Shannon Meyerkort

Finding Story Talismans and Motifs

Motifs are not necessarily part of the story and often do not carry any extra meaning for the characters themselves. It is a relationship between the author and audience… the symbols must be both subtle yet significant | Shannon Meyerkort

Starting from Scratch (again)

What happens when you realise you need to rewrite your entire book because you didn’t tell the story you thought you had? A lesson in starting over | Shannon Meyerkort

Finding Beta Readers (Making yourself vulnerable)

A Beta Reader’s job is to provide constructive feedback as an informed casual reader – they’re looking at big picture issues such as story, characters, timing and basic structure: does the story work?

Can you make money from blogging?

I had been under the distinct impression that writing, in any form, was a humbling and poverty-inducing career choice; that one chose it from a place of deep desire, like a religious calling, and not because you could actually make a buck from it…

Writing Character Arcs (or Falling in Love with your Characters)

‘But does Winnie actually want a husband and children, or is she happily single?’ my mentor Brooke asked as we discussed my book, Letting Go. ‘What does she want from life?’ ‘Ahhhhh,’ was my rather inarticulate response. I didn’t know. It suited my purposes for this particular character to be childless, but I hadn’t consideredContinueContinue reading “Writing Character Arcs (or Falling in Love with your Characters)”

Addicted to flashbacks

An addiction to flashbacks may sound like I misspent my youth, but in reality I have discovered an over-reliance on a literary technique that threatens to turn my book into a time-hopping debacle.

How Dyslexia Affects My Daughter

Before my daughter was diagnosed with dyslexia I didn’t know how dyslexia affects learning and other aspects of her life

Why You Should Keep a Record of Rejection

What embarrassing secrets have I got hidden in my ‘rejection file’? Why writers should keep records of their submissions | Shannon Meyerkort

Should we be writing about the pandemic?

“So my decision to write a book about the pandemic might be seen as a very unpopular one. Especially since it’s been only six months since the first mention of a novel corona virus and we haven’t yet reached the peak.”

Interviewing Experts for your Novel

‘They wouldn’t be sweating once they were in cardiac arrest, even if it was a cocaine overdose,’ the lady across from me said. She stopped to think. ‘With a heroin overdose they might be sweaty once they’ve been resuscitated and trying to get back to normal, but it would be unlikely that two people inContinueContinue reading “Interviewing Experts for your Novel”