View All Posts of Diana Nadin

Before you start on your literary masterpiece, you should spend some time thinking about how you want to get it published. You could try to find a traditional publisher, but if may take you a long time to find a suitable one and, even then, there’s no guarantee that they’ll take your book, especially if you are a novice writer. So, what should ...

To communicate with one another, we need two things: a vocabulary, and some grammar. (Otherwise we degenerate to using rude hand gestures!) Together, these create our language. Our vocabulary (the words we use) provides us with the building blocks of our language. That’s why it’s important to understand fully what words mean and also to be ab...

Starting on 17th November is National Short Story Week 2014. If you visit their website you can read short stories, listen to short stories and it may even inspire you to start writing short stories. There are some excellent tips to be picked up there from experts such as Katie Fforde – but first, here are our own tips on how to make your charact...

If you have your own business, then you’re probably selling something – whether it’s goods, services or ideas.But, the only way you’re going to actually make a sale is by convincing people to buy them. (Unless, of course, they are so rare or wonderful that their fame spreads by word of mouth and people are queueing up on your doorstep ...

Before you start on your literary masterpiece, you should spend some time thinking about how you want to get it published. You could try to find a traditional publisher, but it may take you a long time to find a suitable one and, even then, there’s no guarantee that they’ll take your book, especially if you are a novice writer. So, what should ...

Some people love it, to others it’s anathema – I’m talking about the process of de-cluttering. My mum was a hoarder (in an inoffensive sort of way). She worked for an auctioneer and, as a child, our house was always packed with beautiful, but mismatched, furniture. Her wardrobe bulged with clothes that she could never bring herself to send to...

Writing your autobiography or memoir is a great way to preserve your history for the future generations of your family. We all have something of interest to pass on – even if it’s a list of what not to do with your life! So, how do you start writing your autobiography or memoir? The tips below will help you start and maintain your writing ha...

Using Social Networking to Promote your WritingSocial networking can be a great way to promote yourself and your writing and, these days, most people will expect you to have a presence on Twitter, Facebook, LinkdIn and any number of other social media sites. But, whilst social media can offer you the chance to promote yourself and connect dire...

Make That First Fifteen Seconds Count!So, you’ve finished your short story and you’re itching to approach a magazine or website with it. Fifteen seconds, that’s all the time you have to hook an editor. No matter how interesting the middle and ending of your short story are, it won’t see the light of day if you bore the editor in the fi...

Avoiding Competition ScamsWe all know how tempting it is to enter competitions. The thought of being chosen as the winner is exciting and you start imagining yourself on the podium, accepting your award and prize money. Okay, that may be a little over the top, but you get the idea. I’m sure we’ve all looked at those ads for a poetry or shor...