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Wednesday 27 January 2016

Odd Starts

The best stories starts from the oddest things at times. Today I was frantically searching for the TV remote. My brother noted that we are so used to a remote that we could walk by the TV several times and not change the channel manually. This got me thinking about our dependence on technology...and...
 BAM!
...its a story in the making.

The point of that little drabble is that as writers we need to be aware. Even the most mundane things (like a lost TV remote) can spark a story.

Writers have the dubious task of constantly being aware and "spying" on the world around us. It is a privilege and a skill that needs to be developed, those little nuances leaks through in your work making it much more compelling.

Well, thats my two cents for now.



Tuesday 26 January 2016

Steve Harvey-- Jump






A little motivation for all you writers out there! Your parachute will open, but you have to jump first like Mr Harvey said.

Zimbell House Publising



Zimbell House publishing offers anthologies leaning more to the novella and novellette categories. Entry is free and selected submissions receive payment. They welcome international authors, but require submissions to be in English.
These guys are perfect to try out if you are itching to write a longer story (but don't feel like a full-blown novel).

Click HERE to view their current anthologies open for submission. The link is as always on the right hand pane as well.

Coffin Tree Hill









Coffin Tree Hill is a blogging site that offers a treasure chest of info regarding anthologies and ongoing submissions. This site is a MUST to bookmark if you want to get your writing game on. All the anthology submissions I spotted offered some form of payment (whether it be token payment, or part of the royalties) which is great motivation if you are starting out.

Click HERE to go to their site. The link is also on the panel to the right.

Monday 25 January 2016

The Blessing of Dropbox











Any writer's worst nightmare is having your laptop/computer crash and taking all your hard work with it! You know your hard drive is on its way out when your run a disk check and the screen displays the infamous "bad sectors". Not a nice feeling.
Running a disc check buys you some time as it helps to stabilise a failing hard drive, but ultimately it will go. In a previous post I discussed various methods you can use to back up your work, but for those of us who wants to keep writing on the go, despite hard drive failures, Dropbox is a blessing. It allows you to edit your work directly and from anywhere. So, if push comes to shove, you can even continue working on that novel or gripping short by typing away furiously on your phone. Your work is safe!
This option is a bit data-intensive.  Dropbox requires a continuous Internet connection and this is a double-edged sword. It means your latest editing and writing is being backed up automatically, but it also means a constant data leak.

The link to download Dropbox is below and on the panel to the right under "Interesting Links".
Dropbox