S. M. MITCHELL

Dealing with Imposter Syndrome

Writers face lots of challenges in the industry – the gatekeepers of traditional publishing or the cost & skill set required to self publish; the sheer volume of books being published alongside theirs, getting their novel out there & seen;…
Writing First Chapters

I’ve scoured the internet in search of information to understand how we, as writers, might better write out first chapters. Right from the get go. Although my first chapter has already been written I have every intention of making sure…
Forming A Writing Routine

I have been a dedicated writer for around five years. Before that I barely wrote at all and struggled to find the time or ideas for it. When starting university I was encouraged to spend much more time writing as…
The Cruel Prince [book review]

3 out of 5, It’s pretty darn great! Key Aspects… Oh my god… oh my god… oh my god… this book. There aren’t enough words in the English language to fully express how much I adore this book, The Cruel Prince by…
How to Handle Feedback

As writers, we inevitably have to deal with feedback, whether it comes in the form of a friend giving you their opinion on your story idea; in the form of alpha/beta feedback from a draft; or from readers once the…
How to Make a Story Bible

A lot of planning, ideas & research goes into writing a novel, even more so if you’re constructing a series. It can be a challenge to keep track of everything you’ve worked out for your characters & plot, especially if…
Notes To Make Writing Easier

Writing is a lot of hard work… it’s also a crazy amount of words. At a minimum of 60,000, creeping up to a potential amount of 120,000 words if you write epic fantasy sagas. It’s a lot of information to…
Self Editing Step-by-Step

Completing a manuscript is hard work. BUT it doesn’t end there… there’s still revisions and edits to do, and that’s before you give it over to your editor to pull apart. Self editing can seem like a daunting task when…
What You Need to Know About Beta Reading

So you’ve waded through the murky waters of writing a first draft, you’ve self edited as best you can for the time being… now it’s time to get some feedback on all this hard work, blood, sweat & tears! Now…
Astrology for Character Creation

When you feel that first spark of inspiration for a new character it all seems like fate -perfectly falling into place, you manage to construct the perfect look, the right backstory, a detailed family, and most importantly – a fascinating…