How Nataliya Deleva Became An Internationally Acclaimed Writer CREATIVE WRITING July 26, 2021July 30, 2021 Veselina Yaneva talks to Nataliya Deleva – a Bulgarian-born writer living in London - about her experience and insight as an internationally recognised writer. Nataliya Deleva is an award-winning author of novels, short stories, essays and book reviews in English and Bulgarian. Deleva’s first book, Four Minutes, was originally published in Bulgaria (2017) where it won Best Debut Novel. In addition, it was shortlisted for Novel of the Year (2018), and has since been translated into German, English and Polish. Deleva’s
Creative Writing Tips from the Pros CREATIVE WRITING June 25, 2021June 25, 2021 Need some writing inspiration? Here are our best resources for creative writers. Advice for Short Story Writers For Writing Advice from Award-Winning Writers Plot, Genre and Writing Tips for Novelists Writing Tips for Poets Best Writing Advice for All Writers Q & As with Well-Known Authors
Quotes About Writing – from Famous Writers CREATIVE WRITING June 24, 2021June 25, 2021 From staying motivated, to why they write, here are some of our favourite quotes about writing - from famous writers. Feel free to share! :)
On Names and Dialogue – A Conversation with M.R. Carey CREATIVE WRITING June 6, 2021June 6, 2021 You know a new trilogy has really grabbed you when, as soon as you finish the first novel, you write the next two books’ release dates on your calendar, eager to go adventuring with those characters in their world again. This was exactly how I felt about M.R. Carey’s Book Of Koli trilogy. By ANDREW SALOMON One of the many things I enjoyed about Carey's trilogy was how the characters’ names were so fitting to each of them, and how every place
Write Like an Artist: 5 Tips for Writing Creatively, Inspired by Great Artists CREATIVE WRITING May 6, 2021August 10, 2021 Artists are people who stand out. Boldly individual, their styles are memorable and recognisable. Here are five lessons, inspired by famous artists, to help free your writing approach and keep your work as unique as possible. By VALETTA SÓWKA 1. WRITE ABOUT THE WORLD IN A NEW WAY Vincent Van Gogh (1853–1890) Dutch Post-Impressionist painter, will probably always be associated with mental health and ear hacking antics; but he also produced work that is original and outstanding. Using striking brush strokes which bring a
Publishing Poetry Online CREATIVE WRITING April 28, 2021April 28, 2021 Poetry has seen a huge revival over the past few years. Beginner poets can now join a multitude of online communities to showcase their work, and young and old poets alike have been captivated by the thrill of slam poetry. One question that aspirant poets have - after they've managed to write a few poems - is where to submit their poems for publication. There are thousands of options available, especially for online journals and e-zines, but finding a popular, respected and credible
The Global Novel Writing Competition COLLEGE NEWS CREATIVE WRITING April 22, 2021April 22, 2021 Struggling to write your first novel? Tired of not knowing if it's any good, or how to tie up all those half-written chapters? Well, we've got a solution for you. The Writers College Global Novel Writing Competition is open for entries. We are searching the world for the next big thing in literary circles! And it could be YOU. Regardless of where you are in the world, you can enter. The winner receives up to 24 months of mentoring with an award-winning writer
Web fiction: The basic principles of telling stories online CREATIVE WRITING April 18, 2021August 10, 2021 - by Stephanie Laubscher Web fiction, also known as Web lit, is basically the publication of literature and short stories on the Internet. As opposed to mainstream Web writing, keywords do not play a fundamental role; the focus is on telling an engaging story and interacting with the readers. Advantages of writing web fiction and the related online community Eli James is the creator of novelr.com, a blog about Internet fiction. He claims that Web fiction is a great driving force for writers
Why poets are eternal beginners CREATIVE WRITING April 15, 2021August 10, 2021 – BY FIONA ZERBST There are no short cuts in poetry. Even if you have been writing for over 20 years, you start at the very beginning when you sit down to a blank sheet of paper. In fact, if you have written good poems in the past, there is no guarantee you will write good poems in the future. You cannot predict that you will write a great poem, even if you have mastered some poetic forms and you feel reasonably
