Scarlett Van Dijk's Blog, page 10

When Readers go Bonkers

Recently, on one of the many social media platforms that I use, a worried author described a frightening scene. One of his readers was offended by something described in his novel and went to the extent of burning his book! The poor author asked us whether this was his fault and if he should think about how his writing may cause people to act. This is a topic that every author seems to have a different opinion about. In this post I will describe how I feel.
The Authors Respo...

Guest Post: Zenobia Southcombe - Sounding Boards

As I was reminded recently, a sounding board is of infinite value to a writer, no matter what day, age, or genre they may write in.

The sounding board not only reflects your ideas, but takes the little golden nuggets out of your waffle, and helps you craft them into workable narratives. Quite frankly, the amount of writing I would have achieved - had it not been for the sounding boards in my life - is negligible.

I met up with a writer friend earlier this week, who was stuck on a story from her...

Flash Fiction: One Last Promise

It was merely a matter of waiting, I knew. Her matted gold hair was spread across the cold white pillow in disarray. The white sheets pulled around her crudely, a small stain on the corner a reminder of the others who have shared these linens. Her shallow breathing was barely audible. The cables connected to small patches on her body linked her form to the machinery surrounding us. The beep, beep, beep of the monitor was but a repetitive drone in the background now. Yet, I felt as if my...

Guest Post: Christian Freed - A Writing Journey

I’ve been writing since I was a little kid. Goofy comic books to more elaborate ones. I won the student of the month award in 11th grade for writing a horror novel. (I’m still trying to figure out where my mother hid it so I can burn the horrid thing.) A 20 year career in the army kept me writing in those precious few spare moments but I never stopped. By 2010 I had more than 12 full length- I mean really full, like 170k words long- manuscripts. It wasn’t until 2011 that life smiled and I was...

Marketing before publishing?

Many new authors only begin marketing themselves and their new books once published. I say that marketing should begin much sooner than this. Begin marketing your writing while working on your novel. Yes, it is hard work but it is worth it.

Imagine this: You’ve finally self-published your first novel. To you it is a shining star, your best work, your pride on paper. However, no one knows it exists! You have no fan base, no one who has been waiting expectantly for your novel to be published.

...

Guest Post: Julie Burtinshaw - Embrace Failure

Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.
Samuel Beckett

These words by Samuel Beckett have meaning for authors at every stage of their profession, be it emerging, mid-career or established writers like myself.

People often want to know what I find most difficult about writing a novel and seven books into my writing career, my answer to this question remains the same. I revel in the research, find joy in tapping out the first draft and dive into the second and e...

Start with Short Stories?

Recently, someone asked online: "Would it help an aspiring novelist to start with writing short stories?" My answer is yes and no. Short story writing can help in some ways but in other it may not, it may even hinder novel writing. Advantages of Short Story Writing Short stories have a number of elements which they may help a novelist. This includes practicing to write concisely and practicing to write different genres, character types, settings, etc. Short stories can assist with writin...