Melanie Bell

Author: Inspire Envisioning

  • 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…

  • 5 Ways to Use Travel as a Springboard for Writing

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    If you love to write and have the privilege of being able to travel, you might dream of doing both things in tandem. Maybe you’ve heard stories of digital nomads who hop from country to country and make a living from their laptops, or writers who travel in their camper vans. If that’s not a…

  • SFF Book Recommendations and Aristotle’s Building Blocks of Writing

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    Writing is a holistic activity, but when it comes to honing our craft, it’s useful to break it down into parts. The June 30 episode of Writing Excuses, a podcast about the craft of writing that focuses primarily on fantasy and science fiction (SFF), introduced Aristotle’s elements of tragedy. These six aspects of writing apply…

  • Book Review: Romancing the Page

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    I just finished a novella collection that combines keen publishing industry insights with charming f/f romance. Presenting Romancing the Page! Written by fantasy author Laura Lam (Pantomime, False Hearts) writing and self-publishing under the open pen name Laura Ambrose, the three novellas in this series spin love stories between writers and publishing employees in the…

  • Lessons on Writing Relationships… from Romance Novels

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    Feedback on the first draft of a fiction manuscript I’ve been working on for a while, while positive in other aspects, suggested that the characters’ relationships lacked a certain spark. So, while working on the second draft, I turned to a genre that models relationship writing: romance. Romance writing is a realm where constraint fuels…

  • Literary Adventures at Sea

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    Fellow book lovers, have you ever daydreamed about going on a literary cruise? I’ve thought they sounded like fun ever since I learned they existed. Despite getting sick on the last cruise I went on, after receiving a deal offer from Olivia Travel on a lesbian cruise featuring a full slate of author events, I…