Anyone that has ready book Grit for Writers knows that I share my personal story of grit and the challenges that mental health means for a
Category: Help for Writers
Establishing a Daily Writing Routine
We have another wonderful guest post today from Sierra Delarosa, exploring the 20 daily writing routines of famous authors. I discuss making writing a habit
My Story of Grit
I debated long and hard whether I should include my own story of grit in the recently released Grit for Writers. In part because I
The Power of Grit for Writers
Only one more sleep before Grit for Writers hits Amazon bookshelves! To say I’m excited is an understatement. I wanted to share with you an
Jumping to Conclusions: Great Character Driven Conflict
The brain loves short-cuts. I don’t blame it, so do I. If I’ve got a whole heap of research to do, I’ll skim the document
The Psychology of High Concept
The term high-concept got on my radar at this year’s Romance Writers of Australia conference. I listened to a couple of panels where a mix
Growth Mindset for Writers
It’s not always the people who start out the smartest who end up the smartest. – Alfred Binet, inventor of the IQ test As I’m
How to Write When You Least Feel Like It
Writing is tough. Sure, there’s the days when we hit our ‘flow’ state; words pour from our minds faster than we can type, plot twists
The Psychology of the Character Wound: Understanding the Negative Core Belief
Character wounds are the foundation of a strong, memorable character. Why? Because they make characters complex, authentic (I challenge you to find me a person
Childhood Trauma and its Impact on Your Character
The word ‘trauma’ is derived from the Greek term for ‘wound’. Very frightening or distressing events may result in a psychological wound or injury –
Learning to Live with Your Inner Editor
As we discussed last week, our Inner Editor is a direct descendant of the Inner Critic. The Origins of the Inner Editor showed us that
When Life Gets You Down: Therapy For Writers
I’m going to wager that many, no most, writers have some strong commonalities. We all have responsibilities outside of our writing. Pretty much every one
Your Book Needs These 6 Psychological Ingredients
Psychology has given us such a wonderful understanding into human behaviour that’s it’s a veritable gold-mine for writers. It not only lets us understand our
Is Your Character Ready to Change? The Stages of Change for Writers
Narratives are all about change – protagonists changing their perspectives as they see, hear and learn new things, choosing to do things differently as
Straight From An Agent: YOUR Questions Answered
Mark Gottlieb of Trident Media is back, this time answering YOUR questions. There were quite a few responses (thank you!) so I didn’t manage to
Therapy for Writers: Overcoming the Rejection Letter
Following on from last week’s blog, where literary agent Mark Gottlieb answered some questions on ‘Why did I get a no?’, I wanted to discuss
