If in exploring the Itch you meet a link which leads to Typepad’s ‘closed’ sign, don’t despair: virtually all important posts have in fact been migrated over here to Substack. We are still working our way through the massive job of updating the thousands of links in the hundreds of posts, but meanwhile just use the ‘search’ facility to find the Substack version of the post you’re looking for - and feel free to message us if you get stuck!
‘EVERYTHING ABOUT MY WRITING IS AWFUL AND NO, I AM NOT O.K.’ : self-care for when the going gets really tough.
WHAT DO I MEAN BY ‘YOGA FOR WRITERS? And no, it’s not about putting your writerly ankle behind your readerly ear.
Itchy Bitesized 13: ARTIST'S DATES DON'T HAVE TO BE ABOUT ART
IS YOUR PROCESS EXPERIENCE-LED OR STORY-QUESTION LED? : And what does that mean for how to develop it?
DON’T KNOW WHAT TO WRITE NEXT IN YOUR STORY : Twelve questions to help you write on that scary blank page
WHY YOU DON’T HAVE TO RELY ON INSPIRATION : And how to cold-bloodedly make stories happen by working.
LEANING INTO THE NOT-KNOWING : How to find and work with the inarticulate, the doubtful and the a-rational space of writing (£)
FREE-WRITING: An Itch of Writing Guide : What it is, why it works, how to do it, and all the ways you can use it to develop your writing self and your work in progress (£)
HOW DO YOU DO YOUR RESEARCH? : How to set about make the most of online sources, books and articles, art, places, audio-visual and people, and avoid drowning for good
Itchy Bitesized 41: WHEN DO YOU DO YOUR RESEARCH? : and why the timing of your research can make such a difference to your novel
Itchy Bitesized 43: WHAT DO YOU RESEARCH? : What material does your novel, memoir or creative non-fiction need you to find out?
‘RE-IMAGINING IS PARTLY A PROCESS OF FORGETTING’: Why factual accuracy in fiction is not enough, and may even be a bad thing. The post otherwise known as Yours to Remember, and Mine to Forget.
WHEN FACTS MESS WITH YOUR FICTION : what to do when literal fact is terribly storytelling
Itchy Bitesized 1: THREE THINGS ABOUT FIRST DRAFTS
WHEN IT’S TOO EARLY TO START THE FIRST DRAFT : what can you do to help develop your brilliant new idea?
WHAT IS A ZERO DRAFT : and why do so many writers write them?
Itchy Bitesized 27: THREE THINGS ABOUT YOUR WRITER’S NOTEBOOK
LINES, DOTS BLANK OR GRID? Which type of notebook page is most conducive to your creative thinking?
‘BE BRUTAL TO YOUR PROSE; BE KIND TO YOUR IDEAS’ : on the gentilesse of the Sword of Truth
THE POWER OF THE APPOINTMENT TO WRITE : Why it can unstick you, inspire you, and refind why you started writing
THIRTEEN REASONS YOU MAY BE PROCRASTINATING : and even more ways to help yourself get on with it
PROCRASTINATING AGAIN? AND AGAIN? AND AGAIN? : My most recent discoveries, and links to all the earlier posts on the different reasons that you might be procrastinating.
THE MUST-WRITE DEMON AND THE ANTI-WRITING DEMON: All about two creatures who bedevil (well, they are demons) most of us at some point, and some of as more-or-less permanently.
TWELVE IDEAS TO HELP WITH WRITER'S BLOCK : "Just because you don't believe in it doesn't mean you won't get it" This post does what it says on the tin.
THE THIRTY-THOUSAND DOLDRUMS : somewhere between 20k and 40k, and decided that the whole thing's a disaster? You are not alone.
Itchy Bitesized 19: HOW NOT TO COMMIT WRITERLY ADULTERY
THE INNER CRITIC'S DRESSING-UP BOX : all the different ways the anti-writing demon tries to get you to stop writing.
WHAT YOUR INNER CRITIC DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW : why the louder those inner voices get, the more it's a sign that this project is worth going on with.
TRACK CHANGES : how using the Track Changes facility in your word processor can really help
SCRIVENER SOFTWARE : why I'm a complete convert to the only writing software real writers use, whether they're pantsers, planners, or imaginers-on-paper.
