“Writers get asked to work unpaid all the time (and if you think that plumbers never work unpaid, just ask their neighbours, friends and family). But being professional means learning to ask for money without apology or embarrassment.” My Eleven Unapologetic Ways to Ask to be Paid: buff.ly/6WwalKH

"Two seasons shape its atmospheric dual narrative: a summer of political rebellion that defines Gil’s youth, and the coming winter of his old age.A richly imagined exploration of art, belief and brotherhood" Hepzibah Anderson, Mail on Sunday. Available @hollandhousebooks.bsky.social buff.ly/G5KuejX

"The only way to write is to exist in a state of hope. You have to think that what you want to say is worth saying, and the way you say it deserves hearing." This is Not a Book About Charles Darwin @hollandhousebooks.bsky.social buff.ly/jA7TDbF

“Writers get asked to work unpaid all the time (and if you think that plumbers never work unpaid, just ask their neighbours, friends and family). But being professional means learning to ask for money without apology or embarrassment.” My Eleven Unapologetic Ways to Ask to be Paid: buff.ly/6WwalKH

This morning I recommended my post on Passive Voice to a mentee, then dipped into This Itch of Writing to check it this afternoon, and ended up revising and updating it. Whatever you do or don’t object to, care about or understand about Passive Voice, this post should help: buff.ly/PoEcsBw

This morning I recommended my post on Passive Voice to a mentee, then dipped into This Itch of Writing to check it this afternoon, and ended up revising and updating it. Whatever you do or don’t object to, care about or understand about Passive Voice, this post should help: buff.ly/PoEcsBw

Still struggling? Make (another) cup of tea, and try this:

Emma Darwin@emmadarwinwriter.bsky.social · 4d ago

ICYM: Planning to write this weekend? Got a nasty feeling you’ll find yourself Not Getting On With It … again? New on This Itch of Writing: Thirteen Reasons You May Be Procrastinating, nd even more ways to help yourself get on with it buff.ly/y2A2vGn

ICYM: Planning to write this weekend? Got a nasty feeling you’ll find yourself Not Getting On With It … again? New on This Itch of Writing: Thirteen Reasons You May Be Procrastinating, nd even more ways to help yourself get on with it buff.ly/y2A2vGn

ICYM: Planning to write this weekend? Got a nasty feeling you’ll find yourself Not Getting On With It … again? New on This Itch of Writing: Thirteen Reasons You May Be Procrastinating, nd even more ways to help yourself get on with it buff.ly/y2A2vGn

Planning to write this weekend? Got a nasty feeling you’ll find yourself Not Getting On With It … again? New on This Itch of Writing: Thirteen Reasons You May Be Procrastinating, nd even more ways to help yourself get on with it buff.ly/y2A2vGn

"Sharenting – where parents plaster their children all over social media – is something many parents do. But for the children of professional influencers, it’s a much bigger problem." @sallynicholls.bsky.social is @lovereading4kids.bsky.social's Guest Editor for September! bit.ly/4cv6BxD

Planning to write this weekend? Got a nasty feeling you’ll find yourself Not Getting On With It … again? New on This Itch of Writing: Thirteen Reasons You May Be Procrastinating, nd even more ways to help yourself get on with it buff.ly/y2A2vGn

Former political prisoner Abdelrahman ElGendy tells Samaa Khullar about writing from inside a cell. lithub.com/abdelrahman-...

Abdelrahman ElGendy on Writing From Inside a Prison Cell

On his third night in detention in Cairo, crammed with sixty other prisoners into a four-by-five meter cell, Abdelrahman ElGendy heard the song for the first time. Belly full after being starved fo…

lithub.com

Is your back-to-school resolution to get your work published? Are you wondering whether to use a pen-name? Itchy Bitesized 42 is all about the ifs, whys and what's-involveds of pseudonyms: buff.ly/jxhkmtd

Apparently yesterday was #WeLoveMemoirsDay & despite my Harriet Vane grumble I do think much of the most exciting literary writing going on these days is in memoir and creative non-fiction. And yes, I have put my money where my mouth is: www.emmadarwin.com/this-is-not-...

