Category: Writing
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Writing Event Updates and the Brontës’ House
Happy November! The weather is celebrating by getting chillier, the leaves yellower and more plentiful on the ground. I’m going out today to see if I can find any discounted Halloween candy. Event Updates Last Friday was the launch party for Echoes of Light, the Brighton NightWriters’ latest anthology. I read from my short story included…
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My Book Is Back!
A few people may get lucky in the writing world. For most of us who look successful, good luck and bad luck whirl around in a sort of tango. In 2021, a small press called Lost Fox Publishing published my short story collection, Dream Signs. They were a nice team and presented the book with…
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How I Get Things Done
Recently, a few people have asked me “how I get so much done.” I may have thought guiltily about all the hobbies I’ve tried and abandoned, and the animal videos I’ve watched while procrastinating. But I seem to get things done regardless. Here are my very personal productivity practices. They may or may not work…
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What the London Festival of Writing Was Like
I’m back from another busy weekend, in London this time. It was my first time attending an event from Jericho Writers, which offers writing conferences and courses in the UK. I went to the weekend-long London Festival of Writing. If you’ve been to a conference, you know a bit of what to expect: talks, buffet…
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Book Review: Centauri’s Shadow by Ross Garner
I was very excited when my colleague Ross Garner published his debut novel Centauri’s Shadow. It’s not every day that someone at work shows up with a thrilling space adventure, so I jumped at the chance to review it. Centauri’s Shadow is a hard science fiction space opera with two separate storylines, told in two…
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New Site and Folklore Anthology
I’ve been busy this month updating my website and social media. It’s a work in progress, to be sure, but it seemed like time to move on from the old “Inspire Envisioning” business name. My new social media handles are: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelanieBellWrites Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melaniebellwrites/ Twitter/X: @InspireEnvision I’ve started a Substack newsletter, with a free story…
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…And Here’s How the Songwriting Retreat Went!
I’m back from my songwriting retreat in the Peak District, where I spent a week in a converted barn in the countryside with a group of musicians and our facilitator, Murray Webster, who arranged daily activities and masterminded the whole thing. There was a lot of talent in that one living space! Guitar chords rang…
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Off I Go to a Songwriting Retreat…
In September 2021, I took a songwriting course with London Songwriters. Later this month, I’ll be joining facilitator Murray Webster and other songwriters for a retreat in the Peak District. I’ve enjoyed making up songs since childhood, though not with the same intensity as I’ve pursued other types of writing. I look forward to making…
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Artificial Intelligence: A New Chatbot and Anthology
Advances in artificial intelligence have been key technological developments in 2023. And I’ve been fortunate to be involved in the action in my own small ways. Mind Tools, the workplace learning company I work for, launched an innovative product called AI Conversations in collaboration with Learning Pool last year. AI Conversations allows managers to practice…
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The Collaborative Process of Making a Play
This month, I’ll have a play performed at London’s Tower Theatre for the second time. It’s been a massively collaborative process to get it there! Last year, my short play The Pictures of Dora Gray was one of five chosen for the Writers’ Room showcase, featuring new writing from the Tower Theatre’s playwriting group. I’ve…
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