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Writing When Life Doesn’t Let Up

By Christopher Downing Some days, it’s not procrastination or perfectionism stopping you. It’s real life. Chronic illness. A crazy day job. Caretaking kids or an elderly adult. Grief. Fatigue. Neurodivergence that’s not on your side. You know, major stressors that…

Writing Routines and Schedules and Processes, Oh My!

Welcome to the section of the blog where the delightful Dirty Discourse writers tell you all about their writing routines, schedules and processes – or lack thereof – in the hopes of helping you find the thing that works for…

How A Writing Community Changed My Life And Fed My Children

By HJ Perry When I joined Dirty Discourse, I was in my 40s and had 3 young children. I needed to earn some money from work that fitted around looking after kids. I was confident I could write fiction. The…

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Productivity Hacks For Writers

By KimBoo York There are plenty of productivity hacks out there which are great for writers. The pomodoro method is a fantastic tool for writing sprints, and a lot of online co-writing session leaders use it. The method is simple,…

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Ask An Author

Dear Author, My sister says my book is rubbish, should I bother carrying on? Answered by Hermia Ouch, I can feel that hurt all the way from the other side of your screen. I’m assuming that her criticism has left…

Ask An Author

Dear Author, I can’t write a plot, but can I start the story now? Answered by HermiaYes! If you are eager to start writing, then you definitely have some kind of story knocking around inside your brain, so sit down…

6 Ways To Get Over A Writing Slump

By Calista Jayne Are you stuck? Writer’s block has plagued authors since the beginning of time (give or take a few years), and it will continue to plague them into the future. But just because you’re stuck in a slump…

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The Importance of Finding Your Writing Community

By HJ Perry 15 years ago I subscribed to all the writing magazines, attended many writer-focused events and joined every writing group I could find in real life and online. Some writing “communities” felt like businesses that saw me as…

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