This writing guide by Emily Winslow is perfect for anyone who wants to write a novel and could use support. The tour runs until November 12th. Don't forget to check out all the stops below.
You'll have the chance to learn more about Time to Write and the author, Emily Winslow.
Join us as we celebrate this book and this inspiring author.
Emily Winslow will help you develop the mindset and skills to get you started, keep you going, and see you through. Time to Write is a creative writing guide aimed at anyone who wants to write a novel and could use some support.
It contains 49 lessons, each easy to read and packed with insights based on experience. Emily has taken her own work to high levels with major publishers, and has learned from teaching at Cambridge University what makes students light up and what makes their work drastically, excitingly improve.
This book is full of encouragement, recognizing and affirming different work styles. It's a total handbook, teaching a broad range of specific writing skills with insight and clarity as well as covering topics around writing in-depth, such as how to give and take critique and how to evaluate publishers and agents.
It's time to write the stories inside you!
About the Author, Emily Winslow
Her novels (The Whole World, The Start of Everything, The Red House, and Look For Her) have been called “brilliant” (The Washington Post), “vivid” (Parade magazine) and “dazzling” (Shelf Awareness). Her memoir, Jane Doe January, is “meticulously constructed and ultimately terrifying” (The New York Times), “potent” (Kirkus), and “compelling” (Bustle).
She grew up in the U.S. and now lives in Cambridge, England teaching for the University of Cambridge and for Cambridge Creative Writing Company.
Emily: Nothing beats the experience of being listened to and understood. It gradually builds your confidence in the skills you do have, and also teaches that it’s not the end of the world to share something that falls flat. So I encourage aspiring writers to seek out ways to share their work. Some people join a writing group or trade pages with a trusted friend. Some people share work online, which can be wonderful, but I encourage anyone seeking to do that to look for an online community; just making a story public on your own blog site will not necessarily find an audience unless you already have one. Another option is to take a course—as a teacher I can’t forget to mention that! One of the benefits about taking a course, besides inspiring ideas and specific feedback, is meeting writing friends who you can keep working with after the course is over. Much of writing is solitary, but parts of it—some of the best parts—include other people.
WOW: Speaking of parts writing including other people, you emphasize the importance of both giving and taking critique in Time to Write. Can you recall a piece of critique that profoundly impacted your own writing?
Emily: When I submitted my second novel, The Start of Everything, to my editor at Random House, I was of course hopeful that he would adore it. I’d found it very difficult to write a second novel, as many do (because it isn’t really clear in what ways to make it the same as your first novel, so it appeals to the same people, and in what ways to make it different so that it is its own book) and I was anxious to have it accepted and off my plate. He summed up his reaction to the manuscript in a single comment: “You know, you don’t have to force it into the same structure you used in the first book.” Horror! He didn’t love it! He wanted me to keep working on it, and I was so, so tired of it! But as I let it sink in, that comment was also inspiring. It offered me a new freedom. It unlocked ideas for the story that were suddenly, obviously, so much better. I took the book apart and stitched it together in a different way, which was a big undertaking. It’s a much better novel because of him. I’m grateful he held me to a higher standard.
WOW: Your range of writing—from crime novels to memoirs—is diverse. How do you shift between genres, and do you find that one form informs or inspires the other?
Emily: Coming back to novels after Jane Doe January was enormously difficult. Writing about real things, however distressing the topic, had an ease to it: if I wanted to know about something, I could research it. But with fiction, you don’t find information, you decide it. Thousands of tiny decisions. I found it overwhelming, but didn’t want the memoir to be my last book. The novel I pushed myself to write, Look for Her, was written by sheer force of will, not inspiration, yet I’m told by many that it’s the best in the series.
WOW: Speaking of your memoir Jane Doe January, it's described as "meticulously constructed and ultimately terrifying." What motivated you to share such a deeply personal story, and how did you approach the writing process for this memoir differently than your novels?
