Happy Easter! He is risen. ✝️
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Happy Birthday to “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald published this week 100 years ago! 🎉
This past year, I read “Against the Current: As I remember F. Scott Fitzgerald” by Frances Kroll Ring. During the last 20 months of his life, Fitzgerald hired 22-year-old Frances Kroll to act as his personal secretary. She typed up the drafts of his final novel, The Last Tycoon, though he died before he could finish it.
Ring’s memoir was a fascinating read as she shared a peek into Fitzgerald’s writing process and how he planned and plotted his work. Definitely recommended if you are a fan of Fitzgerald’s books and stories! 📚 Check out my latest video for a passage from the book.
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Have you watched the new video yet? https://youtu.be/3TEsse8rchU Steal these powerful writing techniques for captivating descriptions from Ernest Hemingway, Arthur Conan Doyle, Alexandre Dumas, and more!
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Happy March! Just uploaded a new video. I hope you enjoy this one, and it gives you lots of writing inspiration. watch video on watch page
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For this week's installment of beautiful book covers, here is the beautiful 1894 edition of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Austen's novel was first published on this day 212 years ago!
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Edgar Allan Poe was born on this day in 1809! Here's a piece of writing advice from Poe.
I'm fleshing out the plot of a short story idea right now, but I don't yet have a clear idea of the ending. It seems Poe would advise me not to put pen to paper and start writing the story until I do. I don't think this is a hard and fast rule (especially if you're working on a shorter piece), but I do think it's helpful to keep in mind for a longer story. What do you think?
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Zora Neale Hurston was born on this day in 1891. I love the poetic opening lines of her novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God. I included a letter from Hurston in my last video on letters from famous authors: https://youtu.be/SPqd6u5LBkc
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What was your favorite book read in 2024? Mine was "The Three Musketeers" by Alexandre Dumas. I'm now reading through the entire series. I also read the sequel "Twenty Years After" in 2024, which was a close second for best read.
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At the end of each year, I love writing up a personal year-end review.
I reflect over what I achieved during the year, what obstacles I faced, and what lessons I learned. I try to think positively on the past year so I’ll be motivated and inspired as the new one begins.
The insights I gain help me choose my goals for the new year. I’m able to see what worked and what didn’t so I can draw up a plan of action. As the French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry once wrote, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.”
Check out the seven questions from my annual review here: nicolebianchi.com/personal-year-end-review/
Feel free to adapt them as you like — your answers can be a few sentences or several paragraphs long. It’s entirely up to you.
And you can still do this annual review even if December has passed. I usually write it up the last week of December, but I’ve also completed it at the beginning of January.
Wishing you much success with your writing projects in the new year!
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Merry Christmas! 🎄🎁❄️
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Hi, I'm Nicole Bianchi! I’m a writer of short stories and memoir essays as well as a copywriter and production manager at a marketing agency. Here on my YouTube channel, I make videos that will help you take your storytelling, copywriting, and marketing skills to the next level so you can communicate your message effectively and inspire more people with your words.
As a Christian, I seek to follow in the tradition of artists like Johann Sebastian Bach, dedicating all my work "Soli Deo gloria". Psalm 45:1.
Subscribe now, and join the #InkwellWriters community. ✍️📚