2016 Take-Aways

Spoiler Alert. This blog post is about me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Ha ha. I follow thought leader James Altucher. He called one of his best-sellers,”Choose Yourself.” I love that. Wish I’d thought of it. He mostly writes about “Me” and I love...
How to start writing fiction

How to start writing fiction

I’m pleased to publish this guest post by Shirley Williams, who previously contributed Thoughts From a Reader (link in text below). In this post, she discusses various approaches to writing fiction, as presented in the Future Learn course, Start Writing Fiction....
What to do when a market doesn’t pay its way

What to do when a market doesn’t pay its way

I met Michelle Barber online when we crossed paths writing content for a big hungry web site. Over the years, we learned we had a lot in common in the world of creative writing and became friends. Michelle is a talented witty writer of all kinds of fiction. My...
Ogres onions and layers

Ogres onions and layers

Ogres, onions and layers – Part 1 Shrek is our favourite celebrity ogre, right?  And he has a message relevant to your writing. Remember when Shrek and Donkey set out on the quest to rescue Princess Fiona from the dragon’s castle? They trudge through a field of...
What is a theme?

What is a theme?

Q. What is a theme and must I have one? A. The theme is the moral discussion or proposition of your story, for example, “Love conquers all,” (Rome and Juliet), or “People get what they deserve,” (The Scottish Play). Not every writer chooses to...