Scarlett Van Dijk's Blog, page 2

Guest post: Jan Malique - A Writer's Muse

The relationship you have with your Muse can be filled with a bewildering range of emotions, ranging from angst, occasional stupidity (yours, not theirs) to the utterly sublime. The relationship is unique to each writer, much like our human relationships. As with these relationships the participants can take each other for granted, argue, make up and lose touch. It is often complex and can initiate great transformation. If this is rather far fetched for some people, it must be remembered that...

Guest Post: Jenifer Theresa - A Few Helpful Tips

Hi everyone and thank you so much Scarlett for inviting me to your blog.

I have been creating stories since I can remember. I’ve had a love and interestin writing as soon as I learned how and as a child I would write my own stories and mini books for friends and family. It is only been in the last few years that I took this journey and really started on my book that I’m in the process of writing currently.

Although I have had no formal training and by no means considered a professional, I do po...

Blog Hop Hunt - Hosting AUDEN JOHNSON

Hi I’m Scarlett Van Dijk author of the Sky Stone series and I’m your host for this stop in the tour.

This is your post for the ACOA Scavenger Hunt and I am pleased to be hosting AUDEN JOHNSON.In her post you will find a number, not in written text, but as a numerical number. Write it down and collect them all as you visit every post along the way. Good Luck! Family, Relationships & the Sciell Themes are sneaky. They somehow find their way into my stories. I go into a new project wanting to wri...

Show, Don't Tell

It may seem strange that, as writers, we put down words on paper, but then are told we need to ‘show’ what we mean. Isn’t the use of words telling the story? How on earth do we ‘show’ our stories to our readers? We’re not painters. Well here is one tip for showing, not telling.

Think about this: the weather was terrible.

Now all you need to do is ask yourself: Why? Why is the weather terrible? What makes that weather terrible?
The sky was filled with dark clouds which let down an unceasing rain...

Guest Post: Maggie Best - Reflections on a Writing Journey

Hi everyone, and thanks so much for inviting me to your blog, Scarlett.

I’ve been spinning stories in my head for most of my life but it’s only in the last few years that I’ve attempted to set any of them down for others to read.

Time travel, magic, fantasy, and ancient history are the things that fire my imagination. Give me a book or a TV show with all of those elements and I’ll be in seventh heaven.

This passion led to the realisation of a dream a few years ago when I was invited by a lovely...

No Mary Sue

There are many points to consider when creating a protagonist. What do they look like? What are they good at? Are they smart, or funny, or kind? But considering all of this, the one thing I believe should be avoided at all costs, is the Mary Sue (or Marty Stu if male).

The Mary Sue character is the ridiculously perfect, perhaps overpowered character, whom you cannot fault in any way. As an author, it is easy to fall into this trap. We love our main characters and want them to be perfect. We w...

Guest Post: Gary Clark - Catching up with Goethe: Some Thoughts on the Art and Science

Gary Clark Night’s reign is timeless and spaceless.
Novalis, Hyms to Night.

For the last five years or so I have been a Visiting Research Fellow with the Adelaide University School Medicine researching ancient human fossil anatomy and brain evolution - which sounds all very impressive. When I joined the faculty, however, I had rarely felt myself to be such an interloper, like I didn’t belong and was kind of, well let’s be honest, a bit of a fraud. I felt I was there under false pretences. With...

Guest Post: Gary Clark - Catching up with Goethe: Some Thoughts on Art and Science

Gary Clark Night’s reign is timeless and spaceless.
Novalis, Hyms to Night.

For the last five years or so I have been a Visiting Research Fellow with the Adelaide University School of Medicine researching ancient human fossil anatomy and brain evolution - which sounds all very impressive. When I joined the faculty, however, I had rarely felt myself to be such an interloper, like I didn’t belong and was kind of, well let’s be honest, a bit of a fraud. I felt I was there under false pretences. Wi...

Guest Post: Susan Murphy - Why Chick Lit?

I get asked this question more often that you probably think. Why did I choose this genre, this style as opposed to serious romance or even thrillers? My answer is always the same – why not?

That may sound simple, but there is actually some very solid reasons behind it. Chick Lit has dominated the sales charts for decades. Other genres have also seen increases and then plateaued, but overall, good old romance in the form of Chick Lit has held steady. Anyway, who doesn’t love a good Bridget Jon...

Guest Post: Drae Box - Should Writers be in Online Writing Communities?

I have been writing since 2003, and every year since I started, I have been in some form of online writing community. When used well by the members, they are invaluable. Here are my top pros and cons for writing communities… Positive Reasons to Join an Online Writing Community 1 Grow and Manage Your Professional and Personal Writers Network (and make New Friends)
One of the strongest ways a newly published author can grow awareness of their book is through their professional and personal netw...