A version of this story first appeared in Hometown St. Thomas and is reprinted with permission. In the late autumn, 2024 , Elgin Writers Guild marked a significant milestone with the release of Railway City Writes – Stories and Poems from the Elgin Writers Guild, a 150-page anthology featuring shortstories and poems from its talented…
Author: elginwritersguild@outlook.com
On Being a Writer
By Elgin Writers Guild Member Peter Bloch-Hansen I wrote my first novel in Grade 8, a colossal failure, but here I am! Being a writer is just that –being the thing. You don’t need anyone to tell you you’re a writer. You don’t need anyone’s permission. You don’t need a certificate. You don’t need anyone’s…
The Amazing Power of Little Squiggles
By Elgin Writers Guild Vice-President James Miller Words are incredible. These squiggles have the ability to transport you to another world,drive you to depths of despair, or elevate you to the highest point of elation. As writers, amateuror otherwise, we try to wrangle words into sentences that do just that: move the reader. It is…
Book Review: “The Bingo Hall Detectives” By Jonathan Whitelaw
Reviewed by Elgin Writers Guild Member Wendy Tippin As a young senior and a voracious reader of cozy mysteries, I have noticed a rejuvenation of atrend in cozies that have a cast of senior citizen sleuths much like in the days of Agatha Christie’s MissMarple. Perhaps you are familiar with Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club…
4 Ways to Make the Most of a Critique Group
JANE FRIEDMAN – JUN 6, 2011 “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” (Aristotle) “I was confused by your use of third person, omniscient. Wouldn’t it work better in first person?” “Why did you write this in present tense? I think past tense is…
Crafting Fabulous Fiction: How to Get – and Take – Criticism
by Victoria Grossack, 2013 One of the best ways to improve your writing in general and your work in particular is to apply the criticism of others. But where do you go to get such a critique? And how do you take it? Having your work critiqued can be occasionally painful; how do you deal…
Tips for an Effective Creative Writing Critique
By Ginny Wiehardt Updated on 11/20/19 We all know the experience of getting an unhelpful critique, of feeling shut down and discouraged rather than pumped up to revise. What exactly gives you that feeling? How can you avoid giving it to someone else? Giving the right kind of critique takes some effort and thoughtfulness. If you’re…