Once upon a time, there was a little girl who lived in a village near the forest.  Whenever she went out, the little girl wore a red riding cloak, and everyone in the village called her Little Red Riding Hood. One morning, Little Red Riding Hood asked her mother if she could go to vis

“Writing became such a process of discovery that I couldn’t wait to get to work in the morning:  I wanted to know what I was going to say. “ It is vital that we journal and write in the right place, in the right frame of mind, that we let go of our self-consciousness, beco

Writing a book – writing inspiration - using your journal for inspiration Need some writing inspiration?  Just dip into your journal Through recording your thoughts and ideas and reflecting on what you have written, journaling will provide a rich source of knowledge for your boo

Writing a book – writing inspiration - using people for inspiration Need some writing inspiration?  Just look around at the people in your life People play such a big part of our lives and it will be our interaction with others that will bring us either the most sadness or happi

Writing a book – writing inspirations – Rooms Need some writing inspiration?  Find or think of a room that evokes some emotion in you I often cast my mind back to rooms in houses that I have lived in and try to re-capture what it looked like and the activities that took pl

Writing a book – Writing Inspirations – get a writing buddy Need some writing inspiration?  Get a writing buddy Having someone to write with can be lots of fun. Mum (www.patriciamalpass.com) and I have what we call write offs.  We pick a subject and just write.  Usually we

Writing a book – Writing inspiration – photo journaling Need some writing inspiration?  Try photo journaling Photos are an incredibly powerful way to kickstart your memory.  Photos are treasures, moments of your life captured, milestones, birthdays, happy, sad, people long

Writing a book  - Creating a book outline Need to get your writing organised?  A book outline is a must In simple terms a book outline is the big picture, the plan you do before you get down to the detail of what each chapter is about. Outline and Flow To connect the dots we use the o

‘Sleep on your writing: take a walk over it; scrutinise it of a morning; review it of an afternoon; digest it after a meal; let it sleep in your drawer a twelvemonth; never venture a whisper about it to your friend, if he be an author especially.’ Robert Benchley One of th

Writing a book - Competitor analysis for writers Looking for market research for your writing?  Using a competitor analysis is a great place to start We do competitor analysis to understand the market better, the position we occupy and how to fill the gaps. When it comes to writing, I