I believe that writing groups can really push writers ahead -- much more quickly than when writers just trudge along on their own. Here are some useful tips to help create and sustain effective and supportive writing groups: I hope they help! For most of the past decade, I’ve been in one writing group or […]

Sometimes I forget that writing takes time. Last week, I had ALL of the meetings. You’d think the world would have run out of meetings by now, but no: apparently, there will be more next week. And I still had that cold that will not leave and has me hacking morning and night. My daughter […]

Imagine the following scenario...  You’ve got an idea for a novel, and you think it’s a good idea, too. It feels like the right next step for your writing practice—an ambitious step, sure, but not an insurmountable one. You’re ready to take on a new challenge.  But you’ve never written this kind of long-form project before.  Maybe […]

Writing while travelling definitely does not always go as planned. Right now for instance, you’re reading last week’s blog post. What I mean is, I meant to finish and post this last week but that didn’t happen. And yes, I get that this is more than a bit ironic, given that this is a post […]

Busy Women on Writing Books This is the ninth instalment in an interview series on writing, profiling women writers who’ve written and published books while also working, parenting, volunteering, caring for family, attending school, and ALL OF THE THINGS. This month, I'm pleased to introduce you to a friend of mine, Barbara Sibbald. Barbara and I […]

And Are You Ready to Write it? Okay, but do you want to finish your book though? I ask because not every writer necessarily wants to write a full book. For years, I was happy just writing and publishing individual poems and stories. But once the idea hit me that I might have enough pages […]

Just cut it out already, mmkay? After you’ve finished and published a couple of books, you’ll know what does and doesn’t work for you. But early on, as you’re still in the process of finishing your first book, there are some key ways you can make it a little easier for yourself and learning the […]

Rejections are one of the hardest parts of writing. We tuck our fragile writer egos into manuscript envelopes and send them out to be dismissed by the cruel, cruel world. Or that’s how we used to do it – now we just load our files and dreams up into Submittable and hold our breath for 6-8-12+ months. […]

And believe in your book.   Dear Rhonda, Enclosed please find the cheque for your million dollar book advance. Love and kisses, Your Publisher   Ah, no. I’ve published book-length work a few times now, and sadly, this was not the outcome for any of my books. I do get lovely Christmas cards from the […]

Are We In It Together? It’s a lonely life, the writer’s life. Or is it? We love the myth of writing as a lone activity, the writer huddled in a cold loft wearing fingerless gloves and turning out pages by the light of a single candle. (Just me? Possibly my English degree has steered me […]

Where's your writing craft book stack? Building A Writer's Reading List From time to time in any given writing project, you’ll hit a wall. It would be great if this wall was painted with the perfect novel outline, but that doesn’t seem to be in the repertoire of most graffiti artists. The Writer’s Reading List […]

Sometimes, everyone needs a little push in life. And when we need those pushes, we often turn to external sources to guide us through our detours until we’re back on track, regardless if you are working towards a goal or need help with a big change.  As writers, we often need metaphorical tugs on our […]