Recently, the world heard of the sad news that author Iain Banks has only months to live and this piece by author Val McDermid actually brought tears to my eyes. It wasn’t all that long ago that one of Australia’s favourite authors, Bryce Courtenay, died of cancer. It not only got me thinking on how […]
Bullying – it would seem that some people have experienced it in one form or another. It can be referred to as a part of growing up; a ‘rite of passage’, although there are those fortunate enough who can go through life never experiencing it at all. Unfortunately, this particular transition for some can become […]
Although I enjoy blogging, I have been experiencing blogging ‘burn-out’. Between blogging, my studies and my writing, it has become a bit overwhelming. This is why I have decided to join the ranks of the slow blogger. Apparently, slow blogging has been around for a while. I have only just discovered it, thanks to author […]
I’ve heard a fair bit lately about writers doing up playlists for their novels. I’m not one to listen to music while I write, as I find I can be easily distracted; however, when it comes to understanding my protagonist, I found listening to music very helpful. The setting for my work in progress is […]
This week as I battle my way through National Novel Writing Month (better known as NaNoWriMo), I thought I’d share with you the inspiration behind my current work in progress. During my late teens and into my early twenties, I had the feeling that someone was watching me. Either my imagination was getting the better […]
Blog, build a platform, know your audience – these are just some of the things writers are inundated with on a daily basis. There is just so much information to take in, it’s little wonder we unpublished writers get confused and wonder what we’re taking on. I know there have been many times I have […]
The horror genre deals with emotions, bringing us out of our comfort zones. In horror we get to see things we normally wouldn’t see, challenging our beliefs and learning more about ourselves in the process. With Halloween just around the corner, I thought it would be interesting to see what you, the readers, have to […]
Whenever I had visited the local bookshop these past few months (okay, Big W, I admit I’m cheap), I would be dismayed at the sight of so many paranormal romances within the Young Adult section. Back in July, after reading the discussion post on Wonderous Reads Are You Over Paranormal YA? it made me consider […]
As writers, we need to undertake a fair amount of research for our stories, although sometimes we can get a bit carried away. The actual writing is delayed either because we’re bogged down in research or because we’re having too much fun. Fun is certainly where I’ve been at recently! 1985 was a memorable year […]
There has been some discussion of late amongst writers on what content to have within their blogs. This is an issue I have been grappling with myself for quite some time now. As an unpublished author, I have the advantage of experimenting with my blog to find out what works and what doesn’t. When we […]
