We’ve seen them all, haven’t we? I’d need as many hands as a centipede has legs to count how many writing tips I’ve encountered and pondered over. Some were helpful; others weren’t. Most of what I know about writing I learnt from reading obsessively and spending an insane amount of time writing absolute garbage. Practice is vital: nothing makes for a better writer than writing itself—but still, even at the risk of adding to the mighty sea of advice, here are five of my own writing tips that I wish I’d known (and kept to) from day one: Treat
Author: Shona Clingham
Have you heard of Scrivener? If you haven’t heard about it on the writerly grapevine, first: what’s your secret for brain organisation? And second, if you’re struggling with exactly that, and if you’re a writer, this post might land. Maybe you have heard of it and are wondering: is Scrivener any good? Is Scrivener worth it? Doesn’t Microsoft Word or Google docs do the same thing? Well, in short: Yes, it’s good, it’s worth it, and no, other software doesn’t offer what it does; while other software has many of the same features, none of them have quite the same package
Until recent years, my heart was mostly on my sleeve. When it breaks, it’s harder to keep it there. It’s difficult to stay open and vulnerable. When I think about the times I’ve tried to make myself less vulnerable right in the midst of it, I remember dismissing my tears, trying to cover up the depth of my emotions with an intentionally petty thing. For instance, while grieving, someone walks in on me crying and I’d think quietly, ‘oh, I spilt some milk. No use crying over spilt milk, they say.’ And sometimes, I’d say it aloud, and it might
The debate on the existence of writer’s block is as long as it is tedious. There are those who would argue that it’s nothing more than an excuse for laziness but if you’re a writer, you’ll know these people and that statement are wrong. Yes, we all make excuses from time to time and some of them are valid. When I sit down to write, I am often overcome with the urge to organise my entire music collection or—horror of all horrors— do the housework. This is called procrastination, a term I’m sure you’re overly familiar with. Writer’s block, on
What’s normal? What is typical, when so many of us hide who we are and therefore hide so much of the human condition itself? Normal has always been challenged but the perception of normal is now rapidly changing whether people like it or agree with it—or not. There is a difference between someone who identifies as autistic and someone who is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (previously known as Asperger’s). Autism, ADHD, and several other ‘invisible’ struggles present differently in women. Recent and more inclusive research supports the reality. It isn’t just my reality, it’s the reality of many people.
One of my favourite photos in April of this year (2026) is an impromptu selfie as we waited on time between activities. It’s a favourite because there is significance in that moment that goes beyond ‘mother and child together’; for me, it captures something that society tells us we ought to hide beneath a brave face. My cheeky, feral child, arms swung around my neck in affection and love and pure need for connection. It’s beautiful. But no one mentions the weight of it. It’s there—in the strained smile only a best friend might detect, the unplucked eyebrows, the internal
There is pressure from people: some who want me to prove myself for its own sake and some who want me to prove something to them. Overall, my feelings and thoughts about it are quite level: it’s simple enough—I know my capabilities and I know my limits and I’m aware how they fluctuate. Trying to articulate that has been my focus for a long while and fiction writing has taken a backseat because of that. There isn’t any method or rig-up involved only that I feel more creative when I’m either relaxed or focused. Both together is great but that
There is a truth at the centre of a fictional work waiting to be found, interpreted, and applied where possible. Human emotion and experience, and everything that makes a story relatable provides us with a connection far beyond the reach of our ever-shrinking social circles.
The benefits of reflection are sometimes overlooked. In overlooking these benefits, opinion of self-reflection can lean into mockery of it. I have relearned how to ignore most of this mockery and I journal anyway; the benefits outweigh disdain, and in more recent years, I’ve found a bridge to journalling: voice memos. Those who have used old-school dictation devices might roll their eyes in unison at my newcomer status to such a helpful tool. I think the reason I use voice memos as often as I do now is so I can clarify my process: I can more easily outline what
It strikes me that some of what is radicalism is actually a counter to initial radical reform. It’s reoccurring as conservatives fear how liberal the world is becoming. People seem to fear chaos because chaos strips control. Liberalism seems to be equated with chaos. So is art. Art is self expression. Liberalism offers freedom to express. People are favouring labels outside of traditionally available boxes. Some refuse to be labelled at all. Social media gives most of us a platform to express ourselves. What goes ‘viral’ provides an interesting insight into exposure and what is currently prevailing, whether as a