Story vs. Voice, or When Does Editing Kill the Author?

So this has been a controversial topic at my place today, and even as I settle in to do night shift on my manuscript, the spirit of this discussion hangs heavy about my shoulders. What the hell am I talking about?  Story vs. Voice...what does that even mean? I've been trying to convince my husband …

If my site was a Tarot card…

The trials and tribulations of a novel-in-progress...

Review: The Emotional Wound Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi

Last month, I was one of a finite number of super-lucky people to receive an advance review copy of The Emotional Wound Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi, due to be released on the 25th of October.  Here goes...my honest opinion!   For anyone into writing, Ackerman and Puglisi have crafted a superb series …

The Tragedy of Being “Nice”

Today I received and started reading an interesting - if slightly disturbing book - called Violence: A Writer's Guide by Rory Miller (it speaks to my Criminal Justice roots and is a topic I wanted to better understand if I'm going to write a violent scene in a believable way).  It is a phenomenally interesting read, …

Gremlins: the little things that keep us from realising our (writing) goals

It's flu season, and one of the worst in a decade here in Australia.  I wish I could say my family and I had escaped the bugs because we live in a remote town in Tasmania.  Alas...as soon as children go to school, they bring home more than finger paintings and half-eaten lunches. I'm in …

Tarot in Creative Writing

I know this is nothing original, but using Tarot to push along or draw out ideas in creative writing can be a massive blessing. I just received the Healing Light Tarot by Christopher Butler, and I'm finding that it's really rocking along with One Thousand Candles.  I find most Tarot decks unsuitable for inspiration when …