Z.R. Southcombe's Blog, page 22

New growth / Growing pains

Through a comment on a writing website, I had the good fortune to meet artist (and writer) Deborah Moss. I immediately fell in love with her work, and soon commissioned a painting which she titled Stars Make Me Teary Eyed. This...
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And the editing begins!

This week, I received my first feedback on Beyond the End of the World – and it’s not as bad as I thought it would be! I also got an email back from Jane (my illustrator) saying she’ll be able to...
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Do SOMETHING.

Even on the most laziest, depressing, Eeyore-ish days, I challenge myself to do SOMETHING. Maybe that something is sitting outside and appreciating nature, or sipping a cup of tea and being present, or finally emailing a friend I had been...
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Monday Musings: A fresh sense of purpose

After a weekend at the Mt Eden Village Craft Fair, a change to a business page on Facebook, a teaching sesh with a fellow writer this morning, and the first feedback on my third book – I’m feeling like I...
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Self-publishing and validation #CoffeehousePrompt

One of the online writing groups I am in, Writers’ Coffeehouse, started a writing prompt challenge a little while ago.  This week’s challenge? A struggle. For me, a struggle of validation and self-confidence. When I first began tossing up the idea of...
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Giving craft markets a go [for writers]

If you’ve been reading my blog, you’ll know that I recently attended a couple of local markets, and have a whole lot more lined up. There are a few reasons I’m giving local markets a go. Firstly, I’ve found that...
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On the madness of indie publishing [guest post]

I’m a part of a few writing groups, online and in person. Recently, a few writers have been feeling the overwhelm of indie publishing – there is just so much to do! Many writers start out thinking that, one day,...
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Monday Musings: The trilogy is complete!

Well, sort of finished. The first draft of Beyond the End of the World is finally complete, and just needs a bit of revision before I send it to my first editor, Jeni Chappelle. It’s the last book in my chapter book...
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Overcoming writer’s block by chunking

Getting started can feel like the hardest part of any task. Getting out of bed on a cold morning to go for a walk seems daunting – but once you’re out the door you’re fine; writing a novel seems impossible, but once...
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Remembering why I write & review round-up

Recently, I received my first ‘bad’ review.  It was on a kiwi review site, and the reviewer gave me a 3/10… eek! It was clear that she wasn’t quite my ideal reader, and I made an effort not to let...
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