by Ali | May 16, 2024 | Motivation
Five Different Ways I Use Timers to Stay Focused When I’m Writing One of my absolutely favourite ways to focus when I’m writing is to use a timer. I set one just before I started drafting this post (for just 10 minutes) to help me get into it. Actually, I set...
by Ali | May 13, 2024 | Motivation
Imagining the Perfect Writing Space … and Announcing Writers’ Cafe What does your perfect writing space look like? In my mind’s eye, I picture a welcoming cafe, where there are lots of little nooks to sit and write or think undisturbed. Along with those, there are a...
by Ali | May 9, 2024 | Motivation
How to Write When … You Can’t Seem to Get Started This post is part of my ongoing “How to Write When…” series. Getting started is, for many of us, the hardest part of writing. Beginning a big project like a novel can be so daunting that writers put it off for...
by Ali | May 2, 2024 | Fiction
How Much Should You Plan Before Starting a Novel? This post was first published in October 2012 and updated in May 2024. Thinking of writing a novel? You might be wondering about how best to plan it … but before you figure that out, you need to decide how much...
by Ali | Apr 26, 2024 | Fiction
Understanding the “Show Don’t Tell” Rule (With Examples … And Exceptions) This post was first published in February 2012 and extensively updated in April 2024. One of the most common pieces of writing advice is show, don’t tell. It’s a neat little phrase. But...
