12 Sep 2012 by Zena Shapter

When Is A Story ‘Done’?

This month’s theme is final preparations for our writing projects. Well, it’s August as I’m writing this, which is technically only a little more than half way through the year. So no, I’m not going to talk about final preparations. I’ll talk about that in December! But what I can talk about now, is how I know when a story is ‘done’ – which is hopefully the feeling I’ll have in... read more

11 Sep 2012 by Janelle Ward

Finding inspiration

Inspiration. It’s such an important part of writing fiction. One of the most inspiring things I do is put myself in close proximity to other writers. Living in the Netherlands, one of the best providers of literary events is the John Adams Institute, which hosts a wide range of (mainly US-based) writers of both fiction and non-fiction. When the Dutch translations of their books are released, writers... read more

11 Sep 2012 by Jacqui Murray

What the Heck Have I Learned from Finishing?

Let’s be honest. For most of us, completing our book (which I have done twice in the last three months) means starting a new one. There won’t be agents waiting breathlessly checkbook in hand, or (if we’re lucky enough to have an agent) publishers in a frenzied bidding war over the power of our prose. I’ve finished three books and neither of these happened. In fact, the only reason... read more

10 Sep 2012 by Dale Challener Roe

Bang a Drum

Saturday I spent the day in an eight-hour clinic, taught by one of the top Pipe Band Snare Drummers in the US. He’s not a writer but he reads a great deal—not surprising as he takes 3-4 trips each week. During yesterday’s lesson he compared drumming to punctuation. How we hit the drum, he explained, was like choosing with kind of punctuation to end a sentence. The analogy was incomplete,... read more

9 Sep 2012 by Jodi Cleghorn

F&GC #26 Villanelle

“The Villanelle Challenge” For submission Sunday, 16th September Challenge: To write a villanelle poem. Genre: Open Word Count: n/a   Submission Tips Please ensure your poem is clearly labelled ‘FGC’ along with the challenge number and the story name in the title of your blog post. Example: [FGC #26] MY VILLANELLE. Submit your story via the Mr Linky Widget. Stories linked in the... read more

9 Sep 2012 by Jodi Cleghorn

F&GC #25 2nd Person POV Submission

“The 2nd Person POV Challenge” Challenge: To write a story told from the 2nd person point of view. Genre: Open Word Count: 1500   Second Person POV Authors   Annie... read more

7 Sep 2012 by Icy Sedgwick

When Reviews Go Bad

In the wake of the ‘bought reviews’ controversy, how useful can reviews be? When e-publishing began to overtake traditional publishing as the preferred paradigm, many of those “in the know” bemoaned the lack of gatekeepers within the indie community. The way they figured it, the battalion of agents, editors and publishers that lined the gauntlet of traditional publishing ensured... read more

7 Sep 2012 by Matt Robb

Writing Projects: What does ‘done’ look like?

A common question thrown around office buildings world-wide is, “What does done look like”?  Done—as in finished.  It’s an effective two-way question that quickly helps staff understand the vision of leaders, but can also be asked by leaders to understand the vision of staff. Is your significant other planning to redecorate the bedroom, or perhaps you’re being asked to perform the... read more