Allaboutwriting

The Publishing Process: Food, wine and good writers in Franschhoek

-Jo-Anne Richards So there I was at the Franschoek literary festival last weekend, when I was approached by a woman with an American accent. She told me a story I can’t resist sharing. A few years back, while visiting London, Carole picked up a copy of my first book at Harrods. It sparked a great … Continue reading »

The Publishing Process: When reading gets to be all work and no play

- Jo-Anne Richards I can’t say much of my recent reading has been just for fun. Besides the reading I do monthly for Allaboutwriting’s mentoring programme, I was asked to assess two manuscripts, and invited to ask the questions at a book launch a couple of weeks ago. So, as the weather turned conducive to … Continue reading »

The Publishing Process: Don’t act surprised when told what you intended

-Jo-Anne Richards Writing is like parenting. There’s no manual and no-one tests your fitness beforehand. All you can do is feel your way through the process, hoping you’re doing your best to launch this creation into the world. Nice analogy, isn’t it? It’s not mine though. It’s something Liesl Jobson said while launching her new … Continue reading »

Business buzzwords

Reblogged from mandycollinswriter: I’ve spent the afternoon giving feedback on some assignments – business writing assignments issued at a course I recently taught for Allaboutwriting. The course was for a group of communication officers at one of South Africa’s major banks, and it’s very interesting to see how the corporate lingo filters through in their … Continue reading »

The Publishing Process – If there’s a secret, no-one’s told me

-Jo-Anne Richards Once you’re out there with a new book, what people most want to ask you is: “What’s the secret?” I don’t blame them. I remember that feeling of being desperate to have a book noticed. I feel enormous empathy. But five books on, I still don’t know what the secret is. Being published … Continue reading »

May Monthly Workshop Invitation

Some things do not fall neatly into the genre categories we hold in our minds, and long-form journalism is one of those things. Sitting somewhere between the stories you consume in your newspaper every day and a work that is the length of a novel, this branch of journalism often takes the form of creative … Continue reading »

Writers write

Reblogged from mandycollinswriter: I’ve just been reading a heart-wrenching essay by someone on how she battles with writing. She’s someone who’s moved from an academic role to a communications role, where she’s expected to produce various documents in English – which is her third language – and not unexpectedly, she finds it something of a struggle. … Continue reading »

The Publishing Process: From post-launch blues to reprint

-Jo-Anne Richards My partner Fred de Vries launched three books last year. Yes, I know, he’s an over-achiever. But when he was done launching in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Rotterdam, he came back and said he was … not elated, not proud … depressed. I laughed. Not at him; it was a laugh of recognition. … Continue reading »

Monday Motivation: A passion for words

-Richard Beynon Chris is a friend who works on one of Johannesburg’s soap operas as a translator and writer. He’s a young man in his late twenties or early thirties: personable, self-effacing, with a formidable sense of humour – and an absolute passion for words. He spent part of his childhood with his father, a … Continue reading »

Midweek Motivation: Drama springs from breaking the rules

-Richard Beynon In building our characters – or, if you prefer an organic metaphor, in giving birth to them – we imagine, among other things what they believe in. Is Catherine a Catholic, who, in defiance of modern convention, eschews the use of contraceptives, and has produced a brood of eight children? Is Thomas a … Continue reading »

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