Emily: I was very happy writing fiction, making things up and using my imagination. Then an event came up in my life that was all-consuming, and I set my current novel aside to instead write about what I was going through. This became the memoir Jane Doe January. Writing it was actually very easy, because it was written out of need. I wanted to be understood by others, and wanted to understand myself.
WOW: Your novels have received praise for being "brilliant" and "dazzling." What is your secret to crafting such vivid and compelling narratives?
Emily: I originally trained as an actor, which is a fantastic foundation for many different careers. It teaches creativity and confidence, improvisation and point of view, and exposed me to a wide variety of writers and styles. Both my writing and my teaching have benefited from showmanship. My other area of study, museum curatorship, is similar in that it’s about arranging objects and information to communicate with clarity and take a visitor through a cumulative experience. These skills apply well to storytelling. I bet that many people can look back at their studies, hobbies, and jobs, and find ways that these experiences, even if not about writing per se, contribute to their way with words and their skills with story structure.
WOW: What a wonderful way of looking at how experiences can contribute to writing skills. Thank you so much, Emily, for answering these questions and sharing such important and personal details with WOW! readers. We wish you all the best with your writing career and the release of Time to Write!
October 21st @ World of My Imagination
Stop by Nicole's blog to read her review of Time to Write.
First, here's more about the book...
Have you always wanted to write a novel?
Emily Winslow will help you develop the mindset and skills to get you started, keep you going, and see you through. Time to Write is a creative writing guide aimed at anyone who wants to write a novel and could use some support.
It contains 49 lessons, each easy to read and packed with insights based on experience. Emily has taken her own work to high levels with major publishers, and has learned from teaching at Cambridge University what makes students light up and what makes their work drastically, excitingly improve.
This book is full of encouragement, recognizing and affirming different work styles. It's a total handbook, teaching a broad range of specific writing skills with insight and clarity as well as covering topics around writing in-depth, such as how to give and take critique and how to evaluate publishers and agents.
It's time to write the stories inside you!
Print length: 275 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1739514709
Purchase a copy of Time to Write by visiting Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, and Bookshop.org. Make sure you also add Time to Write to your Goodreads reading list.
Also available at:
About the Author, Emily Winslow 
Emily Winslow is the author of a series of crime novels and a memoir. Her books have been published by Random House, HarperCollins, Allison & Busby, and Shanghai Translation Publishing House.
Her novels (The Whole World, The Start of Everything, The Red House, and Look For Her) have been called “brilliant” (The Washington Post), “vivid” (Parade magazine) and “dazzling” (Shelf Awareness). Her memoir, Jane Doe January, is “meticulously constructed and ultimately terrifying” (The New York Times), “potent” (Kirkus), and “compelling” (Bustle).
She grew up in the U.S. and now lives in Cambridge, England teaching for the University of Cambridge and for Cambridge Creative Writing Company.
Find Emily online:
www.EmilyWinslow.com
www.CambridgeCreativeWritingCompany.com
Facebook: emilywinslow.author
Instagram: emilycwinslow
www.EmilyWinslow.com
www.CambridgeCreativeWritingCompany.com
Facebook: emilywinslow.author
Instagram: emilycwinslow
Praise for Time to Write
Acclaimed, multi-published authors love Emily’s teaching.
“Emily Winslow is a uniquely brilliant teacher. I would highly recommend that anyone who cares about improving their writing follow her advice.” Sophie Hannah
"Emily has taught a range of students of all ages, nationalities, and experiences, from first timers to those already in the early stages of a writing career. Students blossom with the confidence she provides." Elizabeth Speller
“This book is packed full of fantastic insights to ignite and stoke creative inspiration. Every teacher and student of creative writing will want it on their shelves.” Menna Van Praag
Popular life and business coach Kristen King recognizes the value of creative writing on mental health and self image:
“Emily’s insights skillfully draw out not just words and stories, but also self-awareness, perspective, and connection. Whether you're working on a book-length project, dabbling in personal essay, or just trying to figure out who the hell you are, this book is a must-have for anyone who thinks their words and stories aren't enough.”
