Writers are often told to keep every scrap of writing, every half-finished idea, every abandoned paragraph, no matter how insignificant or directionless it seems at the time. For years, I did this almost compulsively, stuffing note apps with fragments, saving hundreds of stray files on my laptop, keeping dialogue snippets on my phone, and hoarding … Continue reading Writing as Archaeology: Unearthing the Story Buried in Notes
Every writer, at some point, encounters the dreaded creative slump. You sit down to write, but the words just don’t come. That’s where writing prompts come in handy. Last week I discussed different ways to overcome your writer's block, today I will discuss one of those methods in greater detail. Writing prompts are simple ideas … Continue reading Using Writing Prompts to Spark Creativity
Where do ideas come from? This is a question I ask a lot. I’ve mentioned before how a few of my ideas for novels have come from dreams. But inspiration can strike anywhere. I asked my fellow writers over on Twitter where they come up with most of their ideas, and the answers were quite … Continue reading Where Does Inspiration Strike You?
Last week I posted about taking a break from writing over Christmas. I was only supposed to be coming back to it tomorrow (Tuesday), but I've missed writing more than I ever thought I would, so I'm starting again today. When I worked my 9-5 – even though it wasn't really 9-5 – in IT, … Continue reading The End of a Holiday
Gareth Ellis - Author 