by Melanie Cossey | Nov 16, 2018 | The Art of Writing Fiction
Recently I had a new writer ask me about first drafts and he mentioned that even with an outline, it was taking him so long just to write the first chapter. Confused, I asked him more about his outline. How developed was it? Had he outlined the full novel? He insisted...
by Melanie Cossey | Sep 28, 2018 | Emotional Support for Writers, Getting Published
In a conversation today, another writer confided that the publishing world is weird: there’s a lot of waiting and then everything has to be done at once. As the final weeks tick down before the launch of my book, A Peculiar Curiosity,this statement has never been...
by Melanie Cossey | Sep 17, 2018 | Keystrokes & Coffee News, The Writer's Life
You vow you are going to get up early and write. You grab a quick breakfast, put the coffee on and blinking the sleep out of your eyes, sit down at your computer, put your fingers on the keyboard, open up your project and stare blankly at the screen, waiting for the...
by Melanie Cossey | Aug 28, 2018 | The Art of Writing Fiction
Ask a writer if editors are a needed service and you will get a variety of reactions. Some writers rave about their experiences with editors, seeing them as the savior of their manuscripts, while others see editors as self-important villains, put on this earth to rob...
by Melanie Cossey | Aug 16, 2018 | The Art of Writing Fiction
Have you ever noticed how some writers seem to make their pages come to life? Not only do you become immersed in the story and characters, but it’s like you are right there, seeing and experiencing it all. This is because the author knows the fine art of using the...
