I posted this wonderful quote on my Instagram account today. (bellbirdwords). This is so important, and it's an issue I help many of my clients with. It's closely related to the "show, don't tell" rule; another vital principle of good writing that I'm often reiterating to beginner writers. It's tempting to think you have to…
The Beginning
2017 was a turbulent, strange, unexpected year for me. The highlight was going home to Ireland for a month by myself. I'm still processing the journey and what it meant to me, and you can follow along as I write about it in installments. I've posted four already, and more will be on their way…
An Irish family history
It's now just over two weeks until I get on a plane to Ireland. In preparation for my trip back to my birthplace, I've been talking at length to my father about our life in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. Around two weeks ago I asked him to give me directions to our old house, my old…
Inaugural NZ National Writers’ Forum
Stuck in a room full of writers for an entire weekend? It would be some people's idea of a nightmare. It was my idea of Heaven at the inaugural National Writers' Forum in Auckland. The forum was the brainchild of the New Zealand Society of Authors (of which I'm a member). Sometimes inaugural events have…
Me and my big mouth
It's interesting what you do if you just have to. I've been having some ongoing shoulder issues, so I've been learning some hard lessons about slowing down and adjusting my work habits. I won't bore you with the details, but I had a steroid injection in my right shoulder on Monday and I'm having to rest it…
Ten tips to beat writer’s block
This is an extension of my last post (Writing tips: come and get 'em). It repeats some of the tips, but I've added five more, and some other new stuff. Keep reading. "Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead." -…
Show, don’t tell
“Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” This quote by Chekhov may be familiar to some of you. It encapsulates perfectly one of the rules of good fiction writing: Show, don’t tell. Even my eight-year-old daughter knows what it means – they’re taught it at school.…
The Book Exchange
I’ve achieved some rather major literary goals this year, and last night I celebrated with two lovely women. There's me in the middle. (Those holes in my top are a design feature, not a result of drunken undressing in the dark. I wish.) On the right is Joanna, and to the left is Sara: the…
How to Avoid Huge Ships
I want to share with you a marvellous book I was gifted earlier this year. I'm the first to admit I am a little anally retentive. That's one of the reasons being a proofreader is the perfect profession for me - I love finding mistakes and correcting them. (Friends and acquaintances reading this: you may now scrape…
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
My fab friend Sara and I recently sat down and chatted about one of my favourite books ever: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. Check out our conversation (and then check out the other posts on her cool blog). Thanks Sara (and Joanna)!
Patricia Bell, Author 