Advice for writers.
Last week, I was wondering why I had such a methodical approach to reading short story anthologies. Having just read four anthologies back-to-back, I found myself adding up the number of stories I enjoyed, calculating what percentage that was of the whole, and the result reflected my reading enjoyment of…
A friend recently asked me to review a short story anthology. Never having done this before, I didn’t know how to start. So I got pen and paper ready, took notes. Having now read four anthologies back-to-back, I’ve discovered something about the way I read and enjoy them… For some…
Creating dreams, and pursuing them… Last Saturday at the 2011 NSW Writers’ Centre Speculative Fiction Festival, Pamela Freeman (Blood Ties, Deep Water and Full Circle) said that speculative fiction was: the kind of story that my mother would say weakens your hold on reality For me, this summarised the entire…
We’re entering ‘The Age of [What]?’ After posting my blog “Times have changed for fantasy writers… or have they?” about the timeless struggles authors endure because of genre-restraints, one of my readers posted a very clever discussion point in reply, relating to the rise of urban fantasy. I love a…
A multimedia storytelling project that might just inspire you. A short time ago, I received an intriguing message through the Northern Beaches Writers’ Group website (which is the critique group I run in Manly, Sydney). The message was from a rather clever cookie at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS),…
What does it really mean to be a planner or a pantser? There are many ways to write a novel (or any extensive writing project). Some people prepare detailed plans with chapter breakdowns and character histories, others don’t even outline, they just sit down and write what comes to them.…
Want to win one of the King Rolen’s Kin books*? *Please note that this competition is now closed. Rowena Cory Daniells is the author of ten books for adults, including the fantasy series King Rolen’s Kin trilogy (look out for the giveaway at the end!) and The Last T’En trilogy…
