The Latest Articles From The Litopia Ā® Author Platform ā¢
The Good Thereās so much to love about writing ā the excitement of that initial spark of an idea; the stimulation of the challenge to makeā¦
Be True to Yourself
My sort of marketing I recently participated in ALLiās SelfPubCon, which focused on the business side of writing. There were sessions on using social media, monetisingā¦
Giving Feedback The title of this post is a sentence thatās often used at the end of a fellow writerās feedback in the Lab, and Iā¦
There has long been an association between mental illness and creativity with seemingly endless examples of successful creatives affected by anxiety, depression, bipolar and other mentalā¦
We are back from a river cruise down the Danube from Budapest to Bucharest. Well, what did we see? We were amazed at the people whoā¦
It was an irresistible afternoon, the gorgeously seductive late summer / early-autumn sunlight inviting me to come play in the woodsā¦ how could I refuse? Soā¦
Read my full take on AI vs. creativity in art and writingāand how we can navigate this storm together. Because AI isnāt going away. Itās our new competition ???? #AIAndCreativity #HumanTouchInArt
In Other Words…
"Iām fine" can mean so much more than meets the eye. Explore how under-writing can pack a punch and create tension in my latest blog post #EconomyOfWords
Missed the Slush Pile? Don't Let These Mistakes Derail Your Writing Career ????āØ #Writers #WritingTips
About It All Again
Remember that time in 1973 when life felt like an adventure? ???? Oberjoch was where it all began for me. #TravelStories #70sMemoirs
Last night, my daughter and I had the best movie night everācomplete with a DIY fort, popcorn, Skittles, and a cinematic masterpiece that left me speechless. ???? Why Shrek is the Ultimate Story ????
There's something mesmerizing about stories where society falls apartābut the human spirit refuses to break. FromĀ Children of the DustĀ toĀ The Handmaidās Tale, these tales grip me with their dark, yet hopeful narratives #Dystopia
It’s Art If I Say So
Marcel Duchamp said this: "It's art if I say so". He's the guy who stuck a urinal on the wall and called it 'Fountain. But is it art? Too bloody right it is.
Let Them Eat Cake
Over the years, Iāve developed a method for outlining my novels thatās a mash-up of different methods Iāve read about
As a kid, I watched Star Trek. Some things have come true. I remember at the market you had to push to open the door. Onā¦
Writing Emotion
I keep coming back to AgentPeteās phrase: āemotional aftertasteā. This is what we as writers should leave the reader with by the end of a scene/chapter/the novel
From Murderbotās snark to Red Risingās grit, plus Ray Porterās legendary narrationāhere's my top 10 SFF audiobooks list thatāll blow your mind (and ears)! ???? ????āØ #SFFAudiobooks
Good Writing
Why do some stories stick with us forever, while others feel forgettable? ???? Frank Herbert's "Dune" is a masterclass in storytellingācharacters, world-building, and prose all shine
Experimenting
Be Brave Iāve been writing seriously for years. The more I wrote (and read the work of other authors), the more I experimented with different genres,ā¦
My Writing Journey During my formative years, I had spells when I thought Iād like to be an author when I grew up (if we everā¦
Donald Sutherland is gone. I saw him on stage at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles years ago in a play. What can one say?ā¦
Bad Writing
Lately, Iāve been hearing lots of complaints about awful writing. Not mine ā people arenāt saying it to my face anyway ā but some movies andā¦
Forest bathing
A long-lost friend dropped by recently. Myka was in Berlin for a conference, and found herself with a free evening. We offered her a barbecue, aā¦
AgentPete often says that writers should play to their strengths - it sounds so obvious but this hadnāt occurred to me before I heard him say it
What if Harry Potter and the Philosopherās Stone was called something else?
Food, travel, books, movies, television shows, and onā¦and onā¦ A family member of mine doesnāt like avocado. Wonāt dip his chip into guacamole. YUM. A friendā¦
Think Like A Reader
I always find Beta reading such a great opportunity to learn. I discover things that Iām sure I do myself as a writer that I critiqueā¦
"Deal sites" are websites that will email your book promotion out to their email lists for a modest fee. Here's my experience
Writing ‘Rules’
Donāt Start with a Character Waking Up, Looking in the Mirror, or with a Hangover On Pop-Up Submissions, we received a lot of openings like this.ā¦
Writing Disability
I'm not stupid enough to think I speak for any other disabled person than myself. But as writers, shouldnāt we be giving voice to things that give our world itās humanity?
Self-Publishing
I decided to self-publish my contemporary romances after unsuccessful attempts at the traditional route. There are pros and cons to making this decision and lots ofā¦
Skimming Stones
The pebble skimmed the surface ten times before running out of momentum, then seeming to flounder for a split second, sank into the dark still lakeā¦
Writes and Wrongs
In the few years since lockdown I think this is the single biggest writing lesson I've learnt
Rules and Commonalities Iām not a musician but even I know that songs have a structure, verses and a chorus, that they often have a beginning,ā¦
Wordle got me out of bed each morning with a sense of purpose. When I realized that I was obsessively counting letters in words instead of reading them, it was time to break the habit
Last time, I spoke about stories that stay with you ā or more accurately, the ones that donāt. This month, I want to take some timeā¦
Rejection
You Are Not Alone Most people experience rejection when querying. Beatrix Potter, author of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, got so many rejections she ended upā¦
Writing Routines
Time and Head Space When I was teaching full-time, I found it difficult to fit in any writing. Itās definitely not a nine-to-three job! My eveningsā¦
Cue the Music
Having been raised on the standard 'girl books' at the time, I don't think I've ever recovered from Thorin Oakenshield's death. I cried buckets. And it changed me
Self-Critiquing
Who the hell do you think you are? I once heard that authors alternate between two perceptions of their work-in-progress. One is: āThis is amazing! Iāmā¦
Read. Write. Repeat.
When I read these days, it is often on two levels, part of my brain absorbing the story as a reader, the other analyzing it as a writer. This is more demanding, but can be hugely rewarding
Business Speak
The Brother has a view on modern verbiage ++ Now, cāmere ātil I tell you this. Iām all ears. What is it? The brother has barredā¦
We All Have Our Own Opinions Of course we do! Life would be very boring if we didnāt. But there are elements to story that seemā¦
Say What? Writing a novel with more than one point-of-view can be tricky. How can you juggle different personalities and motivations ā and somehow use themā¦
The Cat Blog
There's something about cats. Yes, in January Ā I burst my eardrum trying to cure the ear mite infection I caught from our two. Theyā¦
Ghost Writing
Sorry! Iāve been a tad disingenuous with this title because Iām not referring to the act of writing on behalf of others, but rather the literalā¦
The story in FFVII is just so phenomenal that even on the 151st playthrough I canāt get enough. The characters are so well realised, and the villain is so iconic that the story won't let you go
Over achievers
I now realise that writing fiction began as my way of helping that belittled girl hidden inside me. Making her feel whole.
Ciao. Getting ready for our two-week trip to Northern Italy. Northern Italy you say. What about the rest of Italy? Well, in due course. A friendā¦
āArenāt you supposed to be writing?ā I shove the nagging question away. The computer will still be there when I return to it, cursor blinking patientlyā¦