- May 30
- 3 min
Juggling It All as a Professional Writer
I get asked by a lot of people about my writing routine – not to put down my own prowess, I don't think it's much interest in my art as it is with how I balance my creative work with my disability and my childcare duties. Writing professionally is not a profession you begin to make money, and a lot of big-name writers don't earn as much as you think. As such, most writers I know are similarly struggling to balance their passion with their life, and most newbie writer's want t
- May 23
- 2 min
How Do You Kill Your Darlings?
You know the scenario: you're writing a speculative script, and you have a flash of inspiration. What you write next is not only inspired; it's witty, it's dramatic, it's thought-provoking. In short, it is the best piece of text written in a script ever. That is until you edit. And suddenly, that wonderful scene no longer has a place in your story. And you try to twist and contort both it and your new story so it can still fit, but every time you slot it into place, it twangs
- May 16
- 3 min
Bookcase in the Bedroom - Part One
As a way to keep myself doing it, I am intermittently going to talk about books I have recently read, what I would recommend, what I wouldn't and what I'm looking forward to on my next to-read shelf. My to be read shelf is in my bedroom, below my makeup and hair accoutrements and above my shoes. That may tell you more about my character than I care to reveal. But before I get into this inaugural bookshelf post, can I just ask: Does anyone else feel personally offended by this
- May 9
- 3 min
Bad, Bad, Absolutely Terrible Ideas About Writing
If you have ever embarked on a creative writing course, there is a good chance you were given "Becoming a Writer" by Dorothea Brande, or "Bird by Bird" by Anne Lammot or numerous other texts written by writers to share their 'secrets' for success. It is also totally possible that you experienced the same as I, complete and total exasperation of the judgemental attitudes of the authors. "If you fail repeatedly at this exercise, give up writing. Your resistance is actually grea
- May 2
- 2 min
Expectations vs Reality
Despite living with me for ten years – six of which I have been a professional writer – I am not sure my husband knows what it is I do or how I do it. He definitely doesn’t know what it is I need… but he doesn’t need to – he’s not the one who’s writing. There’s also a difference between the circumstances I can accept when I’m up against a deadline, or stuck on the couch with a broken ankle, compared to my ideal circumstances. I would prefer to be in my specifically decorated
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