--- Interview by Michelle Cornish
WOW: Welcome, Emily! Congratulations on the release of your book Time to Write! What a valuable guide for seasoned and beginning writers. Let's jump right in with a question I know is on the minds of a lot of our readers. Many aspiring writers face the challenge of imposter syndrome or feeling their words aren't enough. How do you personally combat these feelings, and what advice would you offer to someone struggling with self-doubt in their writing journey?
Emily: Nothing beats the experience of being listened to and understood. It gradually builds your confidence in the skills you do have, and also teaches that it’s not the end of the world to share something that falls flat. So I encourage aspiring writers to seek out ways to share their work. Some people join a writing group or trade pages with a trusted friend. Some people share work online, which can be wonderful, but I encourage anyone seeking to do that to look for an online community; just making a story public on your own blog site will not necessarily find an audience unless you already have one. Another option is to take a course—as a teacher I can’t forget to mention that! One of the benefits about taking a course, besides inspiring ideas and specific feedback, is meeting writing friends who you can keep working with after the course is over. Much of writing is solitary, but parts of it—some of the best parts—include other people.
WOW: Speaking of parts writing including other people, you emphasize the importance of both giving and taking critique in Time to Write. Can you recall a piece of critique that profoundly impacted your own writing?
Emily: When I submitted my second novel, The Start of Everything, to my editor at Random House, I was of course hopeful that he would adore it. I’d found it very difficult to write a second novel, as many do (because it isn’t really clear in what ways to make it the same as your first novel, so it appeals to the same people, and in what ways to make it different so that it is its own book) and I was anxious to have it accepted and off my plate. He summed up his reaction to the manuscript in a single comment: “You know, you don’t have to force it into the same structure you used in the first book.” Horror! He didn’t love it! He wanted me to keep working on it, and I was so, so tired of it! But as I let it sink in, that comment was also inspiring. It offered me a new freedom. It unlocked ideas for the story that were suddenly, obviously, so much better. I took the book apart and stitched it together in a different way, which was a big undertaking. It’s a much better novel because of him. I’m grateful he held me to a higher standard.
WOW: Your range of writing—from crime novels to memoirs—is diverse. How do you shift between genres, and do you find that one form informs or inspires the other?
Emily: Coming back to novels after Jane Doe January was enormously difficult. Writing about real things, however distressing the topic, had an ease to it: if I wanted to know about something, I could research it. But with fiction, you don’t find information, you decide it. Thousands of tiny decisions. I found it overwhelming, but didn’t want the memoir to be my last book. The novel I pushed myself to write, Look for Her, was written by sheer force of will, not inspiration, yet I’m told by many that it’s the best in the series.
WOW: Speaking of your memoir Jane Doe January, it's described as "meticulously constructed and ultimately terrifying." What motivated you to share such a deeply personal story, and how did you approach the writing process for this memoir differently than your novels?
Emily: I was very happy writing fiction, making things up and using my imagination. Then an event came up in my life that was all-consuming, and I set my current novel aside to instead write about what I was going through. This became the memoir Jane Doe January. Writing it was actually very easy, because it was written out of need. I wanted to be understood by others, and wanted to understand myself.
WOW: Your novels have received praise for being "brilliant" and "dazzling." What is your secret to crafting such vivid and compelling narratives?
Emily: I originally trained as an actor, which is a fantastic foundation for many different careers. It teaches creativity and confidence, improvisation and point of view, and exposed me to a wide variety of writers and styles. Both my writing and my teaching have benefited from showmanship. My other area of study, museum curatorship, is similar in that it’s about arranging objects and information to communicate with clarity and take a visitor through a cumulative experience. These skills apply well to storytelling. I bet that many people can look back at their studies, hobbies, and jobs, and find ways that these experiences, even if not about writing per se, contribute to their way with words and their skills with story structure.
WOW: What a wonderful way of looking at how experiences can contribute to writing skills. Thank you so much, Emily, for answering these questions and sharing such important and personal details with WOW! readers. We wish you all the best with your writing career and the release of Time to Write!
