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Continue reading →: Rack your brains #AtoZChallenge – Peculiar ‘Pen fellows’ – Quirks only a writer can understand
Rack your brains Let’s start with a scenario…you’re scribbling (or tapping) away, totally in the zone and the characters are behaving themselves so it’s smooth sailing. You’re totally going with the flow, your mind is racing, the words pouring forth, and you start to wonder why you ever thought writing…
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Continue reading →: Quiet please #AtoZChallenge – Peculiar ‘Pen fellows’ – Quirks only a writer can understand
Quiet please Writers love their solitude. There’s nothing quite like being in the zone, able to give yourself over to the story without any distractions. Many writers crave the quiet, which is fine unless that develops into social isolation. It’s often hard to make the transition from being in a…
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Continue reading →: Picking out of a hat #AtoZChallenge – Peculiar ‘Pen fellows’ – Quirks only a writer can understand
Picking out of a hat Let’s talk about names. There are many techniques writers use to find the perfect name for their characters. We often talk about them as though they’re our children, so it’s kind of funny to get caught researching baby names on google and having to talk family members down…
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Continue reading →: Obsessive much? #AtoZChallenge – Peculiar ‘Pen fellows’ – Quirks only a writer can understand
Obsessive much? For writers, the editing process is tricky business. Once the first draft is finished, the revision stage begins and by the time it’s ready for another set of eyes, our own are crossed! We go through it so many times we start to obsess over the little things, like comma placement.…
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Continue reading →: Night owl #AtoZChallenge – Peculiar ‘Pen fellows’ – Quirks only a writer can understand
Night owl Today mainly relates to writing binges, and since my binges invariably happen during the night, I took a few liberties with the title. What can I say? I’m a night owl. Although it’s fair to say that many a creative soul would fall into the same category.…
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Continue reading →: My bad #AtoZChallenge – Peculiar ‘Pen fellows’ – Quirks only a writer can understand
My bad Yesterday I talked about the difficulties writers face when it comes to letting go. Today is closely related to that, or it is in the sense of how we view our work. If we’re talking facial expressions, this time it’s less like we’re sucking on a lemon…
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Continue reading →: Learning curve #AtoZChallenge – Peculiar ‘Pen fellows’ – Quirks only a writer can understand
Learning curve Life is one big learning curve. We never stop adapting, gaining knowledge or developing the way we do things. We accept that, and yet, we can’t help but cringe when we look back at our earlier work and catalogue all the mistakes we made. Like an actor…
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Continue reading →: Killing time #AtoZChallenge – Peculiar ‘Pen fellows’ – Quirks only a writer can understand
Killing time As writers we’re well acquainted with procrastination. It’s an art we’ve cultivated, and cleverly honed. Sometimes, we even convince ourselves it’s part of the process. Of course, if we didn’t find opportunities to escape, we might go crazy with all the creative juice coursing through our veins.…
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Continue reading →: Just wing it #AtoZChallenge – Peculiar ‘Pen fellows’ – Quirks only a writer can understand
Just wing it Winging it, going with the flow, letting the characters move us – that’s sometimes how it works. Granted, there are times we need to plan a little, some of us even have a comprehensive breakdown. Whichever side of the scale you predominantly belong, we fluctuate (or…
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Continue reading →: Inspiration strikes again #AtoZChallenge – Peculiar ‘Pen fellows’ – Quirks only a writer can understand
Inspiration strikes again I talked about writer’s block a few days ago, and what happens when inspiration dries up. Today, we’re at the other end of the spectrum. The occasions when ideas come so thick and fast, if we succumb to the mania we’d have twelve different projects on…
Hello,
I’m Melissa
Welcome to my website and blog! I’m happy you’re here. Stay a while and look around. You will find information on my books, latest posts and information about the worlds I create.
Melissa Barker-Simpson 