By Tom: “When it comes to glittering objects, wizards have all the taste and self-control of a deranged magpie” Sourcery, Terry Pratchett Ah, the seduction of shiny new things. There you are, three quarters of the way through your latest work in progress, when a new idea for a project slips into your mind, sneakily. […]
The problem with poetry
by Teika Poetry sales are booming – yes, no, maybe? Just the other day an article published in the Guardian brought the news that sales of poetry books in the UK were at an all time high, having passed the £12M mark at the end of 2018. So, good news, then? Well, yes and no. […]
The perfect last minute gift for a writer
By Tom: It’s that time of year again when busy, multitasking people suddenly realize there is a gap in their scrupulously organized ranks of gifts. Inexplicably, someone has been overlooked. Or, it’s that time of year when disorganized and forgetful people suddenly realize they’ve left things to the last minute again, and the shops are […]
Convention comedown and writer’s despair
By Teika: Seeing as my last post was about how to get the most out of conventions I thought I’d write about my time at FantasyCon, the inevitable comedown that occurs straight afterwards and the not unconnected issue of writer’s despair. FantasyCon was great, it really was. Catching up with many of my indie publisher […]
The psychology of “editing limbo”: how to get out of the loop of doom (part 2)
By Tom: In the last post, Teika discussed the challenge of being trapped in a cycle of editing and redrafting. In this post, I’m going to work through some of the psychological implications of finding yourself in this trap, some of the likeliest causes, and some practical steps that can be taken to break out […]
Editing, revising, redrafting – how to get out of the loop of doom (part 1)
By Teika: The Book Stewards is about helping writers. We want to hear about your writing problems so that we can offer a helping hand by sharing some of our hard-won wisdom. After our latest newsletter dropped into the inbox of one of our excellent subscribers, she got in contact with us and shared her […]