Learn to tap into your creative juices with tons of writing exercises, tips and tricks—while drawing on new and exciting writing techniques.
Pace, Pitch & Perfection… Knocking Your First Chapter Out of the Park! | Soraya M. Lane
From the very first line, your book has to hook an editor, agent or reader. We all know what it’s like; a cover catches our eye at our local bookstore, and we pick it up. The first thing we do is read the back cover blurb, and the next thing? We read the first page! Some might skip to the middle for a quick look, but research suggests it’s that first page that decides whether we’re going to buy the book or not. When it comes to sending your manuscript to an editor or agent, you might only get the …
Critiquing is for Scaredy-cats and Recluses Too | Sandy Vaile
Critiquing tends to evoke strong opinions in the writing community: people either swear by it or avoid it like the plague. So, will it be a benefit or handicap to you? This depends on who you partner with, your openness to feedback and how long you stick at it. Embracing critiquing can improve the quality of your writing immensely. I know, because I’ve seen it work repeatedly. When I started The Novelists’ Circle group in 2010, I had no idea what an effective tool it would be for so many fiction writers. That first night there were three nervous writers …
A not-to-miss OWL for those considering self-publishing | Donna Munro
Two years ago, I released my first book The Zanzibar Moon. It wasn’t the only manuscript I had written, six are filed away. Some had been sent to publishers and rejected over many years. I admit I did not send them out enough, but I was working full-time, a mum and other things got in the way of my publishing dream. Turning 52 made me devise a plan. I found at that point in my life I desperately wanted to hold my own book. It was time. With a background in graphic design and small publishing, I was confident I …
Worldbuilding – not just for fantasy writers! | Sue-Ellen Pashley
Worldbuilding is often seen as the domain of fantasy writers. But it’s so much more than just creating a fantasy world. It’s in the foundation of every story – even those set in the real world. It encompasses where we set our story in both location and time, it’s the mood of the book, the way our characters move in their setting and environment, the reason why our characters interact as they do. The world pushes on our characters and the characters push back in some way – just as we do in real life! It draws the reader in, …
Perfecting Your Pitch & Plotting Your Story | Soraya M. Lane.
Whether you’re a new writer starting out or an already published author, one thing you have to be good at is pitching. This is as true for someone querying agents as it is for someone already working with an editor? Why? Because pitching doesn’t stop when you sell your first or even your 30th book – trust me, I’m in the thick of writing pitches right now! I’m fortunate to be able to sell ideas at proposal stage, thanks to working with my editors for some time, but if I can’t write a good, short pitch to hook their attention, …
MARCH OWL | Playing at being God: effective and fun world-building with Sue-Ellen Pashley
Course Dates: 4 — 31 March 2019Cost: RWA Member—$55. Non-RWA Member—$88.Venue: Online RWA Moodle Platform Booking link: www.trybooking.com/ZQRA About the course… World-building is an important element of any story and, when done well, can become a character in its own right. But how do you make sure that you’re an effective ‘God’? How can you ensure that your world, whether it’s real, alternative or imaginary, makes sense and is a good foundation for your characters and plot? And how much is enough? This course will give participants strategies, information and checklists to help you get this right. The course will …
MARCH OWL | Perfecting Your Pitch & Plotting Your Story with Soraya M. Lane
Pitching & Plotting… how to make sure you deliver on both in this four week, online course with bestselling author Soraya M. Lane!
Why don’t you need a website?
So many beginner writers ask me ‘do I really need a website?’. Of course, the answer is a resounding yes, but in my view they are really saying something quite different. I think they all know they need a website, but they are worried, scared and generally feeling overwhelmed at the idea of creating one. Or getting someone else to create one. Expensive. Tech nerdy. Complicated. So they try to avoid it and ask ‘do I really need a website?’ in the hope that I will say that of course they can go ahead and build a fabulous writing career …
Edit Your Own Romance Novel
Well hey there, how are your writing resolutions holding up? My resolutions are to write more – I guess that’s everyone here too, huh? My other resolution is to publish more, which means making sure my books are good enough to get out there and earn their keep! I can guarantee you there will be a typo in this short article. And that’s OK! We’re all human and we’re all doing our best. I’ve had some of my books traditionally published and I’ve self-published many others – and even the professionally published ones which had multiple rounds of editing and …