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    Writing courses, free resources and webinars, and developmental editing Writing courses, free resources and webinars, and developmental editing
    • Home
    • Courses
      • Creative Writing Course
    • Mentoring
    • Retreats
      • Venice Writing Retreat
      • Stow-on-the-Wold Writing Weekend
      • Karoo Writing Retreat | Memoir & Fiction Getaway in South Africa
    • Shop
    • Resources
      • Free offerings for writers
      • Downloadable writing resources
      • Blog
    • About
      • About
      • Facilitators
      • Testimonials
      • Contact
      • How to enrol

    Archives

    Author Archive for: "Michele Rowe"
     2023 in review: the writer’s struggle
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    By Michele Rowe
    In All About Writing, Newsletters, Tips for Writers
    Posted December 31, 2023

    2023 in review: the writer’s struggle

    Maybe because of my struggles with my own writing, I’m highly sensitive to the struggles of other writers. I  love mentoring, because like a midwife, I enjoy the immense satisfaction […]

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     How can the Hero’s Journey® course help you in your writing project
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    By Michele Rowe
    In How to write a book, Invitations, Newsletters, Tips for Writers
    Posted August 22, 2022

    How can the Hero’s Journey® course help you in your writing project

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     June Newsletter: the secret to a great story | writing journeys | flash fiction challenge
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    By Michele Rowe
    In All About Writing, How to write a book, Newsletters
    Posted June 15, 2022

    June Newsletter: the secret to a great story | writing journeys | flash fiction challenge

    Hello writers Jo-Anne has been having a wild time on our Writing Safari in Zimbabwe, Richard has been recovering from a difficult but amusing time in hospital with cellulitis, so […]

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     Is Aristotle relevant to understanding storytelling today?
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    By Michele Rowe
    In Screenwriting courses, Tips for Writers
    Posted July 3, 2020

    Is Aristotle relevant to understanding storytelling today?

    Here’s an interesting and pertinent question Sheila Hughes sent in to our free webinar: Is Aristotle relevant to understanding storytelling today? We didn’t have time to answer on the day so […]

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     Daydream your way to great ideas for your movie
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    By Michele Rowe
    In Screenwriting courses, Tips for Writers
    Posted October 25, 2018

    Daydream your way to great ideas for your movie

    ‘Where do you get your ideas?’ is one of the most frequently asked questions on our screenwriting course.  Aspiring writers hope to be told that there is a magic formula; […]

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     Tips for aspiring screenwriters
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    By Michele Rowe
    In Screenwriting courses, Tips for Writers
    Posted February 24, 2017

    Tips for aspiring screenwriters

    We are a nation of extraordinary stories, and producers and content providers are always looking for good, skilled writers to craft these into the medium of film. The question is […]

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    INSTAGRAM
    Resolutions = bullies Intentions = guides That's Resolutions = bullies
Intentions = guides

That's why we're doing something different this January.

Join our free "Start the Year Writing" webinar on 19 January for an interactive conversation about your writing intentions for 2026.

We'll work through key questions together. You'll hear what other writers are planning. And you'll leave with clarity (not guilt) about your writing year ahead.
No finger-wagging. No impossible standards. Just Richard, me, and a community of writers figuring out what we really want from 2026.

Free webinar | Monday 19 January | Register via link in bio

What are your writing intentions for this year? Tell us in the comments ⬇️

#WritingIntentions #WritersOfInstagram #WritingCommunity #FreeWebinar #CreativeWriting
    Happy Writing Year from opposite ends of the world Happy Writing Year from opposite ends of the world!

Here I am in sunny Simon's Town, about to plunge into the Atlantic (my daily practice for curbing chronic anxiety and staying creative). Meanwhile, Richard is bundled up beside the frozen River Great Ouse in Bedford, snow falling around his house boat.
Different hemispheres. Different seasons. Same intention: to make 2026 a writing year.

That's the thing about writing intentions – they adapt to wherever you are, whatever your season looks like, literal or metaphorical. They're not rigid New Year's resolutions that demand we all wake at 5am and write 2000 words before breakfast. They're gentle guides that work with our real lives.

