Author Archives

A writer from sunny Perth. Local writing group facilitator and blogger by day, tortured novelist by night.

• Hyphens, En Dash, Em Dash — Oh My!

  By Tannille on May 30, 2022 • ( 0 )

  Hyphen, en dash and em dash — oh my! I mentioned these to my writing group over the weekend and was surprised no one was the full bottle. I shouldn’t have been surprised because I only investigated dashes a couple… Read More ›

• Writer Collaborations: The Tears, The Joy

  By Tannille on May 27, 2022 • ( 0 )

  

  Lately, opportunities to work as a writer on collaborative stories have popped up. My initial reaction was hesitant. I’ve worked as a screenwriter and have seen my scripts come to life. An amazing opportunity, no argument. Some projects were a… Read More ›

• Story Basics 101: Show Don’t Tell

  By Tannille on April 25, 2022 • ( 0 )

  The golden writing rule ‘show, don’t tell’ is etched in every writer’s mind, and if you’re new to the wonderful world of writing, it will become ingrained. Pretty much all of us start out writing as ‘telling’ stories rather than… Read More ›

• When to Recast Your Characters

  By Tannille on April 13, 2022 • ( 2 )

  The Silent Character  The muse has thrown an awesome plot your way. You both get excited. The plot dictates the character. Like people, their life experiences (aka the plot) shape their personalities. However, every so often a character doesn’t “speak”… Read More ›

• How to Name Characters

  By Tannille on March 28, 2022 • ( 2 )

  Naming characters can be a breeze or it can make you want to rip your hair out. The perfect name may come naturally, or it’s something to work on. A name can make or break a character and maybe even… Read More ›

• Pen Names: Yay or Nay?

  By Tannille on March 14, 2022 • ( 2 )

  The dilemma “to pen name or not” drove me mad for years. Names are a part of our identity. Choosing a pen name is a serious business, literally. As writers, our names are marketed and, dare I say with the… Read More ›

• Story Basics 101: Passive Writing vs Active Writing

  By Tannille on February 28, 2022 • ( 1 )

  Introduction Often I read stories written by aspiring writers — the plot is great, characters are relatable, the message is powerful… but the narration is weak. Passive writing strikes again. The notion of active writing vs passive writing is a… Read More ›

• Real-Life Writing Group Moves To Zoom

  By Tannille on January 31, 2022 • ( 0 )

  Thanks to our dear friend COVID, the other week my real-life writing group made the switch to Zoom. Lucky for us, I used my psychic powers and foresaw the nasty coming like a train crash in slomo. For the first… Read More ›

• Writing, Grief, and Mourning, as Writers

  By Tannille on October 3, 2021 • ( 4 )

  Background   I loved Pete, and he loved me. A year ago to the day, my writing and life mentor passed away unexpectedly. For a decade, we ran local writing groups together, celebrated socially, shared our personal thoughts, and drank… Read More ›

• Story Basics 101: The Third Person

  By Tannille on September 18, 2021 • ( 0 )

  Introduction The third person is the stock standard perspective for fiction writing. Traditionally, most novels were written in the third person and the trend continues today. It should be noted, in modern times, the first-person narrative is growing in popularity,… Read More ›