Writing prompts are a great way to get the creative juices flowing. Think about one of the following and free write whatever comes into your head. These can be used for flash fiction, short stories or even a novel or memoir. Feel free to link back to this post. I have added below some free […]
Free Creative Writing Prompts Read More »
I love so many of the classics; 1984, Pride and Prejudice and all the other stories by Jane Austen, Wuthering Heights, Day of the Triffids. There are so many great classics for children, that I loved and I am encouraging my kids to read too – like A Wrinkle in Time, the Narnia series, Little
Do you read classics? Read More »
What is not to love about this classic? Jane Austen’s novel is a biting social commentary from the very first line: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” The tale has been re-told in countless modern books like Pride
What to Read if you Love Pride & Prejudice Read More »
I am a self-taught writer. In a past incarnation, I worked in an office job in finance and the only writing I got to do was marketing mail-outs. So, when I made the startling discovery that I wanted to write a book, I knew that there was a lot I didn’t know about being a
Master List of (Mostly Free) Resources for Writers Read More »
I can’t believe I have only just discovered these two stories by two brilliant authors. Rebecca has been on my radar for a long time as something I must read and Mariana was recommended to me as a time-slip novel done well. The following are two book reviews of historical fiction set in England, both
Review: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier // Mariana by Susanna Kearsley Read More »
What if you knew the date of your death? How would that affect how you lived? This is the central question posed to the reader in the novel, The Immortalists. The four siblings of the Gold family go to a fortune-teller in New York, 1969. She gives each child a date and the story follows
Review: The Immortalists Read More »
August is my birthday month, so I have already been pondering the onward march of time and the date of my own demise. A little dramatic? Maybe. Last weekend, a friend and I went to a discussion at the Word Festival on writing about time travel. US author Ted Chiang and NZ authors Whiti Hereaka
Birthdays and time travel Read More »
“Second-hand books are wild books, homeless books; they have come together in vast flocks of variegated feather, and have a charm which the domesticated volumes of the library lack. Besides, in this random miscellaneous company we may rub against some complete stranger who will, with luck, turn into the best friend we have in the
If I owned a little bookshop… Read More »
I think I discovered this gem at the exact right time. It comes at a point when I am roughly 75% through my first draft and I alternately swing from writing doggedly on to throwing up my hands in despair at the large pile of dog faeces words I have created. Note: This post contains
Review: Bird by Bird Read More »
He found her outside, pegging pants like he counted clients. He longed to sell himself to her. She curled her toes into the grass and watched clouds scudding to the finish. How much did you get done today? Enough, and she stretched to pin up his smalls. Success for her was sunshine hours. The door
Clouds – 60 Word Story Read More »