Diary of a Writer

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Inspiration can hit us at any moment and time, sometimes even after reading a stupid post on the internet that doesn't align with our beliefs ...

Today, I'm discussing a process I went through recently whereby I did exactly that; how I channelled my frustration down onto the page, and how miraculously, it ended up being something worth publishing. 

You can get your copy of The Boy Underneath the Fur here. 

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In the name of transparency, here is a small life update and how things will be changing on the show going forward.

Note - Since recording this, I have decided to try publishing an episode on a five day cycle. It means episodes will be dropping more frequently but falling on different days. Obviously, just check back and listen when you can - I get it, everyone is busy these days! 

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Welcome to Season 3!

To kick things off we are having a chat about one of the core requirements to be a creative: surrendering to creative flow.

Creativity energy doesn't always show up on a schedule, but we can learn to work with it so that it begins to show up when we need it to. 

Ultimately, your creative energy should be viewed as a partner - a partner that is there for you when you need it t...

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There's a conversation happening more and more in our society: how people can become addicted to sex. 

But this conversation is mostly reserved for men, and because we spend so much time tearing women down for reading erotica fiction, we don't consider the implications of how this material can become addictive too. 

On top of that, whilst we accept men watch pornography, we can’t seem to accept women want to indulge in it via a different medium.

Th...

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Today we're continuing with discussing the Twilight and 50 Shades series, and this time we're discussion an aspect of what the books did well.

Each western country has their cherry-pickings for where they like to set their stories. Twilight and 50 Shades, however, broke that norm. And Twilight, in particular, did something I haven't seen any other fantasy series do: include a culture that is very much overlooked and ignored in western art. 

Which is a trend, I am still waiting t...

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To wrap up season 2, we are going to explore Twilight and 50 Shades of Grey in depth from a perspective of what can creative writers learn from these two series that become a phenomenon across the world.

Today’s episode is tackling an issue that a lot of people probably don't want to talk about and admit, and that is the underlying sexism in the publishing industry.

We are not just going to be acknowledging and speaking about this, but we...

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Some may think that when you’re at the tail end of a writing a novel, that things will suddenly get easier and fall into place, but that rarely is the case. There are always those little adjustments that need to be made, and when you’ve been working for so long and hard on a piece of writing, it can be very fatiguing to have to make those micro-decisions. 

In today’s episode, we acknowledge this struggle, why it’s so taxing...

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The world constantly tries to tell us what is important to us, or at least, what is meant to be important to us. But what's important to us has to come from within us, otherwise the importance we try to put onto something is just a fake attempt to fit in. 

If your creative work is important to you, that means it's important.

No questions asked.

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As an avid reader, I keep coming across the same story lines in books. And most of those story lines focus on a romantic partner rather than a friendship.

Today, we're discussing this phenomenon where fiction writing is causing us to devalue friendships and add to the loneliness epidemic across our world and why creatives should instead be focusing on friendships in their creative work.

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Whilst in the process of redefining the format for my third fantasy novel, I have learnt a new valuable lesson when creating stories: embrace the chaos. 

As someone who likes structure and planning, that can be really hard. But if it means keeping my mindset in a healthy state, then I think it's worth learning to lean into this state of flow. 

Side Note - While editing this episode, I was not in love with the co...

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Today I am reviewing five novels and discussing why they're opening chapters don't hit the mark. No, I'm not naming names, but yes, they're all bestsellers, which I suppose just goes to show that even the so called 'best' have issues.

This naturally, opens up a space to question the difference between a best seller and good writing, which does get touched on during this episode, amongst other various things like a technique you can use to discern what you actually...

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In a world that isn't motivated into doing anything without a dollar value, it can be hard to remember to do things just for the fun of it. 

For over a year now, I've been struggling with finding joy with my craft. But thanks to numerous nudges from Life, especially one from a quote by Brett Goldstein, I am beginning to turn the tides and make time for more joyful creative projects. 

Because at the end of the day, it...

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Creators are their own worst critic and because of that we're really good at self-sabotage. The trick is, learning ways we unknowingly self-sabotage ourselves and then implement processes to change that habit whilst also learning why we feel the need to sabotage ourselves in that way. 

Like anything in life, it's a process.

And there are many layers to it.

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I have always been fascinated about the timing of things in my life, including my creative life. The stories I have written, would not be written the same if they came to me today. It means, my earlier work no longer represents the creator I am today, but there is still an immense appreciation for their presence and the timing of those stories coming to me when they did. 

Today, we discuss how the timing of a story idea appearing in o...

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I don't like to pit book genres (or in fact, anything against one another) as I believe each side will have their uses, however, after working through some triggers last year associated to schools, I did uncover what I believe is a major reason why middle grade fiction triumphs over young adult fiction in a sense of reaching a larger audience and having a longer-lasting impacting. 

Trigger Warning:  This episode makes mention of stolen generations, asylums, forceable having to give up...