My writing intentions for 2026? To make the necessary changes to my manuscript; to listen to my editor without defensiveness and work hard to make it as good as it can be.

Richard's? To maintain his morning routine, to finish the novel he's been working on, and to make space for the messy, imperfect reality of creative life.

What are yours?

Join us for our free "Start the Year Writing" webinar on 19 January where we'll help you clarify your writing intentions for 2026 through an interactive conversation. No pressure, no finger-wagging. Just honest reflection about what you really want from your writing life this year.

We'll work through questions together, you'll hear what fellow writers are planning, and by the end you'll have clarity on your writing year ahead.

Free webinar | Monday 19 January | Link in bio

Let's make this a year of intention, creativity, and sustainable writing practice – whether you're swimming in summer or walking through snow.

Wishing you a happy writing year,
Jo-Anne (and Richard)

#WritingIntentions #WritingGoals2026 #HappyNewYear #WritersOfInstagram #WritingCommunity #SimonsTown #Bedford #CreativeWriting #WritingLife #AmWriting #WritingWebinar #SouthAfrica #UK #WritingFromAnywhere
    The targets that seem extravagant—writing in a n The targets that seem extravagant—writing in a new genre, creating unfamiliar characters, attempting bold structures—aren’t really extravagant at all. They’re just unfamiliar. And we mistake the unfamiliar for the impossible.

For years, I approached writing with pre-emptive diffidence, already conceding that real imagination belonged to other people—the naturally talented, the real writers.

Then I discovered something: I can write anything. Not because I suddenly became more talented, but because I stopped telling myself I couldn’t.

The diffident writer asks permission. The ambitious writer is already working.

Whether you’re fifteen or seventy-five, the only thing standing between you and the work you dream of creating is the decision to stop asking for permission and start.

Read more on the blog - link in bio.

#WritingAmbition #WritersOfInstagram #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #WritingAdvice #CreativeConfidence #WritingLife #AuthorsOfInstagram
    We’ve midwifed stories as diverse as paranormal We’ve midwifed stories as diverse as paranormal romance and historical literary fiction, seeing our participants feel their way into a new story or make headway on a longstanding project. We have felt their creative excitement and sense of achievement. What could be more exhilarating. Nice work if you can get it. #venicewritingretreat #amwriting #ponteaccademia
    #amwriting #Venice #amwriting #Venice
    #venicewritingretreat #amwriting #venicewritingretreat #amwriting
    #venicewritingretreat #amwriting #venicewritingretreat #amwriting
    Is there a code of conduct for writers? One of th Is there a code of conduct for writers?

One of the writers at our Venice Writing Retreat posed this question, and it got me thinking.

It seemed to me that there are three fundamental duties we have as writers.

To yourself as a writer: Become the best writer you can be by staying curious about craft, taking creative risks, and remaining true to your vision.

To your characters: Honour their internal logic and authenticity, allowing them to be themselves rather than convenient plot devices or mouthpieces for your ideology.

To your readers: Deliver clarity, coherence, and your best effort while respecting their intelligence – and when writing in a genre, honour the contract you've made with them.

I've written about this in detail here: https://allaboutwritingcourses.com/2025/10/10/code-of-conduct-for-writers/

What duty do you find most challenging to honour?
    #venicewritingretreat #venicewritingretreat
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    NEWS & TIPS
    • Start the Year Writing: A Free Interactive Webinar
      Start the Year Writing: A Free Interactive Webinar
    • Writing Tips to Accelerate Your Development: Expert Advice
      Writing Tips to Accelerate Your Development: Expert Advice
    • Venice Writing Retreat: Creative Immersion and Expert Mentoring
      Venice Writing Retreat: Creative Immersion and Expert Mentoring
    • Writing Ambition: Stop Asking Permission and Start Writing
      Writing Ambition: Stop Asking Permission and Start Writing
    • A Code of Conduct for Writers
      A Code of Conduct for Writers
    • Character vs Story: What Should Come First?
      Character vs Story: What Should Come First?
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