On Writing

Writers, editors, agents, publishers and more share their thoughts, experiences and stories.

Joy turned Into Nightmare

When Leone Purdy of the Sale Write-ability writers group decided to self-publish her poetry book, not everything went to plan.

I was elated. My first book published – and it was lovely. I felt pride in myself; a feeling that was new to me. Was this beautiful, softcover, book of quirky, idiosyncratic poems really mine? Working with a publishing service had all seemed so easy. I’d paid them to edit and review my manuscript. Where once it had been a jumbled mash of incoherent, long-winded and unrhythmical verse, it was now a polished poetry book.

30K in 30 Days Archive

Day 1 – Writing time

Perhaps you've already written your quota for Day 1 (If so, amazing! It's Sunday!), but for those of us who haven't just yet, it's worth thinking a little about time and the timing of your writing. Will it be a set time every day? Or will it be when random opportunities arises?

Re Dear Extinction

On the imperative and impossibility of writing animals in an age of extinction.

Community Minded

Writing may be a solitary pursuit, but it doesn’t follow that being a writer means resigning yourself to loneliness and isolation. Writing communities, large and small, exist in all kinds of forms, catering to all kinds of writers. Some communities develop organically.

Writers in Film

I have always been fascinated with how cinema depicts writers and the craft of writing. Much of what appears on the big screen, the huge publicity tours and massive advances, is pretty far from the mark in terms of reality for all but the most successful authors. That said much a lot that cinema gets right: the hard grind of getting the words on a page to make the deadline, dealing with rejection, struggling with envy in relation to more successful colleagues, the constant effort of staying relevant, etc.