Reading

How to Give a Great Poetry Reading

How to Give a Great Poetry Reading

Poetry readings differ from other kinds of public speaking events for many reasons.

Firstly, they’re more of a musical performance than a fiction or nonfiction reading.

Secondly, you need to embody the character of your poem. In fiction, you can get away (a little) with reading in a fairly normal voice. But if you don’t put passion and pizazz into your poetry, you’ll lose your audience, and fast.

Many poems are written to be read aloud.

So, as a poet, you need to embrace this.

Even if you hate being on stage more than anything else, you can learn to love reading your poetry aloud.

And the more you read your work in front of people, the easier it gets.

Promise.

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Interview With Shreya Sen Handley, Author of Memoirs of My Body

Interview With Shreya Sen Handley, Author of Memoirs of My Body

This time last year, I was in the middle of a course called Writing Your Way Into the Media at Nottingham Writers’ Studio.

It’s thanks to that course, Janet Murray, and the sales guy at my day job that I’ve had work published in The Huffington Post, Thrive Global, and more.

That course was taught by Shreya Sen Handley, a former broadcast journalist and television producer for international channels such as CNBC and MTV.

I interviewed her about her first book, Memoirs of My Body, and her writing process.

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Christmas Present Ideas for Writers

Christmas Present Ideas for Writers

Like it or not, the holiday season is officially here.

I love giving and receiving presents, but the people around me are super difficult to buy for. People say they don’t want a present, but if they buy you something and you don’t buy them anything, things get awkward.

But what on earth do you buy a writer?

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5 Tips to Help You Read More Actively

5 Tips to Help You Read More Actively

If writing is the weightlifting, then reading is the protein that builds the muscle.

The best writers are the most avid readers.

Reading for pleasure allows us to subconsciously pick up on the ingredients for a successful story.

When we read actively, though, we pick up on those ingredients faster and can therefore improve our writing faster too.

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How to Read Like a Writer

By far, the best writers I’ve ever met are the ones with English Literature degrees. This is no coincidence: these people read books like some of us drink coffee, or big cars guzzle fuel. They read fast, they read often, and they read actively.

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