Author: natalieholborow
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No Writer is an Island: The Misconception of the Lone Writer
“No barrier of the senses shuts me out from the sweet, gracious discourses of my book friends. They talk to me without embarrassment or awkwardness.” —Helen Keller If I say the word “writer” to you, what do you see in your mind’s eye? Do you see a lone novelist, hunched over a laptop, curtains drawn?…
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Writing and Running: Miles of Inspiration
“Most of what I know about fiction, I learned by running every day.” – Haruki Murakami It had been a long, self-defeating eighteen months of avoiding writing. During a particularly challenging 2017-18, poetry had stubbornly evaded and, unsurprisingly, angered me. “Read,” others had suggested. “Read until you feel inspired.” But reading did not make me…
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How to Get Your Poetry Published: Top 5 Tips
I’m often sent messages from aspiring writers who want advice on the paths to publication, submissions, competitions and editing their work. I love being able to help people grow and develop as writers, so thought it’s about time I compiled this advice into a blog post for you to access at any time. Remember, I’m…
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Can We Talk Frankly About Anxiety and Rejection in Writing?
This is a frank, honest one because there’s enough pretence in this era of social media and highlight reels. Recently, rejections have felt unusually hard. I call it the ‘spiders under the skin’ feeling that crawls tirelessly; a feeling all too many of us are familiar with, but which we have to hide. At times…
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Top Tips to Overcome Writer’s Block
In my last post, I talked about the importance of stepping back and being kind to yourself if you’re finding it hard to write during these difficult times. Staring at the same four walls, not interacting with new people, and not embracing new experiences as you normally would will doubtless take a hit on your…