Writers Tips
Tips on Getting That Book Written - Noelle Harrison
“Now I felt excited when I sat down to write. Each chapter was an act of discovery rather than an act of manipulation.”
(Natalie Goldberg “Thunder and Lightning, Cracking Open The Writer’s Craft.)
- The Thrill.
Every time I sit down to write I feel a little bit excited. I am diving into the unknown, the world of my mind and imagination and it is thrilling. So my first tip would be to first of all focus on the pleasure you gain from writing, playing with language, plot and character and of course your own unique imagination.
Read more: Tips on Getting That Book Written - Noelle Harrison
Ten Crime Books You Have to Read Before You Die
International best sellers John Connolly (left) and Declan Hughes (right) first presented versions of this list at the Dalkey Book Festival back in June, then at the world mystery convention, Bouchercon in San Francisco.
It is essential reading for all aspiring crime and mystery writers, detailing crime greats such as Dashiell Hammett, James Lee Burke, Raymond Chandler, Ross Macdonald, Patricia Highsmith and George V. Higgins - but of course leaves out two that no self respecting crime writer should miss - Hughes and Connolly themselves.
Diana Pinckley in a recent article said of Declan Hughes: "Hughes is something of a specialist on devastating twists in crime fiction. His series of novels starring Ed Loy are dark, and not just because the days are short. Families, drink, religion and the economy are interdependent -- and all are fraught with complications.
The 9 Day Writer's Week
WRITING and WORKING – are there enough hours in a day …?
Of course not!
I’m a writer with a full time job, a family and a house to run so I have to fit as much as I possibly can into every waking moment. And believe me when I want to, I can. And if I can do it, so can anybody!
‘But where do you find the time to write and work fulltime?’
Why Take a Writing Class?
Why take a writing class? What do people get out of them? Can writing really be taught, anyway? (The writer Flannery O’Connor famously noted, when asked whether she felt the academy stifled writers, that they ‘don’t stifle enough of them’!)
The fact is that lots of people learn how to write without taking writing classes. So, the short answer is no, you don’t need to take a writing class in order to write. It’s not a professional qualification, after all – it’s not like you need to pass an exam or get a certificate to ‘prove’ that you’ve put in the work.
But like so many other things, having that structure there to help you put in the work can really help. Here are some of the ways a writing class can and should benefit you as a writer:
Joseph O'Connor's Top 10 Tips
Author and broadcaster Joseph O’Connor is to receive the 2012 Irish PEN Award for outstanding contribution to Irish Literature. The award will be presented at a dinner on Friday, 10 February, 2012, at the Royal St George Yacht Club, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. The award will be presented by President Michael D. Higgins. To learn more about Irish PEN see our Essential Resources for Writers section for details and links. Tickets for the Gala dinner cost €60 and can be purchased online here.
In this superb list of essential techniques, international best selling author Joseph O'Connor tells writing.ie his top ten tips for writing fiction - more information can be found on Joseph's own website
Writing isn’t easy. That’s the first thing. It’s like singing: most people think they can do it, and most people can, a little, but doing it beautifully doesn’t come naturally to most of us. We have to work at it. But it’s worth the effort.
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