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N.A. Ratnayake
engineer ~ educator ~ writer ~ adventurer
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#IWSG – Writing for Readers?

August 3, 2022Nalin 7 Comments

On the first Wednesday of every month, members of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group (open to anyone and full of great resources and information for writers) post their answers to a monthly prompt on their blogs. Authors benefit from getting… Continue Reading →

Writing readers, prompt, premise, motivation, writing, publishing, story

#IWSG: Highs and Lows

May 4, 2022Nalin 1 Comment

On the first Wednesday of every month, members of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group (open to anyone and full of great resources and information for writers) post their answers to a monthly prompt on their blogs. Authors benefit from getting… Continue Reading →

Writing lows, writers life, highs, iwsg, author, writing

#IWSG: The Circle Reforged

February 1, 2022Nalin 11 Comments

On the first Wednesday of every month, members of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group (open to anyone and full of great resources and information for writers) post their answers to a monthly prompt on their blogs. Authors benefit from getting… Continue Reading →

Updates writing, writer group, workshop, critique circle, writers circle, iwsg

#IWSG: Defining Writing Success

September 1, 2021Nalin 10 Comments

On the first Wednesday of every month, members of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group (open to anyone and full of great resources and information for writers) post their answers to a monthly prompt on their blogs. Authors benefit from getting… Continue Reading →

Writing self-publish, writer, success, writing, publishing

Plantsing With the Three Eggs

August 1, 2021Nalin 2 Comments

Many years ago, I was living in Boston during the time I first began intentionally trying to move from “hobby writer” (which I think I’ve been rather continuously since childhood) to something more like “semi-pro” (that is, try and get… Continue Reading →

Writing writing, three-act structure, revision, plot, drafting, novel, structure

Becoming A Master Writer – The Value of Memoir

July 5, 2021Nalin Leave a Comment

I recently took my first writing seminar in several years, called “Becoming a Master Writer.” Novelist and editor John DeDakis taught the course (virtually) for The Muse Writing Center in Norfolk. The course covered a variety of topics about craft… Continue Reading →

Writing reflection, journal, memoir, course, journaling, writing

I made a newsletter

May 4, 2021Nalin 1 Comment

“Hmmm,” says Homer to Bart in a classic episode of The Simpsons. “Your ideas are intriguing to me, and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.” I think that episode aired when I was in middle school. We would quote… Continue Reading →

Updates newsletter, email list, mailing list, author platform, writing

How to Submit a Short Story

October 2, 2017Nalin Leave a Comment

A friend in my writer critique circle asked how to go about submitting short stories for publication. There’s a lot of information out there on this subject, but I thought it might be helpful to collate the information that has… Continue Reading →

Writing publication, short stories, submissions, writing, publishing

Finding My “Creative Mind” Again: Mindset and Writing

September 3, 2017Nalin Leave a Comment

Our move to Virginia from Boston about five months ago has had a hugely positive effect on my writing. That’s no slight to Boston, a creative city with a long literary history, that I do miss dearly. However, now that… Continue Reading →

Writing writer lifestyle, mindset, writing, focuswriter, creativity, finding time, philosophy, art, journaling, reflective writing

On the Finances of Self-Publishing

July 21, 2016Nalin 1 Comment

Almost exactly two years ago today, I finished the first draft of Red Soil Through Our Fingers. As I talk to friends and family about my novel, I’ve encountered a recurring set of misconceptions around the finances of self-publishing a… Continue Reading →

Writing nook, author, book, epub, kindle, kdp, amazon, self-publishing, writing, smashwords, publishing, ebook, novel

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Featured Posts

#IWSG: Defining Writing Success
Plantsing With the Three Eggs
Sci-Fi Story Elements That Really Hook Me!
On the Finances of Self-Publishing
Why Space?
Avoiding a Corporate Conquest of Space
Language Is…
Panel Postmortem: Is Optimism Just Nostalgia in Disguise?

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