Review of: Write Your Book in a Flash by Dan Janal

In Write Your Book in a Flash, Dan Janal writes about how most people who start books never finish them. He says: People hit this wall with almost everything they do–from trying to lose weight to creating impossibly long to-do lists, to saving money for retirement. The people who succeed find a way to persevere when things get tough (or when … Read More

I wonder why I write…

Sometimes, I’ve noticed a niggling thought lurking in my mind: “I’m not good enough.” Mostly, in the last few years at least, I haven’t given in to the thought. Instead, I have taken it out into the open, let it have its say and then let it go. Logically, I knew it wasn’t true. Logically, I knew I was as … Read More

Thoughts About Thoughts

Do your thoughts make you who you are? Sometimes it feels that way. Sometimes when I have thoughts I deem “good,” whether they are wise, kind or clever, I feel good. When I have thoughts that seem unkind, selfish or ignorant, I don’t so feel great. Those thoughts come with another one: “You are unkind, selfish, ignorant. Stupid.” Then, it … Read More

Why Writers Write

Way back last summer, Kenya Johnson tagged me in an Author Blog Tour, where authors share their writing process. Then Susan Zutautas tagged me in another tour, asking why I write. I wrote a post combining the how and why, but for myriad reasons, I never got round to publishing. Now I’ve been tagged yet again. This time, Heather and … Read More

New Lucrative Genre of Fiction

A while ago, “experts” predicted that novels set at the school gates were about to become the next big thing. The main idea behind these novels is that women meet at the school gates, get coerced onto committees (or bully others onto committees.) And everyone worries about what everyone else thinks of them. The launch of Hive by Gill Hornby … Read More

Black Parrot Days: when writing won’t come

I’m thrilled to announce Writing a River has its very first guest post! Guest Post by Penelope Hart Today’s post is by the wonderful Penelope Hart. Penelope has had a long career as a writer, working on glossy magazines in the eighties, and later gaining an MA – with distinction – in Scriptwriting. Her plays have been performed in British … Read More

Mindfulness for Writers (or for Anyone)

What does kindness have to do with mindfulness or even with writing? And just what exactly is mindfulness? I’ll answer that second question first. There are many definitions of mindfulness, but the one I like best comes from Kristin Neff: “we hold our experience in balanced awareness, rather than ignoring our pain or exaggerating it.” (You can read my review … Read More

Book Review: Write Right! by Jan Venolia

First off, a confession: my copy of Write Right! (yes the exclamation mark is part of the title) is very old. As in very, very old. It’s so old that the spine has faded. It’s so old that is was written pre-emails and internet and all those other things we take for granted. Texting wasn’t even a word. So I … Read More

The No-Na-No diary: This Moment is All We Have

I’m not sure if this is part of my No-Na-No diary, or just some random thoughts –  but here goes. I am so, so pleased to have taken the pressure of myself and decided not to force words that don’t need to come. The last two days I have carried on working on the novel I began for NaNoWriMo, at … Read More