Talk about Writing

I love to talk about writing. Recently I discovered a fantastic outlet to talk about writing. Not to obviously established or budding writers but to the “ordinary” public. On two recent breaks I have been given the opportunity to present talks to anyone interested in attending. I’ve been thoroughly encouraged by how many people are keen to attempt to write something. I talked about novel writing in one presentation and writing romantic fiction in another. Novel writing drew a larger … Continue reading

Writing Weak Words

Weak Words Led To Ineffective Prose There are many ways one can recognise an inexperienced writer as one reads a story. Experience (and often a quality editor) helps a writer focus and tighten their work. Using weak words is one of my failings as I rush through writing a story by the seat of my pants. Having a few published books under my belt does not make me an expert by any means. But I have found a few tricks … Continue reading

Setting For Next Romance?

Debating Settings This morning I have wasted time trying to think of something interesting to post on this site. While I intend to continue with sharing memories of my mother’s life once a week, I also feel the need to have some purely “writing” posts which might interest or help any of my readers who may not wish to follow the meanderings from my family tree. My mind remained a blank for most of the morning. But I’ve struck an … Continue reading

Things Never Change

Some Things Never Change While some attitudes change in our society as the years pass, other things never change. A recent newspaper article (Lexi Finnigan NZ Herald) suggested the friendly rivalry often present in the friendship between young men existed just as strongly centuries ago as it does today. I see this as an indication of the often crazy rivalry between men – their concern about size and ability and performance – has little to do with what era we … Continue reading

Use of Language

Use of Language How a writer makes use of language within their writing must help brand them. For example, a Pulitzer prize winning journalist uses much different language than a writer of popular fiction. Or dear I add, a romance writer like myself. But is there any true gauge of which writing is “better”? Although many would say yes, and unhesitatingly assign any popular fiction, and especially romantic fiction, to the lowest rung of whatever ladder being used to test … Continue reading