Here's the first in a new series of blog posts I'm calling "3 Things". The idea is simple - I'll be going through a series of genres identifying 3 things that ALL writers can learn from them, no matter what your particular preference is. So without further ado let's start with one of my favourite... Continue Reading →
Books are obviously a thing I love, but so are miniatures. I've loved dolls houses ever since I was a kid and had a well-loved bunch of Sylvanian Families playsets along with various collections of small things. So perhaps unsurprisingly, one of the things on my 2020 writing Christmas gift post was a mini DIY... Continue Reading →
Despite the name, Wayland's Smithy is actually a neolithic burial chamber found in Wiltshire, a county covered in remnants of the ancient past. The name of the place has apparently been in play since at least AD 955. It was called ‘Weland’s Smithy’ in a Saxon charter. So why Wayland's Smithy? As with most prehistoric... Continue Reading →
Your characters guide your readers through your writing. They're who they like, love, hate, or puzzle over. So you need to dedicate a bit of your book to describing them. But your character descriptions shouldn't just be a list of attributes - you're not a witness to a crime! So how do you effectively and... Continue Reading →
It's probably a matter of when not if you get stuck with your writing. No matter how well planned your plot, or brilliantly defined your characters, you're almost guaranteed to hit a wall. These are temporary bumps, less alll-consuming than writers block, but no less frustrating. Why writing walls appear If you've planned your book... Continue Reading →
When you put your writing out into the great wild world, you're be guaranteed to get criticism. If you're lucky it will be constructive, advice that can help you improve and grow as a writer. But chances are some of it won't be. No-one's writing is ever universally liked or without the potential to offend,... Continue Reading →
Five years ago, I wrote a blog about stumbling upon Farringford, the home famous Victorian writer Lord Alfred Tennyson. Back then the house was a hotel with extra self-catering properties. Since then the house and grounds have been restored back to what it was when Tennyson and his family lived there. Unfortunately due to Covid... Continue Reading →
Come the summer, our thoughts naturally turn to holidays, or vacations, or whatever word you have for a longish period of time off. Many things get put on the back burner to accommodate this and that can include writing. But that doesn't mean you stop wanting to write. After all for many of us, a... Continue Reading →
It's been a quite while since I posted anything specifically about my Work in Progress, "The Cauldron Trilogy". I'm happy to say I've finished the first draft or the first book, and something I've called the "pre-edit". I'm now working on the first proper edit and taking a more meticulous approach than I've done for... Continue Reading →
It would be nice if your writing muse appeared whenever they were needed. But unfortunately the inspiration to write rarely crops up at the perfect time. The truth is you usually have to go find your writing inspiration. Even that initial spark of a book didn't actually come from nowhere. The idea was probably wandering... Continue Reading →
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