creative writing | creative life
I've been thinking about teaching. I think about it a lot. You see, I've been gathering notes for another tutorial to add to the girl & duck Institute. This one's about voice. Voice is one of my FAVOURITE topics. It should be every author's favourite topic. Well. Top five at least. By the way... Do …
Continue reading "Creative writers: Two things you must have that I can’t give you"
A while back I wrote about the Three Ps of Creative Writing: Patience, Perseverance and Passion. You can read that post here. I still believe in the three Ps. But I get bored quickly. And I like finding new ways to motivate myself (and others). Because creative writing is hard. Always and forever. Lately, I've …
Excuses not to write or create. We've all got truckloads. Snoresville. Don't waste mental and emotional energy trying to push through or fight with your excuses. Don't try to rationalise them, either. Don't take them out, hold them to light, polish and stroke them. And don't try tossing out your everyday life in the name …
Creative writing is tough. Sometimes all we need is a tiny nudge to make us chuck it in. If you're looking to bail but need more than a hall pass, here are some tried and tested, totally legitimate, OUTS. Great excuses. Guaranteed to save face. Your face. 1. If you get published you might have …
I run a private Facebook group for aspiring authors and illustrators. You might have heard of it (ahem). It’s called The Duck Pond. Hop on my mailing list if you'd like to join. I also run a private Facebook group for those who are doing my online course, Scribbles. I love both groups equally …
I run a business. It's called girl & duck. It feels weird to call it a business. I didn't know you could love a business. But I do. I adore it. I'm obsessed with it. When I'm creating stuff for girl & duck, I'm in my genius zone. (Have you read that book? The one …
Continue reading "How I started an online business. And accidentally created a thriving community"
Okay. I'm in badass mode. Advice to aspiring authors, 101: Read, read, read! Over and over, that's what I hear published authors hollering. They say read voraciously, read widely, read like your life depends on it. Great advice. Fantastic advice. Up to a point. If you're an aspiring author, I would add, please, please, please, don't …
Continue reading "Want to be a writer? Six reasons you should stop reading"
This week on Duckie TV, we kicked off Q & Q Friday 2017, with a mindset question. A duckie wrote to ask if I ever compared myself to other writers and if so, how did I cope with it. Hello? Did I ever compare myself to others? Hell, yeah! I've even tried to dress like my favourite …
Continue reading "Do you compare yourself to other writers? Let’s break the addiction"