talented British writer N.J. Layouni on my site today talking about her debut novel, Tales of a Traveller: Hemlock. Book One, released on 28 April 2014. I met Nicola virtually when she became a critique partner while we were both writing time travel novels. I loved the early version…
Read MoreSelf-publishing vs traditional publishing
I think most authors today are following this debate closely. Each year, I attend the Matera Women’s Fiction Festival, and follow the discussion on this topic with authors who have been on both sides. Over at the fabulous Nathan Bransford blog, ‘hybrid’ author (meaning she has published both traditionally and self-published) Natalie Whipple provides some interesting…
Read MoreThe chicken and egg debate in writing
I was think of the old expression ‘What came first the chicken, or the egg?’ as I was reading W. Somerset Maugham’s foreword to his fabulous The Painted Veil. Maugham claims he always started his novels and short stories from a character, and the setting and story would naturally fall into place. In his foreword,…
Read MoreI’ve been nominated for the Liebster Blog Her Award
An extra big thank you/grazie to my blog buddy and real-life buddy each year in Matera, the talented author Catherine McNamara, for nominating me for the Liebster Blog Her Award. If you don’t yet know Catherine’s work, take a look at my earlier author interviews with her for her novel and short stories. As part of…
Read MoreMore writing inspiration on the slopes
As this post goes out, I’ll be wrapping up a great week with my family out on the ski slopes of Italy’s Abruzzo region. I always look forward to a week-long skiing break (heck, if I could, I’d make it a month-long skiing break), and my kids are avid skiers. I’ve written before on skiing…
Read MoreImportant lessons from first-time novelists
The excellent Writers’ Digest web site posted this interesting article on lessons learned by first-time novelists. Five novelists share their experiences along the pathway to publication – discussing their writing lives before their first novel, their submission processes, their experiences with writers conferences, balancing writing and work/family commitments, and what they’d wished they’d known before…
Read MoreFirst person narrative isn’t serious?
Nathan Bransford, of the fabulous Nathan Bransford blog – a treasure trove for writers – weighs in on the first person narrative in the post Wait. A first person narrative isn’t serious? Bransford received numerous comments for an earlier post weighing in on types of narrators, and was surprised by readers’ comments that writing professors,…
Read MoreWhat are literary agents’ querying pet peeves?
The excellent Writers in the Storm blog posted recently on Query letter pet peeves – Agents speak. Listen up, writers. It’s hard enough to get an agent today. You at least want to do your best to avoid sending your masterpiece out into the world and having it summarily ignored because you’ve inadvertently angered your…
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