Shiny Thing Syndrome: A Writer’s Malady
We’re here today to talk about a serious condition that afflicts hundreds of thousands of writers across the world. It’s called Shiny Thing Syndrome (STS). Shiny Thing Syndrome can strike at any time, but is a common symptom of writers who are mid-way through a work-in-progress and who will do almost anything to avoid putting […]
Beginning A Story: What Stops Us Starting?
I have this funny thing that I do before I start any new writing project. For whatever reason (spoiler: procrastination) I get it into my head that before I truly begin I have to have the absolute perfect opening sentence, and that this opening sentence will carry the voice of the piece I’m working on, […]
Don’t Fear The Blank Page! How To Start Writing and Stay Writing
So. You have an idea for a story, but where to start? How do you conquer the fear of the blank page and turn the idea in your head into something tangible on paper? To begin any piece of writing, whether it’s a 200-word piece of flash fiction or a 100,000-word novel, requires two important […]
Give it space: How to grow stories in your head
We’ve all been there. You have a great idea, so you snap the laptop open and start hammering out words, but after a couple of paragraphs you’ve stalled. Where is the rest of the frigging story?! You worry the idea round a bit and try to think really hard about where it’s going, but your […]