#amwriting – Brightside Story Studio

September 15, 2020

Yasmin A. McClinton on Being a Sensitivity Reader

Yasmin is a talented editor, writer and English teacher who recently won the Sisters in Crime Eleanor Taylor Bland award for her unpublished novel. One of her areas of expertise is sensitivity reading, a field of growing importance as authors become more aware of their responsibilities when they write minority characters. Join us for a discussion about appropriation, agency and author intent. Continue reading Yasmin A. McClinton on Being a Sensitivity Reader

July 23, 2020August 6, 2020

Adrift

They say pictures speak louder than words, and this picture of a boat adrift sums up my mood today. With Covid-19 running rampant across the world, the outlook feels bleak. Continue reading Adrift

July 3, 2020July 23, 2020

The Importance of Understanding Novel Genres

When I first decided to write a book, I didn’t give much thought to genre. In blissful ignorance, I rejected the idea of ‘writing to a formula’ and merrily scribed whatever took my fancy. Years later, I see this has been my biggest mistake on the road to traditional publication. Continue reading The Importance of Understanding Novel Genres

May 6, 2020May 21, 2020

Writers Victoria Flash Fiction 2020 – Part Two

Writers Victoria have just finished their second flash fiction competition, the perfect distraction for writers in isolation. Each day in April, they posted a prompt and we wrote a 30-word response.

Here are my second 10 stories. Continue reading Writers Victoria Flash Fiction 2020 – Part Two

April 15, 2020May 6, 2020

Writers Victoria Flash Fiction 2020 – Part One

Writers Victoria are running their second flash fiction competition, the perfect distraction for writers in isolation. For 30 days they will post a prompt and we have to write a 30 words response.

Here are my first 10 stories. Continue reading Writers Victoria Flash Fiction 2020 – Part One

March 20, 2020April 26, 2020

Social Distancing the Melbourne Way

I walked to my local shops today and witnessed people elbow-bumping. It looked natural, as if they’d been doing it their whole lives. I guess that’s part of our new lifestyle. Meanwhile, as I revise my latest novel, I’m struck by how many times my characters hug or shake hands. Will people read this and say, … Continue reading Social Distancing the Melbourne Way

February 13, 2020April 26, 2020

The Winding Narrative Turns Two

The Winding Narrative has reached its second anniversary, so it’s time to review progress on my writing journey. In my second year, I wrote 38 posts and nearly 35,000 words. Here are some highlights: I joined the editorial team for literary agency, NAC. This gives me the opportunity to work with authors of fiction … Continue reading The Winding Narrative Turns Two

December 19, 2019April 27, 2020

The Publishing Success Flowchart

Wouldn’t it be great if we had a surefire formula for publishing success? Should you conform to genre conventions and write about topical issues, or remain true to your instincts? Well look no further – to answer this question, I’ve developed the Publishing Success Flowchart. Continue reading The Publishing Success Flowchart

September 5, 2019April 27, 2020

Collaborating With Children

In my last blog about Houston, I explained how I came to be co-directing a production for my children’s school. I was uniquely unqualified for this role. Sure, I’d written and co-directed shows before, but I’d never worked with children. I wasn’t a teacher. I hadn’t even coached a sports team. The closest I’d come to any sort of kids group facilitation was being a cub scout leader when I lived in Lagos. Continue reading Collaborating With Children

June 27, 2019August 3, 2020

How to Format a Manuscript in Word

If you want to submit a manuscript to an agent, but don’t understand the basics of formatting on Word, this post is for you. To avoid the telltale signs of an amateur – tabs or spaces to indent paragraphs, or returns in place of page breaks – read on for a step by step guide. Continue reading How to Format a Manuscript in Word