« July 2019 | Main | September 2019 »

August 2019

Tuesday, 20 August 2019

Ten Things To Know About Being Published

1) Enjoy it. Really enjoy it. You are a communicator, a storyteller, a weaver of words, and now you have an audience: don't fix your eyes so much on the past, or the future, that you can't feel that audience, relish it, and reward yourself as you deserve and can afford. You will never again be an unpublished writer. In the interests of truth, some of the nine things that follow are not sweetness and light, but don't let your Inner Pessimist close your eyes to the sun that is shining. 2) Succeeding as a writer is not an exam... Read more →

Posted at 11:14 PM in A Writer's Life, Book Trade, THE EXPEDITION, You and your writing | | Comments (6)

Sunday, 11 August 2019

On Psychotherapists, Confessors and Other Narrative Conveniences

Recently, a blog-reading veteran of our online course in Self-Editing Your Novel - let's call her Caroline - got in touch. Her main character - let's call her Zainab - is shattered by the death of her father and struggling to come to terms with her past choices and actions, as part of working out a new future. Caroline was finding it hard to work out the shape of such a journey, so she sent a very reluctant Zainab to see bereavement counsellor. These scenes weren't for the book, just the most efficient way for Caroline to get her imagination... Read more →

Posted at 01:27 PM in A Writer's Life, Craft, Genres, THE TOOLKIT, THE WORKBENCH, You and your writing | | Comments (8)

This Itch of Writing is now on Substack. Just enter your email and click the brown button to sign up: But don't worry - the Itch of Writing archive will still be here on Typepad!

email me*

  • Just email thisitchofwriting at gmail dot com

Search

My Photo

Recent Comments

AmazonTINAB51haN2HozJL._SX331_BO1 204 203 200_
Available now, published by Holland House Books
TMOLpbHeadline
The Mathematics of Love
Get Started in Writing Historical Fiction
Get Started in Writing Historical Fiction
SmallFileASApbHeadline
A Secret Alchemy

Emma elsewhere

Categories

Archives

More...

This Itch of Writing is Licensed under Creative Commons: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.en You are free to: Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms. Under the following terms: Attribution - You must give appropriate credit , provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made . You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. NonCommercial - You may not use the material for commercial purposes . NoDerivatives - If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material. No additional restrictions - You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits. Notices: You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation . No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.

GDPR

  • * I take your privacy as seriously as I do my own.
    If you email me, I promise that I will 1) keep your details safe; 2) tell you what details I hold about you if you ask me; 3) change or delete your details if you ask me to, except for any records which I'm legally obliged to keep; 4) never share your details with anyone else without your express permission; 5) delete your details if I close my business as a writer and teacher, except for anything I'm legally obliged to keep.