The Blank Page
Basic advice and things to get aspiring writers started.
The Fine Line Short Story Competition

The Prize The Fine Line’s inaugural short story competition is now closed. Whatever your taste, style or inspiration, submit your tale and you could win £200 ($320/€230) and publication in The Fine Line Short Story Collection. A percentage of all entry fees goes to charity so you’ll be doing good while getting your work out [...]
What About The Words? The Real First Step To Getting Published
A while ago, I went to an evening of talks about Getting Published, given by women with various jobs in the publishing industry. The women were entertaining, the talks interesting, and the atmosphere comradely. Chatting to the organiser in the bar afterwards, I mentioned that I noticed, though they had a great deal to say [...]
Starting Out

Starting out, a good place to begin is to decide where you want to write. Find a place – and attire, if necessary – that inspires or just gives you a little space to think. Think about how you want to write. Places and practices vary. Here are some recommendations for finding yours. Blog this! [...]
Seeking Inspiration

The muse is a myth. In her classical guise, she is nothing more than a comforting tale for the creatively bereft. There are no ladies, high on the crystal waters of the Castalian spring, waiting to allay your writerly angst as they gaze down upon you from Mount Parnassus with their flutes, gentle, sacred song, [...]
Seducing Your Reader. Want To Be A Writer? Then Make It Something You Can’t Be Without.

Writing at its best seduces. This is your aim: to take the reader into the world of your making and convince them to stay. The urge to write begins with enticement and so should the urge to read. You got into writing for all manner of reasons: love, ego, boredom, money, fame. What you need [...]

