Melanie Bell

Author: Inspire Envisioning

  • A Little Thing That Went Big

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    Last month, I had a personal essay published on Huffington Post. I wrote about the challenges of being petite and mistaken for someone much younger on a regular basis. It was a small essay, about being small. I never expected it to go so big.  As a mostly literary writer, I had a decent track…

  • Some Recent Fantastic Reads by Black Authors

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    Black lives matter. This should be something obvious, not something that needs to be said. But recent news shows just how deeply racial tensions run, how embedded they are in our institutions, and how much harm they cause. In the interest of supporting Black creators, I’ve put together a list of books by Black authors…

  • Creative Coping

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    I write this from home, where I now do my full-time job, giving new meaning to the term “in-house”! A spider plant from work sits on my kitchen table. I grabbed it in a panic when the UK government announced that all non-essential workers would henceforth be working from home. I didn’t want it to…

  • The Bestseller Experiment: Can You Write a Bestselling Book in a Year?

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    For two years, I’ve wanted to go to London Book Fair. This year I was finally going to get there, accompanying colleagues to look after ICE Publishing’s stand, network, and learn. Then, as you can probably guess, the fair was cancelled due to the coronavirus. The sound reason did not dim my disappointment. Despite the cancellation, though, I got one good thing out…

  • Following The Artist’s Way Again, Over 10 Years Later

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    During the first year of my undergraduate studies, I encountered a book called The Artist’s Way. A classmate who’d completed a visual arts program told me about the volume and how his class had used it at art school. Julia Cameron’s book has sold over 3 million copies and inspired countless artists, but this was…

  • The Reluctant Author’s Guide to Revisions

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    So, you’ve finished the first draft you were writing. Congratulations! It takes a lot of effort and discipline to get this far. Take time to acknowledge the work you put in, celebrate its completion, and take a break in order to give yourself some distance from the work. Maybe you’ve done this. Maybe that break…

  • This New Year, Be Yourself

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    Every year around late December and early January, I see posts on social media about new year’s resolutions. I’ve made a bit of a tradition of writing about this phenomenon, whether it’s giving tips about setting effective goals by being more specific or reflecting on the need for baby steps toward change rather than planning to overhaul one area…

  • 2019 in Review

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    It’s nice, at the end of the year, to look back on the last 12 months and celebrate accomplishments big and small. Time passes so quickly that it’s easy to wonder where the year went. Taking time to reflect on the last year helps to remember and appreciate that the time went to good use.…

  • 5 Reasons to Go to a Writers’ Conference

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    Last month I attended Gollanczfest 2019, a one-day celebration of science fiction, fantasy and horror writing and publishing, hosted by leading UK SFF publisher Gollancz. The conference had two separate strands. A reader’s ticket gave access to author panels and signings, while a writer’s ticket granted entry to the smaller venue across the street, where,…

  • How to Write What You Don’t Know

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    “Write what you know.” It’s one of the oldest truisms of creative writing. Life experience offers a wealth of material and ideas. Once you’ve experienced an aspect of life for yourself, it’s easier to depict it accurately, because you know what you’re talking about. However, there are heaps of books out there about aliens and…