Is your back-to-school resolution to get your work published? Are you wondering whether to use a pen-name? Itchy Bitesized 42 is all about the ifs, whys and what's-involveds of pseudonyms: buff.ly/jxhkmtd

3. Like all industries, publishing likes books that people want to buy. That means books with strong commercial appeal, and preferably an author with high visibility.

I don't think I've ever read a piece that summarizes so well - and so accurately - everything I hate about the book industry... www.theguardian.com/books/ng-int...

How to make a bestseller: insiders reveal the tricks of the book trade

From cover design to shelf placement and influencer partnerships … how publishers will persuade you to buy their books this autumn

theguardian.com

Making the most of the Bank Holiday weekend to get some writing in? However well it’s going, it’s bound to raise some questions. If you become an Itch of Writing supporter, you can pop your question into this week’s Ask Me Anything live chat, and at 11am on Tuesday I’ll answer it: buff.ly/OKNn7vs

Surveying social media today, I feel (as I often do) like Dorothy L Sayers’ avatar Harriet Vane: “Damn! Must you have the personal angle on *everything*?”

Brand new on This Itch of Writing, jumped off writing teacher Garth Greenwell's excellent piece exploring why he’s lost faith, as a teacher, in the classical writing workshop model: Why I agree with him much of the time, yet still believe in them, plus how to decide for yourself: buff.ly/RvCVpML

How to situate your historical fiction in its time and place: “There’s no excuse for wheeling in some talkative NPC just to explain why the townsfolk are acting skittish. As with most technical problems, find a solution that’s natural and unobtrusive.” lithub.com/eight-simple...

Eight Simple Rules for Dating Your Historical Fiction

This first appeared in Lit Hub’s Craft of Writing newsletter—sign up here. Consider these opening lines. Their source is far from obscure, so there’s a good chance you’ll recognize them right away.…

lithub.com

Brand new on This Itch of Writing, jumped off writing teacher Garth Greenwell's excellent piece exploring why he’s lost faith, as a teacher, in the classical writing workshop model: Why I agree with him much of the time, yet still believe in them, plus how to decide for yourself: buff.ly/RvCVpML

Brand new on This Itch of Writing, jumped off writing teacher Garth Greenwell's excellent piece exploring why he’s lost faith, as a teacher, in the classical writing workshop model: Why I agree with him much of the time, yet still believe in them, plus how to decide for yourself: buff.ly/RvCVpML

“When should I do my research”? I’m asked all the time. It can make a real difference, so I’ve unpacked the different possibilities, and the pros and cons of each approach: buff.ly/F0YwSEB

“When should I do my research”? I’m asked all the time. It can make a real difference, so I’ve unpacked the different possibilities, and the pros and cons of each approach: buff.ly/F0YwSEB

Me and @andrewwille.bsky.social on how to construct a DIY MA in Creative Writing - tickets in link

Build Your Own Creative Writing MA - Andrew Wille Writing Studio - creative writing & book development

A practical guide to training yourself as a writerZoom seminar with Kit de Waal and Andrew WilleTuesday 8 September 2026, 7-8.15pm London, £25 Book The MA and the MFA are long-established pathways …

wille.org

Dip into the pick of the Itch of Writing Ask Me Anything live chats! This one covers: - Dressing and accessorising characters - "Get in late and get out early" - Getting the right paid-for editing buff.ly/ZvLzVTm

In 1995, Dolly Parton founded Imagination Library to honor her father who never learned to read or write. The first order was for 1,760 books. Now, it sends 3.4MM+ books each month to children in the US & abroad. In its 30 years, her organization has gifted >325,000,000 books. imaginationlibrary.com

Admirable Women@admirablewomen.bsky.social · 2w ago

Thank you for founding the Imagination Library and touching & enriching the lives of millions of children around the world. And thank you for your wonderful songs...we will always love you. Goodnight and godspeed, Dolly Parton. 🕯️

'Written with the sensitivity and narrative elegance one might expect from a storyteller of Arnopp’s calibre, this novel offers a portrait of Marguerite of Anjou that is both vivid and compelling, steeped in atmosphere yet driven by character.' #Review http://mybook.to/mhhnf