Announcement

Announcement: Posting on Mondays and Thursdays except when real life interrupts

Friday 22 November 2013

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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Monday 4 November 2013

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.

Monday 28 October 2013

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)

Sunday 27 October 2013

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.

Monday 14 October 2013

Review: 'Prince of Thorns' by Mark Lawrence

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

'Prince of Thorns' by Mark Lawrence

Warning: Contains Spoilers

Friday 11 October 2013

Playlist: "Rainy Nights in the City"




"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

Friday 27 September 2013

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

(Image Created Using www.wordle.net)
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.

Thursday 26 September 2013

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).

Friday 20 September 2013

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.