--- Blog Tour Calendar
October 16th @ The Muffin
Join us as we celebrate author Emily Winslow and interview her about Time to Write. You'll also have the chance to win a copy for yourself.
https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com
https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com
October 17th @ A Storybook World
Stop by Deirdra's blog to read "What Skills Do You Need to Write a Novel?" by Emily Winslow.
October 18th @ What is that Book About?
Visit Michelle's blog to see her spotlight of Time to Write.
www.whatisthatbookabout.com
Visit Michelle's blog to see her spotlight of Time to Write.
www.whatisthatbookabout.com
October 19th @ Lisa Haselton’s Reviews and Interviews blog
Join Lisa for an interview with Emily Winslow.
October 20th @ The Faerie Review
Stop by to read Lily's review of Time to Write by Emily Winslow.
Stop by Nicole's blog to read her review of Time to Write.
October 23rd @ Sue Edwards’s blog
Check out Sue’s blog to read her review of Time to Write.
October 24th @ Michelle Cornish's blog
Read a guest post from Emily Winslow about why she teaches.
October 26th @ The Knotty Needle
Stop by to read Judy's review of Time to Write by Emily Winslow.
October 26th @ Deborah Adams's blog
Check out Deborah's spotlight of Time to Write and read her interview with author Emily Winslow.
October 28th @ Sue Edwards’s blog
Revisit Sue’s blog to read a guest post about choosing which publishers to submit to by Emily Winslow.
October 29th @ Shoes, Seeds, and Stories
Stop by to red Linda's review of Time to Write by Emily Winslow.
November 2nd @ A Lit Life
Read Stephanie's review of Time to Write.
November 3rd @ Bookshine and Readbows
Stop by to read Steph's review of Time to Write.
November 5th @ Shoes, Seeds, and Stories
Revisit Linda's blog to read a guest post by Emily Winslow about whether Time to Write will help someone who wants to write a memoir.
November 6th @ Michelle Cornish's blog
Revisit Michelle's blog to read her review of Time to Write.
November 7th @ A Lit Life
Listen to Stephanie interview author Emily Winslow on her podcast A Lit Life.
November 8th @ World of My Imagination
Revisit Nicole's blog where she shares "Does Daydreaming Count as Work?" by Emily Winslow.
https://worldofmyimagination.com
Revisit Nicole's blog where she shares "Does Daydreaming Count as Work?" by Emily Winslow.
https://worldofmyimagination.com
November 9th @ A Storybook World
Revisit Deirdra's blog to view a spotlight of Time to Write.
November 10th @ Jill Sheets’s blog
Stop by Jill’s blog to read her interview with Emily Winslow.
November 11th @ Helen Hollick Author
Visit Helen's blog to read a guest post from author Emily Winslow.
https://ofhistoryandkings.blogspot.com/
Visit Helen's blog to read a guest post from author Emily Winslow.
https://ofhistoryandkings.blogspot.com/
***** BOOK GIVEAWAY *****
Enter to win a copy of Time to Write: Inspiring lessons and practical skills for writing the novel you've always wanted by Emily Winslow! Fill out the Rafflecopter form for a chance to win. The giveaway ends on October 31st at 11:59 pm CT. We will randomly choose two winners the next day and announce in the Rafflecopter widget and will follow up by email. Good luck!
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7 comments:
I absolutely LOVE Emily's book! It's one of the best writing guides I've read and written in easily digestible chapters. I binged it in one day and found so many takeaways. I love that Emily covers both the craft of writing and the business side. It's a complete guide for creative writers (both fiction and CNF/memoir) without being overwhelming (not an easy task!) and Emily's method of teaching is inspiring and encouraging. You walk away feeling like you can do this! :)
So much helpful advice
So awesome to be able to write different generes!
I keep saying "No more books about writing>" But seeing that Emily has written in many genres makes me want to see her take on writing.
I've been wanting to practise my writing skills for a while! What a great book!
This book looks ultra interesting.
Great interview and looks like an amazing writing resource book.
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