It sounds simple. Writers write. It kind of goes with the territory. And if we didn't like, nay love, nay were obsessed by writing we wouldn't do it. But the things we can love we can also, at times, dislike, nay hate, nay want to hurl out of the window. But there's a train of... Continue Reading →
Every form of artwork comes with it's own set of critics. It's an odd sort of thing we humans have created - a group of people to decide what art is "good" or "bad", what's its "meaning" and where it should stand in comparison to other artwork and artists. There's nothing wrong with this, but... Continue Reading →
I've just finished the first draft of The Cauldron Trilogy (part one) - and it sucks. But that's okay because ALL first drafts suck. Every single one. And that's absolutely fine. Writing is re-writing. Take a look at the first/annotated drafts of some famous writers and you'll see first hand how much they changed and,... Continue Reading →
Thoughts are curious creatures. They're generated by our own minds and yet we don't always have power over them. I don't think writers have more thoughts than anyone else, but perhaps some of us have ones that are more potent and persistent. And these thoughts may explain why writers often suffer from insomnia. I've had... Continue Reading →
The standard answer to this question is "a bit of both". But I actually think it's more complicated than that. Many people ask if writing can be taught - there are enough classes and courses and degrees out there to say the fair answer to that is yes. But others question the quality of work... Continue Reading →
Your characters are the heart and soul of your story. Unfortunately, there are plenty of novels out there where they're used merely as fleshy footballs, kicked around by the rampant plot. But if you want to write a book that grabs your reader and sticks with them for years to come, you need real, fully-formed... Continue Reading →
I love a bit of art. I think art and writing sit well together. In fact, I think all writers can benefit from a little bit of art in their lives. How you ask? Read on... 1) InspirationOk so this is an obvious one, but it's still worth mentioning. Experiencing any kind of artwork (and... Continue Reading →
Whether it's the hashtag du jour or not, all authors need to think about diversity when writing. There's a whole range of people out there and, as you might have heard, representation matters. Here are some tips to think about. 1) All Books Can Be Diverse Black people existed before slavery, gay people were around... Continue Reading →
Whether you're on your first book or your fifteenth, writing doesn't get easier (unless you can afford to get a team of ghost-writers to do it fo you). Sometimes you need a bit of oomph to get to the end and if that's you, then read on for some words of (kinda) wisdom. 1) Your... Continue Reading →
The saying goes something like "good writing is re-writing" - and it's true. Whatever you're writing, your editing skills will make the difference between a decent piece of work and an unreadable hotch-potch of words. As part of my day job, I write and edit online content, and I've been doing it for more years... Continue Reading →
