Being a Writer Archives - Women Writers, Women's Books

Shelley Day: Why I write

Shelley Day — Fri, 25 Nov 2016 06:55:00 +0000

Oh, the irony, the irony, of being asked to write a piece on Why I Write, when I’m not actually writing at all, and haven’t done for months. I say ‘not writing,’ but I don’t actually mean Not Writing. Because I have been writing. I couldn’t not be writing. Only what I’ve been writing is […]

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The Scariest Moments in a Writer’s Life

Aine Greaney — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 08:12:33 +0000

Vampires? Witches? Ghouls? Yes, they’re Halloween scary (maybe), but they’ve got nothing on the spookiest moments from a writer’s life. All writers can list at least three things that can send us screeching and cowering under our bed covers. I’ll tell you mine (including my fright-busting fixes), if you tell us yours. 1. Eeeek! The […]

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Procrastination

Tracy Kuhn — Mon, 27 Oct 2014 04:05:23 +0000

I’m just over halfway through writing my novel and the whole process reminds me of the one time I went on a diet. I started it on the Monday morning, which is of course the Law of Diets, and by Tuesday lunchtime I was feeling a little bit thinner and very virtuous. Look at me, […]

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The Gatekeeper

Sweta Vikram — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 04:34:50 +0000

On the morning of Friday, May 30, my husband and I got a call from India: my mother was in critical condition and hospitalized in New Delhi. I thought it was a bad joke because (a) My Mom wasn’t sick. I had barely spoken with Mom two days ago and promised to cook, Kalam Polow, a […]

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Talking to Myself: The Importance of Keeping a Diary

Diana Zimmerman — Mon, 11 Aug 2014 09:19:23 +0000

I’m driving along under a gray March sky in the gray company car to a town I’ve never been to before on a highway that climbs over the Cascades and then rolls south along the coast but nowhere really near it. My iPod is playing songs I fell in love with 20 years ago. Salsa […]

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Revenge in writing

Wendy Evans — Sun, 10 Aug 2014 10:47:57 +0000

I was flicking through an old copy of my local paper when an article caught my eye. They were looking for submissions for a writing competition on the theme of “anniversary” to tie in with the Queens Jubilee celebrations. One drawback – the deadline was that day! Immediately, an idea came to mind. I’d been […]

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You don’t need support to write: you own your own words

Racheline Maltese — Wed, 23 Jul 2014 19:03:47 +0000

This week @WomenWriters asked on Twitter: How does your family view your writing? Are they supportive? — Women Writers (@WomenWriters) July 20, 2014 My initial response was pretty harsh. @WomenWriters Conversations like this can mislead. We don’t need family support or approval to write. — Racheline Maltese (@racheline_m) July 20, 2014 Who needs support? And […]

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Clichés – drag or opportunity?

Eva Moreda — Mon, 23 Jun 2014 09:40:30 +0000

In my Twitter profile, I define myself as an ‘enemy of set phrases and cliches.’ Nothing makes me feel like putting down a novel like two, three, four, five cliches strung together without any self-awareness, any twist or turn, not even the faintest attempt at turning into something mildly interesting – what kind of original […]

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Which Women Writer Did You Want to Be?

Stella Atrium — Fri, 09 May 2014 08:48:25 +0000

I thought about my early ambitions the other day and realized that we come to ourselves through a long series of ‘Nope, not that.’ or even ‘Been there, done that.’ The only thing I ever wanted to be was a writer — a Great American Novelist. More specifically, I wanted to be F. Scott Fitzgerald. […]

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The Holy Grail of Writing

Kate Colquhoun — Thu, 24 Apr 2014 04:00:30 +0000

Someone once asked me why I write and I was stumped. Later, I thought ‘because I can’. And then I added ‘because I can’t’. What I mean is that, beyond the thrilling shock of recognition when one happens on a story which aches to be told – the ‘did that really happen?’ moment – it’s […]

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