If you're like me, you enjoy writing and have a novel or two floating around in your head. I'm sure many of us have...
On Writing
Too Many Ideas Syndrome: 9 Tips for Successfully Navigating a Novel
So you have Too Many Ideas Syndrome. I know, it's a pain in the butt, but if we're lucky it will be a lifelong...
10 Ways to Overcome Writing Anxiety
I've been scared to write sometimes. It's not the first time I've felt this way, but it's always difficult to shake...
How Many Drafts Is Too Many Drafts?
“I’m writing a first draft and reminding myself that I’m simply shovelling sand into a box so that later I can build castles.” Shannon HaleI remember the lesson we had on writing drafts in my Creative Writing class in middle school. My teacher, Mrs. G, took us through...
Redefining the Mould
“You know what life is really all about, Miles? Keys. See, people are like locked rooms. They’ve all got different locks and you’ve got to guess the shape of their key.” Peter Quint from The Haunting of Bly ManorWhy do we consume art? Is it in the hope for an escape...
Procrastination Is Not the Villain
"Procrastination is perfectly healthy!"Said absolutely no one ever. I’ve got to come clean. I haven’t been my most productive so far this week. I’ve been putting off working on outlines and character arcs. I haven’t been keeping up with my Goodreads reading challenge...
Revamping My Writing Space
“When I create, it’s like the Sun’s warmth touching my skin after a deluge of rain. I’m in my happy zone once again.” - Lorna KnopppLet’s face it – this year has not been kind to most of us. For us writers, the rolling lock-downs and stay-at-home routine can be...
How to Write a Setting You Haven’t Been To
“Setting is the soul of your story. Improve upon it, and it will take your writing to the next level.” Ruth Ann RidleyWriting setting can be scary, especially if you’re writing a story grounded in a reality and place you haven’t explored yourself. The majority, if not...
Writing Accountability: How to Ace It
"Accountability is the glue that bonds committment to results," said Will Craig.One of the things I love about NaNoWriMo the most is the aspect of defining a word count and a hard goal to work toward. There’s a clear deadline too and that attaches a seemingly greater...
Staying Creative During a Pandemic
In my previous post, I talked about the impact that COVID-19 has been having on us artists, and in particular, the personal struggles I’ve been going through in this time. Running low on creativity is a natural side-effect to the pandemic. We’ve completely revamped...
Is COVID a Writer’s Worst Nightmare? Maybe Not.
“Don’t let what you can’t do stop you from doing what you can do.” John WoodenFor most of us, this is the first pandemic we’re witnessing in our lifetime – the first to lead to a complete standstill and revolution of our daily lives. The last pandemic on a comparable...
A Writer’s Demons
"Creative minds never sleep."I had a strange dream early this morning. In it, I woke up to a figure looming at the foot of my bed. My eyes adjust to the low light and I could make out this attractive, sharply dressed man in a tux. The Givenchy kind. You know, a real...