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This week I am going on creative dates with myself. Instead of putting pressure on myself to write a bestseller, I am making dates just to play and be creative. To write about whatever I want. I make a cup of tea, eat some chocolate and let the creative juices flow. It’s such a treat…

A Student Again Behind the scenes this month I’m planning to try out Campfire writing software. I’ve never used writing software before so it will be interesting to see how it works out. This week I’m also offering myself a reward to rise early. If I get up at 6, I can do qigong, some…

A Novel Idea I find as I write that I get overwhelmed at times. I feel like there is no end in sight. With all the drafts, editing and rewriting. I also find it uninspiring to write in my living room, looking at the same beige walls day after day with nobody to talk to….

Spellbinding Sentences is a stellar book. I highly recommend it and feel it should be on every writer’s bookshelf. It was published in 2015, and written by Barbara Baig. Spellbinding Sentences looks at the nuts and bolts of writing. Different types of sentences are examined and examples are also given. I had a problem with…

Every genre of novel can benefit from an increase in suspense and tension- from external tension, in thrillers, to internal tension, in romance. Tension and suspense are inextricably linked to conflict. One of the reasons we need conflict in fiction is to create tension in the reader. Tension is a state of heightened alertness. Suspense…

Chara is the protagonist of Nesting, a determined and loving woman with two kids and a husband, Ryan. Her character is one we can easily empathise with- her concern for her kids, her fear of Ryan , who is controlling and has angry outbursts. She leaves Ryan suddenly and finds herself navigating the tumultuous world…

These are just a few of the types of protagonist you can create in a novel. Creating a main character who is an underdog can be compelling for your audience. Try coming up with a character who is at a disadvantage due to health, mental or emotional state or age. When combined with positive qualities…

In my opinion, this novel starts off slow but gathers momentum towards the middle and end. The central conflict between Beth and Justin is well drawn out and their relationship highs and lows are interesting and exciting. Beth, the protagonist is a talented swimmer. She’s also the granddaughter of a well known poet, Benjamin Crowe….

An tOileánach by Tomás Ó Criomthain is a book I read while studying Irish at UCC. It made a huge impression on me. It is a chronicle of the author’s life on the Blasket Island and the adventures of the inhabitants. I can still remember my lecturer, Liam P. Ó Murchú, waxing lyrical about ‘na…

I recently attended a reading at a short story festival in Cork. It was a showcase of writing from a new literary journal in the city library. Four authors read their work. One woman, I can’t remember her name, read a story she’d written about an old man, walking to the bog, carrying a mysterious…