Q & A with award-winning novelist Sonny Whitelaw COLLEGE NEWS CREATIVE WRITING April 2, 2021June 25, 2021 Sonny Whitelaw has enjoyed a successful career as a writer for more than thirty years. Her work as a photojournalist has appeared in dozens of international magazines including National Geographic. She won a Draco Award for her first novel, The Rhesus Factor and all eight of her novels, including five based on the television series Stargate, have been international bestsellers. A qualified adult educator with an MA in Creative Writing, Sonny divides her time between researching and writing scientific reports, editing fiction
How to Write Effective Dialogue CREATIVE WRITING March 30, 2021April 19, 2021 In most stories, people talk to each other. Many readers enjoy the “talking bits” the most, and will happily skip the scenic descriptions. So how do you write realistic, gripping dialogue that moves the story along? BY GINNY SWART Write believable dialogue Conversation between the characters breaks up the paragraphs that describe action or scenery, and keeps the reader interested, but this conversation needs to sound like the real thing. To write believable dialogue, listen to people around you talking. Listen in supermarket queues
Reality or Fiction: Graduate Travis Inglis Talks About the Inspiration Behind His Writing CREATIVE WRITING GRADUATE SUCCESSES March 25, 2021April 19, 2021 Travis Inglis is a poet and a writer. Published in the art magazine Artascent and the literary journal Toasted Cheese, Travis is currently working on his debut novel ‘The Magnificent’, which he promises will delve into the truth of sabotage and memory. Travis was chosen as The Writers College Creative Writer of the Year 2020. He has also placed second in two global 5-Day Creative Writing Challenges with over 1000 participants, also run by The Writers College. Brutal. Honest. Provocative. Shocking. These
Gareth Ward – Accomplished Young Adult Novelist CREATIVE WRITING GRADUATE SUCCESSES March 21, 2021April 20, 2021 NZ Writers College is proud to showcase one of its Novel Course graduates, Gareth Ward. Gareth’s debut novel, The Traitor and the Thief, has been described by readers as a “Cracker!” and “A story for all ages.” The steampunk adventure novel won him the 2016 Storylines Tessa Duder Award, the 2018 Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Youth Novel, a 2018 Storylines Notable Book Award as well as being a finalist in two categories at The New Zealand Book Awards for Children
8 Tips to Getting a Short Story Published CREATIVE WRITING March 17, 2021May 5, 2021 First off, congratulations - you wrote a short story! Now, use these eight tips to help get it published. BY DANIELLE RAMAEKERS 1. Let Your Characters Speak for Themselves Ok, this one is a little more about the writing process. Still, a good story is essential for publication, and characters are your stories. So get out of the way and let your characters roll. Allowing your characters the freedom to be themselves gives your story punch, and punch is publishable in every genre. 2.
Writers College Success Story: Novelist Jo Nel CREATIVE WRITING GRADUATE SUCCESSES March 10, 2021April 20, 2021 A background as a dentist - and limited writing experience - didn’t deter author Jo Nel from accomplishing his goal of getting published. After taking the Write a Novel and Advanced Write a Novel Courses at The Writers College, he successfully launched his first novel Die hond wat ophou blaf het, published by Penguin in 2018. It’s been two years since, and he is now very close to having a second novel published. We caught up with Jo to gets updates on his new book and
How Do You Improve your Chances of Winning a Short Story Competition? CREATIVE WRITING March 6, 2021April 17, 2021 After over a decade of judging thousands of short stories in our national writing competitions, our Writers College judges have compiled a list of eight tips to help you onto the shortlist. What exactly is a short story? A short story is not a commentary on current affairs, an article about collecting clocks or a humorous opinion piece for the back page of a magazine! A short story is just that: a made-up tale about characters where something happens (usually bad), and
Writers College Success Story: Award-winning Novelist Martin Steyn CREATIVE WRITING GRADUATE SUCCESSES March 5, 2021April 20, 2021 The dark side of human nature holds a certain allure for the acclaimed crime fiction author, Martin Steyn. He completed the Skryf ’n Roman (Write a Novel) course with the SA Writers College in 2010. Four years later, his debut novel, Donker Spoor, was released to critical and commercial success. Since then he has written two more novels, with his fourth one published in October 2018. We checked in with Martin to hear more about his experiences as a novelist. You’ve been
