WRITING EXERCISE: Overheard Voices
Dialogue! One writer’s bane, another’s best friend. Some characters are naturally chatty while others find it hard to string a sentence together. And do they always say what they actually mean? No they flipping well do not. Or, at least, they shouldn’t. To help you nail the talky-talk parts of your writing, here’s a sneak […]
Turn A Day Out Into A Story
This one goes out to all our parental homies wrangling ankle-biters and grouchy tweens and hyperactive screen-addicted little womb-fruits over the summer holidays (and, like every day). Chances are HIGH that you’re not getting a whole lot of writing time at the moment. Chances are you’re scarfing biscuits in the bathroom just to get two […]
Mindful Writing (without the wafty bits)
Let’s start with a little disclaimer, shall we? Although we all love a bit of yoga and nature and witchiness at WHQ, we’re not exactly the most mindful bunch. We’re a little more ragey-sweary-gin-swigging-talking-a-mile-a-minute kinda peeps. And sometimes the whole mindfulness movement makes us eyeroll just a little bit (sometimes it’s really super tricky to […]
Switch the POV
Howsabout a little light psychology to fuel your writing brain today? Let’s talk POV (point of view). Perspective makes a BIG difference to a story. How would we feel about Adam (the ‘Monster’) if Frankenstein had only offered us Victor’s whiny little point of view? Can you imagine Star Wars from Vader’s perspective? Would we end up […]
What’s the point?
Another rejection came rolling into my inbox this morning. <le sigh, meh, arg, etc> It’s a short story I’ve sent out a lot, and it’s been rejected every single time. It’s a story I’m actually really happy with, but hey – so it goes – no time to mope. Time instead to give it the […]
Break Through the (Writing) Blockage
Frustrated af with your writing? Stuck? Hit a wall? Feeling totally meh about the whole thing? Looking for a way out of the world of sticky writing blockages? (ew) Ok, how’s about an internet-attention-span-friendly listicle? Something quick ‘n’ dirty to help you get moving again? A LITERARY LAXATIVE, if you will? (ew) Alright, alright, before we […]
Troubleshoot Your Writing: Why Are You Stuck?
Fear not the stickage. Everyone hits a sticking point in their writing at some point. Hitting a sticking point does not = failure. Going through a writing drought does not mean you should give up. Realising your writing is riddled with problems does not mean it’s not redeemable. But before you can move past all […]
WRITING EXERCISE: Let’s get subversive
Okay, let’s be honest. We’ve all started writing a character only to realise that we’ve inadvertently borrowed traits from well-known, well-worn stereotypes or tropes. In most cases, it’s down to not quite knowing your character well enough, and so we rely on tried and tested characteristics and quirks in an attempt to bring them to […]
Pep & Prompt #4: How Do I Create An Unsettling Atmosphere In My Story?
How do you create an unsettling atmosphere in your writing? As with any writing question there’s a hint of string-length in this, but here’s a quick and easy hack for when you just want to creep the heck out and crack on: Liminal space *cue spooky music* Liminal space exists somewhere between here and there. […]
Get Excited About Your Writing Again
Look, we get it. This writing thing can be exhausting, right? Forging through a first draft can often feel a bit like wading through treacle. Editing the living heck out of a piece of writing you’ve been staring at for twelvety-thousand years can make you want to gouge your face off with a spoon. Attempting […]
