Category: Jacqui Lofthouse

Good for: * exploratory writing * motivation to write * overcoming writer’s block * general learning * beginning/er novelists * those with up to 2 hours a day Not for: x planning your work x technical advice x detailed lessons x experienced novelists x those with less than 1.5 hours a day In a nutshell… Continue reading Review of the course

Reflection Part III: Setting Yourself Up For Success As A Writer This section was another mixed collection of thoughts on both technique and practice. I have found the practice discussions more impactful, because they get to the heart of some of the reasons for writing problems.  This course wasn’t billed as heavy on technical advice… Continue reading Part III: Review

Day 3030 mins journal + 30 mins editing + 15 mins planning+ 1 hr planned writing The last day! Graduation! Today is a nice way to end it: getting support. There’s a link to Jacqui’s own services, which I’ve also put at the bottom of every page as a promo and thank you to her… Continue reading Day 30: Get support

Day 2930 mins editing + 15 mins planning + 1 hr planned writing Today is a reflective passage, asking what we have discovered about ourselves as writers over the course of the 30 Days. Jacqui emphasises the uniqueness of expression each writer has, and how that must be recognised and preserved. If we want to… Continue reading Day 29: Be passionate

Day 2830 mins research + 30 mins editing + 15 mins planning+ 1 hr planned writing Jacqui talks today about moving away from our habitual frame of reference and being more observant. It’s important to have a vision for the work which goes beyond plot. Personally, I would call this my “theme” or “argument”; what… Continue reading Day 28: The advice of Henry James

Day 271 hr journal + 30 mins editing + 15 mins planning+ 1 hr planned writing The main take-away for me has to be that the glamour of the “struggling artist” is a pernicious myth; being unhappy does not make us more creative, and believing that an artistic life is inherently unhappy is such a… Continue reading Day 27: Cultivate self-love

Day 2630 mins editing + 15 mins planning + 1 hr planned writing Interesting one today. We are asked to look back at the voice we have used for the draft so far, and consider whether it is i) consistent, and ii) effective. Jacqui talks about a trick she used in one of her novels… Continue reading Day 26: Hone that voice

Day 25x mins journal + 30 mins editing + 15 mins planning+ 1 hr planned writing The tone today is realism. While it is good — perhaps essential — to be aspirational, it is necessary to balance that with an understanding that we are not entitled to success. Or, in Jacqui’s words, “the literary world… Continue reading Day 25: Do it for love not fame

Day 241hr 45 mins re-order + 30 mins editing + 15 mins planning+ 30 mins planned writing Today we are thinking about editing again. This time, there is an awareness of the whole story. Though it seems like she only wants us to focus our editing on one particular scene, Jacqui provides us with questions… Continue reading Day 24: Notes on the editing process

Day 2330 mins editing + 15 mins planning + 1hr planned writing Hey! Want to be a good writer? Then you need to be doing: Wide general reading  Regular writing  Study of technique and theory  Attending writing classes or getting feedback from peers  Detailed research Building a good website  Learning about social networking and marketing … Continue reading Day 23: How to develop confidence as a writer