Tag: creative writing Archives · Wendy Orr
18th Nov
Deadlines – When Breaking them is the Best Decision
I take my publisher’s deadlines very seriously. In thirty plus years of writing, I’ve sometimes pushed them out by a couple of weeks, but last month I did something I never thought…
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10th Dec
Writing – It’s not all in the mind
Write every day, the writing gurus say. Just like an athlete in training, you must practise, practise, practise, to improve your craft. Discipline is key. Discipline, yes. Practice, yes. Every day? Let’s…
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21st Oct
My Top 5 First Draft Tips
With NaNoWriMo creeping steadily closer, I thought I’d give my top 5 tips on pushing through your first draft. Sometimes I need to remind myself of my own rules, so even if…
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13th Jul
Dealing with Writers’ Block – Part 1: Letting go of the previous story
I’ve never really believed in writers’ block – but I do think there are a lot of different reasons why we might have trouble writing at any one time. And right now…
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1st Jul
Dragonflies: myths, meanings and mysteries
Dragonfly photo sent by my cousin when she heard the title Happy birth day to my newest baby: Dragonfly Song. You’ve been a long time coming. The dragonfly theme in the book…
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24th May
Touching history
I’ve just spent a day with the archaeologist Sabine Beckmann in Gournia, Crete. I’ve found and held sherds of pottery that are more than 4000 years old, held a stone tool that…
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19th Apr
Should you make the leap and become a full time writer?
The messy side of a writing life The biggest question I’ve been asked at talks to emerging writers lately has been about making the leap the from part-time writer to full time, seriously committed,…
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1st Apr
So many facts, so little time: researching a new book
Sometimes it’s difficult to distinguish research from ‘bright shiny object’ distraction. When you’re planning a new book that needs solid research for its background, every new thread seems so exciting that it’s…
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11th Mar
Setting your characters free
(with a thank you card to my editors) There ought to be a word for the strange emptiness that comes with sending corrected proofs back to your publisher. Excitement and relief, yes,…
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23rd Feb
Apps and Editing
I never thought I’d blog about an app, but the proofs for Dragonfly Song arrived last week –the idea of a break has now been postponed – so I’ve been proofreading and…
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11th Feb
Taking stock in a writing life
The new book, Dragonfly Song, is now with the proofreader, and after spending the last eighteen months saying that I was on a tight deadline, I feel as if I’ve re-emerged into…
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29th Mar
Asking questions to turn thoughts into story ideas
Eleven year old Maddison wants to be a writer and has asked where I get ideas from. That’s a great question because every story has to start with an idea! Ideas come…
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