Genres: Do You Know Your Horror From Your Romance? By Hannah Green CREATIVE WRITING March 5, 2021August 10, 2021 What are genres and how do we tell them apart? Genres are used to group stories that contain common elements, such as themes, settings or characters. They are useful (if not necessary) for publishers to know whether your story is marketable or not, and for readers to know what type of book they’re in for. Blurbs can be sometimes be misleading and without genre classifications you may find out that the romance novel you were expecting turns out to be
How to Keep Your Point Of View Consistent CREATIVE WRITING March 5, 2021April 17, 2021 Every story is told from a particular point of view. It is the reader’s way “in,” enabling them to experience the world they are reading about. When the point of view shifts without warning, it takes the reader out of the action. Not only does it disrupt their experience, but it can confuse them about what is taking place in your story. Let’s take a look at what point of view is, and how to avoid the common point of
Author Nicholas Sparks Divulges the Secrets of His Astounding Writing Success CREATIVE WRITING February 8, 2021February 8, 2021 Nicholas Sparks is a multiple New York Times bestselling novelist. MONIQUE JAFTHA looks at his writing process and how his journey started. Now, 25 years later, with 22 novels under his belt and 11 film adaptations, Nicholas Sparks continues to captivate audiences. It's a rare gift to be able to write stories that resonate with readers. For almost three decades, Nicholas Sparks's novels have taken the audience on a whirlwind of emotions. Yet, despite always wanting to be a writer, he
How much factual research do you need for fiction writing? By Louis Greenberg CREATIVE WRITING February 3, 2021June 21, 2021 Craig Higginson, a historical novelist, has a brave approach to research in fiction. He claims that many writers in the genre are so keen to show off how much they’ve read about the period that they bog their stories down in detail. Readers get a painstakingly drawn (and painsgivingly taxing) account of the carriage that someone drove in 1896, the cut of his cloth and the provenance of the leather on the horse’s reins. If this information is well researched, the
The secret to literary success: The habits of successful writers CREATIVE WRITING January 20, 2021January 20, 2021 No one said writing was easy. Even some of the world’s most successful writers struggled to find motivation. Here are a few habits of successful writers to spark some inspiration in you. By LISA MULLER Admit it, every time you look at an author’s name on the cover of a book, you wonder how they did it. How long did it take them to write an entire novel? To fine-tune it, and see it appear on the shelves? They make it seem
Q&A With Award-Winning Poet Selina Tusitala-Marsh CREATIVE WRITING August 12, 2020August 19, 2020 New Zealand Poet Laureate, Dr Selina Tusitala-Marsh Selina Tusitala-Marsh has published three critically acclaimed collections of poetry. She was the Commonwealth Poet in 2016 and the New Zealand Poet Laureate from 2017-2019. Selina won The Margaret Mahy Book of the Year Award (2020) and was judged the supreme winner at the 2020 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. Her book 'Mophead' also won the Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction. She is also an Associate Professor at
How Writers Can Use Styles to Format Word documents CREATIVE WRITING August 6, 2020August 6, 2020 Learning how to use styles in your Word documents gives you the power to design the look of your document — and avoid unpleasant surprises. BY DEBRA BRADLEY Styling your document using the style functions in Word will save you time and produce a consistent, professional result with every document. Getting to grips with styles will also improve your ability to manage the range of inherited styles you work with when editing other people’s documents. There is nothing worse than getting to the end
Songwriting Tips from the Pros: Q&A with Bottomless Coffee Band CREATIVE WRITING August 6, 2020August 9, 2020 Folk-rock duo and songwriters Lourens and Esté Rabé from Cape Town started their band in 2010. Their songs showcase their love for travelling, social connectedness and of course – coffee! With three albums behind their names, these seasoned artists share their secrets to songwriting success. BY NATALI VARNEY Q: Tell us about the first songs you wrote. Esté: I wrote my first song when I was 16. With my little black guitar in the storeroom of my student res, I wrote about travelling
