The Peculiar Path to Publication
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky This week I released my latest novel, Tasmanian Gothic. I first started drafting it back in 2016,Continue Reading
Category: My Writing Journey
You’ve finished drafting your novel – now what?
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky And so another year draws to a close. If, like me, you spent November writing or finishingContinue Reading
How to ‘just write’ – Newton’s First Law and Finding Your Writing Mojo
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Man, I’m on a writing roll at the moment. This blog was getting a little dusty and thenContinue Reading
Writing in a time of pandemic: Understanding your head space and terroir
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky It’s been a while since I’ve written a post for this blog. To be honest, it’s taken allContinue Reading
The evolution of a visual identity – Cover design, branding and marketing
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Writing a book is a mammoth task. Editing, re-editing, revising, polishing, revising, (did I mention revising), and pouringContinue Reading
Writing and Editing a Sequel – Lessons of an Indie Author
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky It’s been almost five months since my last blog post. In previous years that would have been aContinue Reading
Sophomore Syndrome – How to handle your sequels…
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky *Brushes away the cobwebs* Hello! Yes, it has been quite some time since I last shared my angstContinue Reading
Rinse & Repeat – The Four Act Novel Structure
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Recently I reached the midpoint in the first draft of Divided Elements (Book 2). As anyone who has read myContinue Reading
Resistance (Divided Elements #1)
The day has finally arrived! My speculative fiction / dystopian novel Resistance (Divided Elements #1) is now available for purchase! To celebrate,Continue Reading
Website Launch & Cover Reveal!
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky The website is now LIVE! Check it out to catch the cover reveal and apply for an advanceContinue Reading
Divided Elements (Book 1) – Resistance. Website Launch & Cover Reveal
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Break out the champagne! The official website for my author brand and debut novel Divided Elements | Resistance will beContinue Reading
Time for Reflection (2) – What I learned about first drafts
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Recently, I was feeling all kinds of nostalgic about nearing the finish line for Divided Elements | Resistance, and decided itContinue Reading
Time for Reflection (1) – What I’ve learned over the last three years
by Mikaheyla Kopievsky Inshallah, I’ll be uploading my debut novel Divided Elements (Book 1) – Resistance to the cyber marketplace for pre-ordersContinue Reading
The Denouement – what to do when the writing part is done
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Last week I finished the final round of line edits for Divided Elements (Book 1): Resistance. With onlyContinue Reading
Plotting to the Midpoint: Why you need a half-time plan
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky With Divided Elements in the hands of my copy-editor, I’ve been using July to get some new writing done.Continue Reading
Critique Enlightenment – What you can learn from critiques of your creative work
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky My debut adult sci-fi novel, Divided Elements, is currently going through its final pass by my critique partnersContinue Reading
Show, don’t Tell – What it really means
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky I have to admit, I’ve always been a little confused by the old adage ‘show, don’t tell’ –Continue Reading
Troubleshooting a Problematic Chapter: The issue isn’t where you think it is
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky So, I’m still working on this ‘editing journey’ with Divided Elements. It’s not so much a journeyContinue Reading
Protagonist & Plot Problems – The 3 types of problems in stories
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky So, we’ve figured out that stories are about stuff happening. And the best kind of stuff happening isContinue Reading
Starting your novel – Your protagonist needs a problem
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky I recently had a moment of enlightenment regarding this whole writing a book thing. The start of a storyContinue Reading
How to start your novel – The first part of the first act
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Starting a novel is no easy task. The problem with beginnings is that they are all about set-up, and set-upContinue Reading
After the First Draft – the difference between an edit, revision and re-write
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky So, I finished the first draft of Divided Elements last month. And, no, I didn’t celebrate. WhichContinue Reading
Straight & Narrow vs Zigzag Helter-Skelter: Which Character Arc is your Protagonist on?
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Now that I’ve past the midpoint of my WIP, Divided Elements, and am on my way towards the secondContinue Reading
Form Follows Function – The Ongoing Process of Structuring Your Novel
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky It is a common misconception amongst writers that the structuring process is an activity undertaken only atContinue Reading
Tipping the Balance – How to find Plan B and write your Midpoint
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky As with all things chased with dogged persistence, the middle of my first book, Divided Elements, is growingContinue Reading
Science vs Art in Writing: Antagonistic or Symbiotic?
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Recently, I strayed from my usual posts on tips, tricks and techniques on how to write and letContinue Reading
Utopia
Is there anything more soul-satifying, deeply engaging or expressly utopian than that moment when you find yourself immersed in writingContinue Reading
And the award goes to…
I was delighted to receive word today that the very talented, supportive and generous Ronovan (famously of Ronovan Writes) hadContinue Reading
SWOT your Antagonist: Driving the middle of your story with well-rounded characters
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Ah, ‘the middle’ – bemoaned the world over. Middle child syndrome causing siblings to feel overlooked and resentful; middleContinue Reading
Mind the Gap: Writing the story between your plot points using Gap Analysis
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Once upon a time, I used to be a pantser (one of those people who writes byContinue Reading
We need some space…
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky It’s the phrase that you dread when you’re in a relationship, the thinly-veiled euphemism for a breakupContinue Reading
Stuck in the middle: Fighting mediocrity with strong plotting
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Recently I hit the middle of my novel and discovered that it was everything everyone said itContinue Reading
Breaking the Patriarchy
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Did you know that Bilbo Baggins was a girl? Neither did I, but it appears that Michelle Nijhuis’Continue Reading
Failing NaNoWriMo
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky I had the best plans to really put some stream of consciousness writing down on my ElementalsContinue Reading
Character Mapping
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky I’m a bit of visual learner, so it’s no surprise that one of my favourite Scrivener functionsContinue Reading
Mikhaeyla Kopievsky 