By Mark Dapin I started my writing day at six o’clock this morning, when I printed out and proofed the first chapter of my upcoming military history book. I’m already weeks behind schedule with the book, which has to be in the shops in November. I must complete another chapter before the end of the […]

by Rose Hartley As I fumble my way through the second draft of my novel, writers’ guides call out to me from every corner of my bookcase, claiming to be able to help me craft a story that someone might want to read. The latest one I’ve picked up is Lisa Cron’s Wired for Story, […]

By Fleur Kilpatrick Every now and then you have that moment: the moment when you realise just how foreign the workings of your brain are to the majority of the population. Yes, it turns out that it is you who is the alien. Don’t be alarmed. Our minds are so complex and individual that every […]

Here are some editing tips that we’d like to share we you. We also have a copy of this article on our website. There are many different ways to edit your work. Some writers edit and polish as they go, while others wait until they have a complete first draft. Allowing yourself freedom during initial […]

By Jane Turner Goldsmith I was cured of my writers’ block one autumn day in Toronto, about 15 years ago. I was attending a creative writing session at the library. The room was packed; they had a series of Canadian authors presenting their ‘how to do it’ tips. It was cold outside and cosy in […]

David Chapple shares his top five short story writing tips: 1. For me plot is usually just an excuse to push a character around. If you develop a good, three dimensional character the plot often writes itself. 2. A character doesn’t have to be sympathetic to be engaging. If they want something enough a reader […]

By Paul Greenway I always open my Travel Writing Workshop with this first rule of travel writing (although I ignored it myself).  While it is possible to make money writing travel articles for magazines and websites, it is unlikely – but certainly not impossible – that you’ll earn a decent living. But you can at […]

Recently, we held a Life Writing/Memoir Bootcamp. We offered participants an opportunity to showcase a snippet of their work on our blog. Here are some pieces from some very brave souls. Biographical Achilles in Fearful Momentum by Terissa Sheperd Memories may be selective, heart driven, sense driven, ego driven.  There is a natural ‘papering over’ […]

By Simon Collinson You’re a young writer. You have ideas and ambition, and even a few pieces of writing sitting in a drawer, but no idea where to send them. Sound familiar? Getting work published is a dilemma for writers of every age, but is particularly severe for younger writers with little experience in the […]

By Piri Eddy  As the saying goes, ‘Sometimes fact is stranger than fiction.’ But for most of us, our lives don’t consist of car chases and explosions, or thrilling plot twists and tensely built narratives. Heck, most of us don’t even split our pants down the middle bending over for a dollar on the sidewalk. […]

By Steve Evans We are all creatures of habit. Sometimes we try to shuck those tendencies—give up smoking, be fitter, become a better friend, learn how to write a bestseller. Sometimes it seems we are offered, if not a miracle cure, then an easy way through. No-one is immune to the temptations of inside information […]

By Jennie Cumming Thanks to the proliferation of specialised websites and zines, short fiction has become more popular in recent years. Because of the time involved in providing feedback on each other’s work, the writing group I belong to restricts the monthly submission from each member to about 1500 words. We critique no more than […]

By Walter Mason I recently did an event with author, psychotherapist and healer Sharon Snir and I was struck by how she described her writing as a way of making peace in the world. I am used to the idea of writing as a form of therapy, or of social and political expression, or even […]

By Walter Mason  Have you ever read any of the work of Steven Pressfield? He is very much the creativity guru of the moment, and I like him because he really deals in a type of tough love for artists and writers. No molly-coddling, no delicate nurturing of the creative heart. He is all about […]

By Walter Mason  I’ve never really been much of a one for big things. Even though I come from Queensland, the lure of big things, grand vistas and sublime moments has never really been felt. I have always focused firmly on the small, the domestic. It is this perspective which grounds me, and which I […]