Writing Inspiration

Agatha Christie once said that she often thought of writing ideas and plots while washing the dishes. And it is often the case that ideas can occur when we are engaged in mundane or relaxing activities.

And while, over Christmas, many will be taking a well deserved break and rest from their writing, do keep alert for ideas and those moments of inspiration for they can and do strike at any time.

Have a great and wonderful Christmas.

Neil Somerville

WRITING RESOLUTIONS FOR 2007

I know there will be a great many writers who will be keen to get 2007 off to a good start and have writing aims they will be keen to realise. And I hope that this Self-help for Writers blog may, in some way, be of help.

Not only will I be giving writing regular tips and advice but I hope the blog can become a forum for those keen to make more of their talents. And to help with this, I am launching several special features.

Writer of the Month
It is always good to hear of progress made and successes enjoyed and each month I will give an honorable mention to a writer who has achieved some goal or success. If you would like to be considered do please send an email giving details about your success and which you do not mind sharing with others.

How’s it going?
I know it can be of great value to have someone who occasionally enquires about ongoing work. This in itself can help to keep you on track. If you would welcome an occasional enquiry, again drop me an email about your work and objectives and every so often I will enquire by email about how you are getting on. I am only able to offer this service to the first 7 writers who get in contact.

Self-help for Writers E-letter
This free e-letter includes items of interest about writing and selling your work as well as some special offers and bonuses. To subscribe send an email to selfhelpforwriters@hotmail.co.uk and put subscriptions in the subject box. You can unsubscribe at any time and your details will not be passed elsewhere.

Also, don't forget you can be advised of updates to this blog by clicking on the Feedblitz link on the right.

Writers Questions

Many writers tend to be loners and set about their writing by themselves and with their writing thoughts kept very much to themselves. And while writing can be a private occupation, sometimes there are occasions when it would be helpful to ask another for an opinion or there are certain matters bothering them. This is partly why I have established this Self-help for Writers blog. If there is an issue you would like me to cover, do please email me at selfhelpforwriters@hotmail.co.uk and putting Question in the subject box.

Also, if you wish to be informed of future Self-help for Writers blogs, fill in the feedblitz link on the right. You can unsubscribe to this at any time.

Finally, if you have not yet taken advantage of the free Christmas gifts from write street, here’s the link.

And in my next posting, some exciting news!

Writers - How to increase your chance of acceptance

There is a well known writing motto, 'Write about what you know.' And if you are in the early stages of your writing career this is, I believe, essential. Not only will you have the knowledge and enthusiasm in the area but are better able to write with feeling.

After years of rejection, my real breakthrough came when I wrote a short piece for a magazine specialising in one my hobbies. With this acceptance I follwed this up with other articles and lead on to a series.

If writing non-fiction, write on subjects that interest you. If writing fiction, again make sure you have a feel for the subject and a thorough knoweldge of the characters you write about. I emphasise this because some writers write for markets which they think may be big, easy and potentially profitable. This is a mistake, particularly as the competition is likely to be all the greater.

Write about what you know and interests you and your work will stand far greater chance.

A Christmas Present for Writers

As an early Christmas gift, Write Street are giving away some great writing freebies. I have already downloaded one of the free ebooks (and which is offered as something of a surprise) and it certainly is an excellent and informative read.

For details of this special gift, here's the link

Writing Opportunities

As a writer you need to remain alert for opportunities.

When picking up a magazine or paper, not only look at the contents but consider ways you could possibly contribute.

Is there an article on a subject that particularly interests and which you could develop or expand on? And importantly, is there something missing from the magazine or paper which you could contribute?

By adopting this approach and keeping alert for writing opportunities you will see openings and, in time, some can lead on to acceptances.

Best Writing Advice

One of the best pieces of writing advice I was ever given was by the poet and writer John Pudney. As a schoolboy I enjoyed reading his books and having discovered his address, I wrote to him enclosing a story and saying that when I grew up I wanted to be a writer.

He wrote a charming letter back and said that if I wanted to be a writer, I had to 'write, write, write.'

To be a writer, or indeed to be a success in any endeavour, you do need to put in the time and be prepared to practice and perfect what you do. And for a writer, this involves actually sitting down and writing.

It is by writing your skills will get better.

It is by writing you will discover what works best for you (and which genre best suits your talents.)

And it is by writing you will actually achieve the writing breakthrough you want.

Write, write and write and, with perserverance, your writing dreams will stand more chance of being realised.

A warm welcome to my blog, Self-help for Writers.

Writing has been a life-long passion and in this blog I will share some of the tips and techniques I have learnt and found effective. And I hope they will be of help to you as you set about your own writing.

Good luck - enjoy these writing blogs and, in the words of Henry Miller, 'Writing, like life itself, is a voyage of discovery.'

I hope your writing voyage will be a good and successful one.