The WMBW Team's New Year's Resolutions

HAPPY 2014!



Here's some of our resolutions we'd like to share with you:

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Review (Warning: Spoilers)

Spoiler Warning: This review contains spoilers related to both the book and film versions of Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Read at your peril.

“Exciting, Exhilarating, Extraordinary.”

Like an eager Buttercup waiting for his dinner, I couldn’t count the minutes fast enough until the second book of Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games was emblazoned on to the silver screen. The violence is bloodier. The danger is deadlier. The stakes are much, much higher.

Entering Competitions

I spent the last summer being rejected/ignored by every job I applied for (about 40 jobs or so?). It got pretty demoralizing so I decided to not bother any more.

I tidied up my desk, stuck up inspiring pictures, articles, people and some of my art to make it as creatively energizing as possible. After I hid the chocolate from myself (sadly, it did not make the world better), I became a full-time writer, if only for a month and a half before going to uni.

(I like bright colours, guys)

I've been entering writing competitions since I was 9, but took a break for A-Levels. This was the first time I wasn't entering competitions with the school, so I wasn't sure what was out there. Solution? I typed "writing competitions UK 2013" into Google and got pages and pages of good competitions. There were a few regularly updated websites that just kept a big list/database of competitions, so here're my favourites:

Interview: Scott Zachary

Scott Zachary is an independent author from the US by way of Canada, the writer of the speculative fiction anthology ‘Gossamer Wings’. His newest work, ‘The Least of These’, was released on the 14th of November 2013. We Might Be Writers secured an interview with Scott over email the day after its release to mark this new book, conducted by Reece Bridger.

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I Can't Write

"...it's better to look at the sky than live there. Such an empty place; so vague. Just a country where the thunder goes and things disappear."

-'Breakfast at Tiffany's', Truman Capote

It's one of those nights where the quiet becomes an atmosphere, saturating me. As usual, I'm sat in my uni room, convinced everyone is having a better time than me. All I can hear is the endless exhale of the laptop - not even the sound of a clock ticking. The desk light pools a yellow glow, so I'm in this little island, surrounded by the dark.

I've been on the internet for a while - unsurprisingly, being a teenager. I know I'm looking for something, but I can't find it. Something aesthetically pleasing? Music to stir away apathy? Some sort of news or quote to start and create a chain of feeling? I'm looking at vlogs, blogs, watching a few seconds of music videos or film clips, searching through images and sounds. I know that what I'm looking for can't be found in make-up tutorials, in images of clean cut tailored outfits, or voices and rhythms.

I'm looking for inspiration. And it's hiding from me.

Plotting Techniques

LOST THE PLOT! - How to Develop a Good Plot

“A novel is a tricky thing to map.” - Reif Larsen (The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet)

NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month

(Image Created Using www.wordle.net)

NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month

(An Introduction To The Most Important Writing Event Of The Year, And Why Getting Involved Might Change Your Life)

--> Link To NaNoWriMo Website <--

Writing is like life. It’s difficult, it’s rewarding, sometimes you want to rip it into shreds, sometimes you want to invest as much as you possibly can into it. Your motivation ebbs and flows.

Just like life, opportunities come and go in the world of writing. Sometimes it’s a competition, sometimes a work placement, and very occasionally a flash of pure inspiration. It’s a sad thing that we often ignore these opportunities. Often we just can’t see the value of getting involved.

I’m here to tell you about another opportunity. It’s called National Novel Writing Month. Here’s what you need to know: It’s difficult. It’s rewarding. Sometimes you’ll want to rip it into shreds.

But you should ABSOLUTELY invest as much as you possibly can into it.

Review: 'Prince of Thorns' by Mark Lawrence

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

'Prince of Thorns' by Mark Lawrence

Warning: Contains Spoilers

Playlist: "Rainy Nights in the City"

Rainy Nights in The City from Kukadoodles on 8tracks Radio.

"At the enchanted metropolitan twilight I felt a haunting loneliness sometimes, and felt it in others"

-The Great Gatsby

Midnight City - M83

 Retrograde - James Blake

 Lady Luck - Jamie Woon

 Bright Night - Dntl

 Zero - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

 Million Dollar Man - Lana Del Rey

 Sweater Weather - The Neighbourhood

 Picky Bugger - Elbow

Overcoming Insecurity

Overcoming Insecurity 

courtesy of www.bookreferees.com

“And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” – Sylvia Plath

Writing For Someone You Know

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Writing For Someone You Know

(Thoughts on Stephen King’s ‘Ideal Reader’ Concept)

A slightly shorter post, this time, as I’m very busy with quite a few projects, some of which are writing and some of which aren’t. But I became inspired to write about a particular topic today - one which I believe everyone should keep in mind when writing, whether fiction or non-fiction, poetry or prose.

How to Exposit correctly

How to Exposit Correctly

(Avoiding Infodumps, 'As you know' and other informational pitfalls)

No, don’t be scared. The title is referring to a writing technique, as much as it sounds like a painful ablution. No, really. The purpose of this post is to take a look at exposition, its value in storytelling, and the right and wrong ways to do it (and yes, 'Exposit' really is a word. I looked it up).

Fluid Dialogue in Prose

Courtesy of www.thecreativepenn.com

Fluid Dialogue in Prose

(A post regarding the art of conversation)

 

They say that the art of conversation is a dying art form; most of the time, I'm inclined to agree. No one talks to each other anymore. Well, not verbally anyway. These days it's always IM this and SMS that; what happened to opening our pie holes and flapping our gums? It's rather upsetting to see that happen. Just as upsetting as it is to see little dialogue in books, especially fluid prose and stories. But, perhaps even worse than that is bad dialogue.

The Staircase In The Rubble

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The Staircase In The Rubble
(A Post Regarding Commitment And Motivation)

Let’s talk about writing.

Writing is difficult. It requires a huge amount of dedication, focus, commitment, patience and stubborn will. It’s the reason that there are far more wannabe writers than there are published authors. Somewhere along the line, we all realise that it just isn’t working.

Playlist: "Let's Live Life"

Let's Live Life from Kukadoodles on 8tracks Radio.

"Right now we are alive and in this moment I swear we are infinite"

-Perks of Being a Wallflower

Australia - Amanda Palmer

Panic Station - Muse

Kill Your Heroes - Awolnation

Shake It Out- Florence and the Machine

Can't Relive the Party - Toussaint Morrison, Dr. Wylie

Dancing in the Moonlight - Acacia Bollinger

Diet Mountain Dew - Lana Del Rey

Youtopia - Armin van Buuren ft Owl City

Interview: Sebastian Peters

Sebastian Peters is a young, independent author from Ipswich, England, whose first book came out in recent months, with aspirations for much more to come in the near future. We Might Be Writers managed to acquire an interview with Peters over Facebook instant messages, conducted by Reece Bridger. Contains sparse cursing.

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Well, Hi There!

Hello everyone! You've probably guessed what this blog is about, so welcome along! This is for all writers out there of any genre, style and calibre. Our aim is to provide a wealth of indispensable writing resources featuring tonnes of writing advice, interviews with authors, guest posts, ideas and playlists for inspiration, book/film reviews, examples of our work and much more...