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INDEX

© Marsha Durham and Writing Companion, 2007-2009. You’re welcome to use any excerpts and links in my blog, provided that you credit me and Writing Companion, with specific direction to the original content you’ve used.

• Last Day at Chez Varuna. 05-11-09. Writing Help.
  Reflections on my residential week at Varuna Writers’ House.
• Baths and Writing. 26-10-09. Writing Inspiration.
  Taking a bath to put writing problems in perspective.
• Another Day at Varuna. 25-10-09. Writing Inspiration.
  More about my stay at Varuna Writers’ House.
• Community and Writers. 21-10-09.  Writing Inspiration.
  My stay at Varuna Writers’ House during the Longlines Community Week.
• Faith of a Writer–Carol Joyce Oats. 12-10-09. Wrinting Experts.
  Excerpts and comments on Oates’s essays on writing.
  
• Weird Book Titles. 1-10-09. Books & Lit.
  Strange titles of booksk that have been published.
• Prompt: Arty Starters. 22-09-09. Writing Prompt.
  Use titles of modern artworks to tweak your imagination.
• Writing Language Back into the Land. 01-09-09. Writing Inspiration.
  Guest post from Kelly Shepherd about the importance of nature writing.
• Writers’ Research Part 2:  Characters and settings. 24-08-09. Writing Help.
  How to research characters and settings.
• How Writers Research: Part 1. 06-08-09. Writing Help.
  General resources for research; historical research.
• Dark and Stormy Writing. 24-07-09. Miscellany.
  Examples of comically bad opening lines for novels, from the popular Bulwer-Lytton contest, informally known as the ‘Dark and Stormy’. 
• Dreaming Ideas to Write About. 14-07-09. Writing Help.
  How to remember dreams, record them, and use them in your writing.
• Writers and Dreaming. 25-06-09. Writing Experts.
  Excerpts from Naomi Epel’s interviews with writers, who comment on what they think of the influence that dreaming and the unconscious have on one’s writing.
• Writing Bad Analogies. 14-06-09. Miscellany.
  A group of deliberately bad analogies, from a contest run by the Washington Post.
• Haiku Inspirations and the Pocket Notebook. 7-06-09. Writing Inspiration.
  Guest post by Kelly Shepherd, about haiku and using a small notebook to jot down material that can be turned into stories and poetry.
  Prolific and Super-Prolific Writers. 23-05-09. Writing Expert.
  Gives examples of some prolific writers and suggests why some writers are able to write so much.
• Writing Advice: Marilynne Robinson. 27-04-09. Writing Expert.
  Excerpts an interview with Robinson, published in Parisian Review. She talks about her writing habits, what works for her and what doesn’t.
• Writing, The Beats and On The Road. 01-04-09. Writing Inspiration.
  Excerpts from Jack Kerouac’s writings about the writing process and a writer’s aims.
• Writing Prompt 17: Searching Terms. 15-03-09. Writing Prompt.
• Phantom Editors and Writing ‘Mistakes’. 06-03-09. Writing Help.
  Readers often make inaccurate corrections in books, but it’s not always easy to decide what’s right and what’s wrong. In this blog, the author has written in to explain about her choices.
• Finding Publications and Competitions for Writers. 22-02-09. Writing Help.
  Major reference books of writers offer a wealth of publications and competitions to send your work.
• Taming Technology When Writing. 13-02-09. Writing Basics.
• Writers, Watchers and Short Stories. 23-01-09. Writing Inspiration.
• Writing Prompt 16: That first time. 18-01-09. Writing Prompt.
• 2008’s New Words. 08-01-09. Miscellany.
  Macquarie Dictionary’s newest words from 2008. How many will last the distance to the end of 2009?
• Plum Pudding Vodka. 19-12-08. Miscellany.
  Nothing about writing, just a yummy recipe for plum pudding vodka. Great for a luxurious Christmas or winter dessert.
• Line-Number Your Writing. 16-12-08. Writing Basics.
  Numbering each line of your story can help a writing group, teacher or mentor discuss your story with you.
• Writing Prompt 15: Senses of place. 12-12-08. Writing Prompt.
• Getting Into Your Character’s Head. 29-11-08. Writing Help.
• Writing Prompt 14: Challenging scenes. 13-11-08. Writing Prompt.
• Mining Journal/Notebook Entries. 04-11-08. Writing Help.
• Writing Journal, or Commonplace Book? 02-11-08. Writing Help.
• Writing Workshops at Varuna. 14-10-08. Writing Expert.
• ‘Filthy, Trashy’: Banned books. 08-10-08. Books & Lit.
• Writing and Busywork, Busy Work, Busy-work. 23-09-08. Writing Help.
  If you find you can never find time to write, see if your time is being sabotaged by busywork. Then do something about it.
• Marking Up Books: Mutilation or act of love? 10-09-08. Books & Lit.
  
