Posts Tagged ‘writing’
Novels turned short stories
“Lots of short stories are actually the first chapters of novels.” —Pat Barker A nice observation on short stories by a contemporary British novelist. It says something about the lure of short stories, that readers are often left wanting more. Even a short story leaves readers invested in their characters, and sometimes wanting to follow…
Read MoreLibri come … liberta’ – Rome
Books are like … freedom. This is the title of the literature festival taking place in these days in Rome, Italy. Held at Rome’s Auditorium – Renzo Piano’s structure located in Rome’s Flaminio neighborhood, this literature festival has a lot on the agenda, including scheduled book talks with Italian and foreign authors. Each author taking…
Read MoreChasing perfection
“None of my work has met my own standards.” -William Faulkner Hard to believe one of my favorite authors could be so critical of his masterpieces. William Faulkner (1897 – 1962), one of the great American writers in the southern tradition, was a prolific novelist, short story writer, playwright and essayist. He was the recipient…
Read MoreWriting as a way to free your mind
“A writer should be able to express himself easily, naturally, copiously in a form that frees his mind.” —Saul Bellow Wise words by Canadian-American author Saul Bellow (1915-2005), and I’m certain a concept with which most writers are familiar. As writers, how many times do we struggle with a story we’ve had simmering away in…
Read MoreSeven year itch?
No, I’m not actually writing about the film perhaps best known for this iconic subway grate scene with Marilyn Monroe. No, my seven year itch post refers neither to the Monroe film nor marriage (I’ve been married much, much longer that seven years), but to blogging. I received a little reminder from WordPress.com that it…
Read MoreHappy New Year!
I don’t know about you, but I no longer know how the years fly by so quickly. But race by they do, and here we are in 2019. Here’s hoping your first days of the new year are starting off right, and to all you readers and writers out here – wishing you a spectacular…
Read MoreSecond week of the NaNo writing marathon underway
I wouldn’t usually label myself as a Couch Potato, but when it comes to assessing my level of writing commitment during the crazed marathon month of November, I suppose it would be pretty apt. As NaNoers diligently tear through 50,000 words of their first draft of their novels, I’m enthusiastically waving them on. Tucked under…
Read MoreAre you NaNoing?
It’s that time of year again – when all you crazy writing marathoners take up the challenge to write a fifty-thousand word novel in just 30 days as part of the National Novel Writing Month challenge. Then there are the people like me, who stand on the side lines and cheer you on as you…
Read MoreAfter the hiatus
Hiatus – a break or gap. Since I returned from summer holidays, I have not been keeping up my blog. The return to work and kids’ school and daily life kept things more hectic than I anticipated, and then my trusty home laptop died … and I was super slow about replacing it. But I…
Read MoreWriters, stop making excuses …
“A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper.” —E. B. White In the always brilliant words of author E.B. White – stop slacking off, and get writing! Not much to add to these perfect words of advice. I am certainly guilty of waiting for…
Read More