Tag: writing tips

FIVE Tips to START and CONTINUE Writing

Donna Judy Curtin Leave a comment

For someone who claims to love writing, I sure can find every excuse NOT to write. Here I am… on a dedicated writing retreat. A clean house, with big inviting windows, open wide to the creativity. The quiet that only a place away from home can provide; with no chores, no dishes, no laundry, no pets… only the sun streaming in and the trees waving their wishes to the wind. The house hums… hums with electricity, heating and… potential.

That’s it. Potential.

I make a coffee. For once, with no rush of the day, no next thing, no must be on time. I’m able to stir. Listen to the tin, tin as the metal spoon strikes and scrapes the sides to lift and mix my sugar, like I’m mixing my thoughts.

Starting, for me, is sometimes the hardest part.

Then… it’s about sticking to it and meeting my potential. That word again. Potential.

After a week away, dedicated to drafting, I need to find the fortitude to continue. This post is a pep talk for my writerly self. I hope you will find a nugget to polish into a gem. Read more

Adaptability – An Essential Author Trait

Donna Judy Curtin Leave a comment

I was listening to a podcast this morning while engaging in forced labour. By forced labour, I mean working on my husband’s half of our aspirational weekend job list—the list longer than we have the time, physical endurance, equipment, man power or complimentary weather complete.

Photo credit Donna Curtin

My husband grumbled all this winter about how he wanted to cut down the creeping branches along the edge of his fields. Many of our fields are surrounded by bush and eventually, the trees stretch into the unencumbered space to steal sunlight from his crops and barricade his combine.

So, following my husband along the edge of the field as he sawed off pesky new growth, it was my job to drag the bud laden branches into the bush and away from his crops. On the podcast I was listening to, they said we writers need to lean into learning and be willing to grow… to adapt. And this got me to thinking about how, if mother nature can adapt to find the open spaces, surely, we as writers can as well. Read more

Consulting an Expert

Seana Moorhead 1 Comment
Image by mohamed Hassan, pixabay

Margaret Atwood upon writing “Oryx and Crake” found a young man with commitment issues to read a draft of her story.  She wanted to make sure that she got things right with her main character (who had commitment issues) and didn’t make any major errors.  Atwood explained about how important it is to find a reader similar to a character whenever you write a character who is not yourself.  Small details can make a difference between having a reader commit to your story or fall out of it.  

I had already heard that it can be helpful to have a reader review your work when you add in characters that have a different ethnic or racial background than you.  This is called a “sensitivity reader”. It’s important to ensure that you have the details correct and prevent yourself from falling into stereotypes with these characters  I had never thought I expanding that concept to all my main characters regardless of their ethnic background. Read more

Read What You DON’T Write

Tracey Richardson Leave a comment

I saw a Tweet the other day from Canadian author Andrew Pyper promoting a course he’s teaching on writing suspense and it reminded me of something.

Pyper is a good writer. I’ve read some of his books before and he’s the kind of writer who has the skill and talent to write any genre he wants. Those are the kind of writers I like to read. But what his Tweet reminded me of is that for a romance writer such as myself, there are many little tricks in the suspense author’s bag that can be helpful to a writer like myself.

Currently I’m reading Don Winslow’s “Broken”, a collection of novellas based on his drug cartel fiction series that includes “The Power of The Dog”, “The Cartel” and “The Border”, all based on the Mexican drug war. I love Winslow’s books because they’re fast paced, very suspenseful and well written. He knows how to tell a good story, and that’s why I’m reading “Broken”. Read more

Fall Harvest Sauce

Seana Moorhead 2 Comments

I invented a new condiment. 

I know you’re probably thinking we don’t need a new condiment. After all, we’ve got ketchup, soy sauce, mustard, relish, plum sauce, salsa…is there space in the fridge and on the table for another one?

As a writer, I sometimes wonder if I have anything new to contribute to the book world. Occasionally when I enter a bookstore I have a moment of panic. There are so many books in there and how can I write another one to jostle for space on the shelves? Would anyone even pick up my book if I ever get published?

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Polaroids With Words

Andrée Levie-Warrilow Leave a comment
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Dear Reader,

If you’ve been perusing these blogs over the years, you have pretty much figured out that we Ascribe writers are always keen to flex our writing muscles. That there are all sorts of opportunities for writing exercises – if you keep your eyes and mind open.


The opportunities I’ve had for practicing what I call guerilla writing forays have come from the most mundane moments: riding the bus to work; crossing a street in an unfamiliar city; hearing an exchange while standing in line in the bank; walking up rickety steep stairs in an old lighthouse. I’m sure you have had similar “aha!” moments where you think, ‘ I want to describe this experience, or that little scene would add to a story….’

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Surprise!  How to write a plot twister (and I’m not talking about the weather)

Seana Moorhead Leave a comment

I like a good surprised twist in a book. I love it when a book puts in a major twist that is both believable but that I did not see coming. It’s a tricky balance to manage well. Usually I can spot a plot twister before the wind even gets brisk; mostly because they are set out as if they are slowly spewing volcano.

The smoke is obvious, the billowing soot a give way, so I am not surprised when the volcano “suddenly” spits out the “surprise”.

I am looking for the kind of twist that makes a reader exclaim out loud while reading.  A moment that compels a reader to tell the stranger sitting next to them, “do you know what just happened!”  It’s the whoa – everyone is a ghost – kind of surprise.

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Applying screenwriting tips to your novel

Tracey Richardson 1 Comment

I recently came across some simple but impactful screenwriting tips. The advice said every scene should be one of three things: a fight, a seduction or a negotiation.

Sound a little too simple? Maybe. But when you think about it, especially when it comes to films or television dramas, there’s a lot of truth to it. Think about your favourite big and small screen scenes. One of my favourite films is “When Harry Met Sally”. Almost every scene between Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan is either a fight, a seduction or a negotiation (or all three at once). And man, does that make for a lot of tension and excitement.

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