I'll always remember one writing course when I talked about how much writing is rewriting. How hard it can be. How rare it is that your first draft is flawless. There were some surprised murmurs, some nodding heads. ‘Don’t worry,’ I said. ‘Just give yourself permission...
I’ve just landed in post-royal-wedding bliss. England is as green as green can be and hawthorn blossoms float like clouds along the dense hedgerows. I was up early walking through the fields with my mum’s Jack Russell, Ella or ‘little lovetty’, as Mum calls her...
Staying motivated on a long project requires a particular sort of grit. There are strategies that help you hang in there for the long game. When I had my mini writing retreat at Bundanon, I was looking back over my ‘writing journal’. These are the notes...
We’ve all been there. Those days when nothing seems to flow, when your words are wooden and your syntax is lifeless. Those days when you’re bored with writing. Sick of it. Even hate it. I’ve been there too. It’s like you’ve reached a dead end – or...
I can’t help myself. I’m already plotting my next two big writing projects even though I’ve hardly recovered from my launch last week of The Pagoda Tree. In this week’s post I’m focusing on non-fiction. So where to start? Spend time thinking about your project … When you’re...
When I teach writing, I always ask my workshop students how they create a routine for themselves. Here’s what some say: I write for 40 minutes during my lunch break twice a week. I write on the train to work. I stay in and write one evening every...