First, there was Twilight, the sparkly vampire phenomenon that seemed to come from nowhere. Now there’s Fifty Shades of Grey, the “erotic” novel that has the nation gripped. Once in a while, these literary fads appear. Which leaves writers like…
Essay: Republic of the Sun by Yelena Dubrovina
REPUBLIC OF THE SUN Brief Overview of Russian Poetry in Exile Part I “First Wave” of Russian Émigré Poetry (1917-1945) by Yelena Dubrovina In layman’s language you won’t say as much, As you’ll express in your poetic language….
Is Happiness Bad for Your Writing?
I’ve heard many people say that sadness, bad moods and down days help them in their writing. The idea that sad people write beautiful things and that happy people don’t write with depth seems prevalent in some online communities. In…
How Much Does Genre Matter?
In my first ever writing class, my tutor told me how important it was to know the genre you were writing from inside out. For someone who hadn’t “picked” a genre, and who didn’t want to be tied to just one…
The Long Road
Every journey starts with a single step. Every published book, novel, short story or poem begins with a single word. This week, I finally finished the first draft of my novel. It isn’t the first novel I’ve ever written, but…
How Writers Can Avoid “The Perfect Trap”
In past blog posts I’ve talked about skills, strategies and tips that help in your writing life. A lot of the qualities I’ve focused on–time management, structuring deadlines, dedication and perseverance–are skills that can be transferred to other areas of…
Holiday Season and the Seasoned Writer
The weather gods are shining lately. Even where I live (where summer usually amounts to a slightly less than rainy weekend somewhere around June) we’re enjoying a heat wave. It’s holiday season, and while most of us work around the…
Deadlines: How Writers Can Handle Them
Deadline time. Douglas Adams said, “I like deadlines, I like the whooshing sound they make as they go flying by.” Now that may be fine for old Doug, but if you’re furiously sweating to make a tight deadline, then this post…
Social Media: Making the Best of You
Once upon a time, there were writers. A lot of writers. And they wrote books and, mostly, that was it. Sometimes they may have featured on the radio to talk about current literature, but in the main, readers never heard…
Writer’s Block: This Too Shall Pass
There comes a time in every project where you hit the wall. After a certain amount of inspiration and momentum comes the crash. The road block. Writer’s block. I like to think that if something comes too easily, it’s not…
The Best Laid Plans
The Best Laid Plans When you’re writing a novel, it’s hard not to seek advice from those that have already managed it. After all, it seems like such a massive undertaking, a few pointers can go a long way. I…
Writing: Getting into the Groove
Getting into the groove. No matter what you’re writing, I’m sure there’s a point where you get stuck. A point when writing another word seems impossible and there’s no way you’re going to finish the thing. We’ve all been there. So I…