Zena Shapter's Blog, page 48

Are rules made to be broken?

There are hundreds of self-help writing manuals on the book market, prescribing how writers should write. I've read my share of them, I've even published my own top ten tips for writers on my website. I wrote the tips because … Continue reading →

What does speculative fiction mean… to you?

Last week I was asked by a publishing company to answer some questions for an author profile page. One of the questions was: what is speculative fiction? Easy to answer, right? Well, I've read other people's explanations of what comprises … Continue reading →

Today is International Women's Day – but why?

I don't often blog about the parts of my day I spend being a mum (wait, don't leave! This isn't a blog about motherhood!), but I'll share this with you now – it's a bit of an invisible job. The … Continue reading →

My writing is being studied at university! A blogger award! & The story of NBWG!

Three personal updates Update 1: My writing is being studied at university! It's quite an honour to have my writing studied at university. In fact, wow! Okay, so that statement probably makes it sound more than what it is. But … Continue reading →

How far is far-fetched?

Given the distant realms to which our imaginations journey on screen and in books, is 'far-fetched' now a redundant phrase? Someone said to me recently that, for them, the movie Wild Wild West was too far-fetched because of the advanced … Continue reading →

What Aussie Authors Think of Australia…

What does it mean to be a writer living in Australia? It's Australia Day today! A day when we celebrate everything great about Australia. As a writer, I love living in Australia. So do most Aussie authors. Or do they…? … Continue reading →

Are all songwriters poets?

I've been listening to Adele a lot recently (getting into character for a writing project), and her lyrical songwriting reminded me of school – but not because of any teenage heartbreak. I was sweet sixteen – into poetry, candles and … Continue reading →

A Festive Plea to Writers and Editors…

With the festive season only days away, I just wanted to remind writers, editors and their colleagues in the publishing industry, to look out for each other this year. We're a sensitive bunch, we wouldn't be able to write and … Continue reading →

Short story anthologies: Part 2 – how do they read theirs?

Last week, I was wondering why I had such a methodical approach to reading short story anthologies. Having just read four anthologies back-to-back, I found myself adding up the number of stories I enjoyed, calculating what percentage that was of … Continue reading →

Short story anthologies: Part 1 – how do you read yours?

A friend recently asked me to review a short story anthology. Never having done this before, I didn't know how to start. So I got pen and paper ready, took notes. Having now read four anthologies back-to-back, I've discovered something … Continue reading →