Stephanie Cage - Writer

This month at Book-in-a-Week I'm talking about what to do when your writing really needs the boost of a writing retreat, but time or money gets in the way of a full-on writing week away.  Click on the link below if you'd like to find out more about organising an informal writing retreat of your own. http://www.book-in-a-week.com/2013/10/informal-writing-retreats/

Thanks to one of the lovely authors at Crimson Romance for sharing this bizarre but brilliant resource.  Have you ever struggled with writing a period story and wondering whether the language you're using is appropriate?  Struggle no longer!  For any word you care to enter, this website will tell you how many times Jane Austen used the word, and which related words she used, or did not use.  It's probably more of a game than a serious resource since it doesn't differentiate between different meanings of the same word (just try entering 'flowers' or 'red' and you'll see what I mean) but it's enormous fun and could certainly help steer a historical author in the right direction. http://www.writelikeausten.com

Could you use a few tricks for getting to know your characters in a deeper way?  If so, join me over at the Book-in-a-Week blog, where this month I'm talking about questions you can ask your characters, from the pretty obvious to the slightly bizarre.  As well as my five favourite questions, I also share a nifty trick for making use of the media.  Read more here:  http://www.book-in-a-week.com/2013/05/5-questions-to-ask-your-characters/ By the way, these tricks aren't just theory: one of them provided a whole new plot strand to my work in progress, 'Desperate Measures' (full marks to anyone who guessed it's a sequel to my first published novella, 'Desperate Bid').   I asked the question, 'What's in the hero's desk drawer?' but instead of answering it directly, I played it out as a scene in which the heroine is sneaking a look at his desk while he's out of the office... and gets caught.  She's initially puzzled by one of the items ...

Yes, I know, it's not the most obvious combination, but it was a recent visit to Meat Loaf's 'Last at Bat' show at Sheffield Arena which inspired my first ever writers' blog post over at the Book in a Week site.  Here's the link: http://www.book-in-a-week.com/2013/04/what-meat-loaf-taught-me-about-writing/ And here's me practicing my best Bonnie Tyler look in preparation for the show!  So not only did I have a great night out, I also got a new facebook profile picture and the inspiration for a fun article.  Now that's what I call multi-tasking! 

I'm a big fan of spas - peace and quiet, running water, clear air and above all, the gift of time to relax and enjoy life.  I am also, as you might have guessed, a big fan of writing websites, so when I discovered WriteSpa, I came to the immediate conclusion that the site must have been designed especially for me!  Combining practical writing tips with ideas about how to find a creative oasis in even the most hectic day, this book and website should, I think, be part of every busy writer's toolkit.  For a limited time only, you can download Winslow Eliot's practical, lyrical companion to the writing life, 'Writing Through The Year' for free.  Click here for the special free download, or here to find out more about the paperback edition.  If you'd rather cry off writing for a while and visit a real-life spa, or just soak up the atmosphere without leaving your PC, you can click here for a visit in pictures to my all-time favourite, the only naturally heated...

Wow!  I wish I'd discovered this site years ago.  I found autocrit as a result of an excellent article about writing by fellow Crimson Romance novelist Bobbi Romans, author of the intriguingly titled 'Swamp Magic'.  The article, which you can find here , is well worth a read.  Although it's described as advice for beginning writers, there are some things worth hearing more than once, even if you've been writing for years.  Bobbi's tips span everything from critique groups to finding out about industry trends, so even if you've been following some of the pointers for a long time, others may well be fresh, as online editing site autocrit was for me.  Courtesy of autocrit, I've learned that I've finally conquered my habit of scattering my stories with the words 'just' and 'really', only to see a forest of 'it' and 'was' springing up in their place!  *Sigh*.  A writer's work is never done...

It's coming to the end of the year now, and time to start summing up the best and most memorable of the year's reads.  This time I'm focusing on the books I've read and loved on my Kindle since the start of 2012, with a round-up of a dozen favourites from now until Christmas.  Today's is (unless I change my mind, which I reserve the right to do), the only non-fiction title on the list.  I've been reading some good biographies, business books and mind, body, spirit titles on Kindle, but this is something else entirely.  It's the only writers' reference book on my Kindle, and it's one I turn to constantly: Liz Fielding's Little Book of Writing Romance .  Liz Fielding speaks with the wisdom of experience, and her book is a gentle yet hugely informative guide to what to do - and what not to do - when writing.  I wish I'd had it when I wrote ' Desperate Bid ', as I'm sure it would have saved me a vast amount of experimentation to a...

I'm a big fan of writing prompts to help get things started.  A blank page is far less terrifying if there's something to suggest a direction you might take in filling it.  I have a number of books of writing prompts (of which my current favourite is 'The Writer's Idea Book') but it's always good to find fresh ones, and this is my latest source: http://www.squidoo.com/writeprompts The site contains not only some great prompts (frequently updated) but also some wise thoughts about the use of prompts, such as a reminder not to get too hung up about hunting for the 'right' prompt.  Reading 100 prompts in quick succession won't get the book written, and will mean that when you come to use those prompts in future, they're no longer as fresh and inspiring as if you were seeing them for the first time.  You have been warned!