workshop – Busybird Publishing

The Ego in Writing

Busybird — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 05:04:56 +0000

Years ago, a forty-something friend went to an open workshop at his local library. This friend had been heavily published, worked as a writing mentor, and knew as much (if not more) about writing than most people in the industry. He said he was petrified as he handed in his work. He was worried what people would say. Then somebody else came in – a twenty-year-old who handed in his…

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Writing Self-Help – The Fundamentals

Busybird — Wed, 22 Jan 2020 23:42:28 +0000

What does it take to write a self-help book? Lots of people blunder into it, thinking it’s just about getting everything out onto the page. Then that’s it. But this is tantamount to writing a novel without structure and direction. It’ll bore readers or be hard to follow. Readers will then disengage and put the book down. There you go: you’ve lost them. With a self-help book…

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Publish for Profit

swim_admin — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 20:00:00 +0000

THIS SESSION IS ONLINE VIA ZOOM Do you want to publish your book but don’t know where to start? This session will look at Beta Readers. If you intend to publish your book and for it to be successful, it’s vital that you seek feedback on the book before you start the publishing process to make sure it’s a sound product. Once you have a finished manuscript, Beta Readers are the bridge to…

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An Exploration of Karma

Busybird — Wed, 26 Oct 2016 23:45:51 +0000

We’re back from Karma! And, as you might expect, this is when we give you the sell about what a great weekend it was. Well, you know what? It was! This was our third Karma Writing Retreat, and before each of them there’s been the tiniest trepidation about how groups will gel. You just never know when strangers are relocating to live and interact with one another over the course of a…

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The Value of Workshopping

Busybird — Wed, 06 Apr 2016 23:27:21 +0000

One of the problems we face when revising is losing our objectivity. The more we work on something, the harder it becomes to see issues. We know our writing. We accept our idiosyncrasies unquestioningly. We know our content, so if something’s missing, illogically constructed, or lean, we can’t always see it because we subconsciously fill in what’s required. This is where a fresh set of eyes…

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Farewelling 2014

Busybird — Thu, 18 Dec 2014 02:50:16 +0000

So we’re almost at the end of the year, which is a time both to reflect and also to look to the future. What did we accomplish in the past year? Did we finish that book we wanted to write? Or have that exhibition? Or read at that open mic night? Going into 2014, we all would’ve had plans, things that we wanted to achieve. If we did achieve those goals, we should commend ourselves.

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Coping.

Busybird — Thu, 03 Oct 2013 01:23:10 +0000

All of us face tumultuous times in our lives. It might be the death of a loved one, the break-up of a relationship, or the loss of a job. Whatever the case, there are always upheavals. Sometimes, these events can be difficult to process. It’s not just the impact of the trauma, but making sense of the repercussions. The loss of a job, for example, might have financial implications that relate…

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