Writing can be a very discouraging occupation at times. Much of the time actually. I went through a period of many months a few years ago when I had a string of rejections – 30 of them in a row. It almost brought me to the point of quitting. But like my need to breathe, [...]

“Words need to be crafted, not sprayed. They need to be fitted together with infinite care.” ~ Norman Cousins When I am writing a short story, novel or blog post I generally just blaze away with the writing, trying to get down the ideas or story before it escapes. After finishing, I go back over [...]

One of the lecturers I have this year often starts her lecture with a writing exercise. It is a creative writing class in prose fiction after all, so this is entirely appropriate. Rosanne uses a variety of approaches, each writing exercise is stimulating. It is also very good writing practice under pressure. I love these [...]