• Writing Prompt 13: Less is more. 21-08-08. Writing Prompt.
• Save the Cat! An interview with Blake Snyder, Screenwriter. 23-07-08. Writing Expert.
• Writing Prompt 12: Alphabetical writing. 30-06-2008. Writing Prompt.
• June Reads. 29-06-08. Books & Lit.
• The Dulled Edge of Danielle Steel. 21-06-08. Books & Lit.
• Bouncing Back When Publication Doesn’t Happen. 05-06-08. Writing Inspiration.
• Writing to Stretch Your Mind. 04-06-08. Writing Inspiration.
• Satisficing When Writing. 03-06-08. Writing Help.
• Split Pane: Great when writing or editing. 28-05-08. Writing Basics.
• Day 2, Sydney Writers’ Festival, Katoomba. 18-05-08. Writing Experts.
• Day 1, Sydney Writers’ Festival, Katoomba.19-05-08. Writing Experts.
• Writing from the Unconscious:  Trying to catch the wind. 06-05-08. Writing Inspiration.
• So, What Are You Writing Today? 20-04-08. Writing Inspiration.
• Writing Prompt 11: Twisted titles. 15-04-08. Writing Prompt.
• Writing Basics: Track changes. 10-04-08. Writing Basics.
• Write Great Short Stories, Like Screaming Meteors. 05-04-08. Writing Help, Writing Inspiration.
• Writing Prompt 10: Are we there yet? 11-03-08. Writing Prompt.
• Writing Basics: Choosing software for writing. 28-02-08. Writing Basics.
• Writing Prompt 9: Pick your strange phrase. 17-02-08. Writing Prompt.
• Writing Prompt 8:  Rewrite a fairy tale. 12-02-08. Writing Prompt.
  Popular prompt where you rewrite a fairy tale, possibly modernising it or writing it to fit a genre.
• A Great Bookshop in Fiction and Fact. 07-02-08. Books & Lit.
• What Wows Writing Judges? 30-01-08. Writing Help.
• The Writing House Has Many Rooms. 28-01-08. Writing Inspiration.
• Writing Prompt 7: What’s in a song? 19-01-08. Writing Prompt.
• Writing Basics: Save your work—-then save again. 09-01-08. Writing Basics.
• Writing Prompt 6: Story spinner. 06-01-08. Writing Prompt.
• Book Cover Design. 04-01-08. Books & Lit.
• What We Love to Hate: Language pet peeves. 02-01-08. Writing Basics.
• Writing Prompt 5:  Patchwork fiction. 3-12-07. Writing Prompt.
• Two Romance Novels: 1 yeech, 1 yea! 21-12-07. Books & Lit.
• Warning:  Approach apostrophes with extreme caution. 14-12-07. Writing Basics.
• Evanovich: How I Write. 10-12-07. Writing Expert.
• Critique Writing Groups: Grueling or inspiring? 09-12-07. Writing Help.
• Writing Prompt 4: Starting sentences. 09-12-07. Writing Prompt.
• Don’t Even Think About Joining My Writing Group. 05-12-07. Writing Help.
• Ring-Ring: Your novel is ready. 03-12-07. Books & Lit.
• Writing Prompt 3: Disturb your mind. 03-12-07. Writing Prompt.
• Calling Yourself a Writer. 02-12-07. Writing Inspiration.
• Writing Prompt 2: A ‘found’ world. 01-12-07. Writing Prompt.
• Why Join a Critique-Based Writing Group? 30-11-07. Writing Help
• The Gathering Wins Man Booker, But. . . . 29-11-07. Books & Lit
• Writing Mentors: What they do and how to select one. 27-11-07. Writing Help
• 4 Tips for Succeeding as a Writer. 24-11-07. Writing Help
• Writing Prompt 1: Be the rain. 24-11-07. Writing Prompt
• Bad Sex Wins Prize. 14-11-07. Writing Help
• Fail Better. 07-11-07. Writing Inspiration
• Lynn Freed:  Reading, Writing and Leaving Home. 04-11-07. Writing Expert
• Steering the Craft of Fiction (Ursula LeGuin). 23-10-07. Writing Expert
• Ten Years of Banned Books. 16-10-07. Books & Lit
• Hopelessly Bad: Part 2. 10-09-07. Writing Inspiration
• We Find Your Manuscript Hopelessly Bad. 08-09-07. Writing Inspiration
• Jane Austen Gets the Thumbs Down. 02-09-07. Books & Lit
• 1oo Best Books? 07-08-07. Books & Lit
• Writing Neat Endings: Tyrannical epiphanies and self-actualisation. 06-08-07. Writing Help
• Birdy Nose Song, John Updike! 05-08-07. Writing Inspiration
• Book Cover Design Favourites. 04-08-07. Books & Lit
• Misery Memoirs–a ‘voyeur’s wet dream’. 05-7-07. Writing Help
• The Day of the Triffids. 25-06-07. Books & Lit
• Varuna: The Writers’ House. 24-06-07. Writing Help
• The Memoir Book (Patty Miller). 20-06-07. Writing Expert