Narrelle M Harris: writer | editor | songwriter | crafter
Words are like oxygen
I’m absolutely thrilled to be taking part in the Terror Australis International Crime and Mystery Digital Festival on 27-28 November 2021. Due to the pandemic, TAF2021 | CSI: TASMANIA is online again this year, which means it’s accessible to anyone with a laptop and a ticket! Speaking of tickets… The convenors of TAF2021 are offering a special Earlybird rate! Buy […]
» Read moreI’ve been offering writing services – including talks and workshops, editing and proofreading, manuscript assessment and mentoring – for a few years now. With the changing work landscape I’ve decided to formalise all the different services I can provide in a new business. Narrelle Harris Writing Services Even if you’re not in the market for an editor or mentor, I’ll […]
» Read moreMy longtime readers know that I’ve loved Tansy Rayner Roberts’ work for years, from her Creature Court series through to the crime cosies set in Hobart that she writes as Livia Day and the delightful Castle Charming series. When I discovered she had a Patreon account, I rushed on in to pay $3 a month to read new work as […]
» Read moreEvery writer needs a bit of encouragement – wherever they are in their career. We all like to know what techniques other writers use to get started, to keep going, to get motivated and to write even when we’re not. I contribute from time to time to an excellent little newsletter called Spark! Distributed by Improbable Press, it’s designed to […]
» Read moreWhen I went to the UK in 2014, I arranged to spend a week there on my own while husband, Tim, did some travel writing research in Europe. A key activity for that week was to get access to the British Library’s collection. I duly applied for a Reader’s Pass so I could use the reading rooms. That process could […]
» Read moreGentlebeings, I am very excited and thoroughly delighted to announce my newest book project! A well known UK publisher of Holmesian fiction has started a new imprint – Improbable Press! Improbable Press will specialise in Sherlock Holmes romance and erotica, across both Victorian and contemporary settings. And I’m absolutely thrilled to announce that Improbable have said yes to my pitch […]
» Read moreWhen I’m writing a first draft, I use certain words and phrases far too much, trying to capture the image and tone in my head for the page. Some scenes play out like a movie in my mind’s eye and I end up too prone to minute stage directions, to expressions that qualify and prevaricate and waver where no such […]
» Read moreThis week, Amanda Pillar is my guest! Amanda’s new novel, Graced, has just been released, but she’s written mainly short stories until now. Today she talks about the difference between the two. I began writing back to front. Rather than tackle the shorter and more attainable short story, I started with a novel. I spent hours tapping away at my […]
» Read moreI know I go on a bit about the correct use of language, but I’m not a complete stick-in-the-mud. Language evolves, I know. New words come in, archaic ones get shown the door and you only need to know them when you’re reading Austen or Conan Doyle or Shakespeare. For all that, I’m very fond of the dynamic way language […]
» Read moreMany years ago (many many many years ago) I worked for a government department in Western Australia that managed deceased estates. The Public Trust Office also wrote up Wills for people. I learned a lot about the technical side of such things, and even more about human nature. People can behave quite strangely and unpredictably in grief, and also when […]
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