One of the ways we perceive those around us is by categorisation. Like the Sorting Hat in Harry Potter. We label people to understand them. She is ambitious: he is laid back. He is adventurous; she is scared of her own shadow. She is a ski bunny; he is a couch potato. She is black;… Read More On Categorising Ourselves
This blog dips into my thought waves, and often I spill onto the page what I am discovering myself. In that way, it’s a record of my learning and journey to publication. It’s been a long time coming, but I am finally within sight of finishing the first draft of my novel. I am both… Read More From First Draft to Polished Product: On Finding the Perfect Editor for You
A few weeks ago I asked my husband if he would take a picture of me. I wanted to update my website. The old avatar was tired, a headshot cropped from a family photo. J was happy to help, and I posed awkwardly. It has always seemed a bit narcissistic to me, individual pictures, apart… Read More On my Blip with Twitter and Access to your Contacts
Hands up if you wrote a list of your priorities at the start of the year and if you have failed to maintain them. A new year holds such promise. Why do we set ourselves up to fail each year and end up feeling miserable? We try to give our lives meaning but what if… Read More On Self-Criticism, Compassion and Progress
In case you missed it, it’s Nanowrimo (I’m hearing trumpets, triangles and all sorts in my head right now). I’ve been writing my socks off and so far I’m on track. Tough spots are lurking for me around the corner though as I tend to get saggy middle of the month syndrome. Still, for now… Read More Not for the Faint-Hearted: Using Critique Groups to Accelerate your Learning
Why have a beta reader? A beta reader gives you feedback on your writing before you set it loose on the world. You’ve worked on your manuscript for months, maybe years, and it is likely that you are so invested in your story that you can no longer see it through a reader’s eyes. A… Read More Beta Readers: the Magic Elves of the Publishing World
It’s no secret to followers of this blog or my twitter account (@nzstelter) that I write. I write daily. I write reports, briefings, proposals and correspondence for my day job. In my own time, I continue writing. I journal, write stories or blog posts. I invent stories for my daughter. Writing allows me to crystallise… Read More Feeling Like a Writing Fraud
Salman Rushdie and The Satanic Verses In 1989 my seven year old ears pricked up at the repeated mention of a name in our house. My extended family are big film and music lovers and it would have been more in keeping for them to be discussing Bollywood star Salman Khan. But it was Salman… Read More Should Writers Ever Self-Censor?
After I published my first proper blog post yesterday I tweeted about it and sent the link to half a dozen family and friends. The chosen few, as it were: those who have been supportive of my writing dream or at least know about it. Not everyone does. I didn’t share the post on… Read More Leaving Fear Behind