Month: April 2010

the power of words

In the cut and thrust of writing, especially where there’s a living to be earned, it’s sometimes easy to forget what writing is really about. The words on a page (or a screen) convey ideas, imagination, emotion, information and much more besides. Sometimes they reach out to us, sharing someone’s story and touching people that …

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TCQS

A while back, Brian Keaney left me a comment about applying skills that have been honed in the world of business to the craft of writing. At the time, I nodded and filed it in the back of my mind. I look upon Brian as one of the voices of sanity because he’s already ploughed …

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COME AND GET IT!

Many writers suffer from promo-phobia – an inability to promote their work. Once thought to be a peculiarly British disorder, it is increasingly becoming a worldwide phenomena. For afflicted writers, faced with the prospect of impoverished obscurity, there are now treatments available. Private clinics can provide regular injections of ‘shouty bastard’ serum along with a …

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Writing environmentally

I’m very keen on green living. And it seems to me that the three tenets of living in harmony with the environment are just as relevant to the writer at large. Let’s say them together: REUSE, REDUCE and RECYCLE. REUSENo good idea lives but once and every technique learned should be applied where it’s applicable. …

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Ruth lives the dream

The writing world has been all a twitter (literally, in some cases) about the success of Ruth Saberton’s debut novel Katy Carter Wants a Hero. While the book itself has received positive views and scaled the Amazon rankings like a Sherpa, it’s the tale of the book’s birth that has been capturing the headlines. The …

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The wisdom of fools

Every writer knows that ‘standing on the precipice’ moment, with the wind on your face and an open chasm below you as you stare at the waiting screen or page. It’s a moment of great courage and folly as you whisper to yourself, ‘I’m going to write something.’ All that stands between you and the …

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