5 Ways To Find Writing Inspiration – Without Leaving Home

Writers need inspiration. Sometimes we get flashes from no-where. But often it's the places we go, the people we meet and the things we experience that provide the exciting idea. Unfortunately short days, longs nights and cold, wet weather don't lend themselves to getting out and about. Add in the current health situation and we've... Continue Reading →

How to “Hack” Your Brain into Writing Mode

Sometimes it seems impossible to start writing. Your brain is too stuffed with thoughts about work, family, money, health - it feels like there's no way to get into writing gear. If you're struggling with this, why not try "hacking" your brain? It might take a bit of time, but by following the same routine... Continue Reading →

5 Christmas Gift Ideas for Writers and Booklovers

It's that time of year again, but it's safe to say it's not been a year like any other. Still some traditions persist. Like my yearly gift post. Okay so I've only actually done one for 2018 and one for 2019 but as far as I'm concerned, that's a tradition. So once again I have... Continue Reading →

6 Things Writers Should Not Do

There's plenty of writing advice out there. But getting tips about the kind of things writers should do to be well, good writers is only one side of the coin. Understanding what to avoid is also important. Mistakes are part of how we learn of course, so you couldn't (and shouldn't) try to stop making... Continue Reading →

My Top Ten Blog Posts

I created this post last year and thought it was about time I updated it. I think it's a great way for anyone new to my blog to see what can be found in my older posts - I've been doing this since 2013 would you believe it. Hello to all 663 followers and a... Continue Reading →

Do Writers Need to Write Every Day?

It sounds simple. Writers write. It kind of goes with the territory. And if we didn't like, nay love, nay were obsessed with writing we wouldn't do it. But we can also, at times, dislike, nay hate, nay want to hurl out of the window our writing as well. But there's a train of thought... Continue Reading →

4 Ways To Be a “Good” Writing Critic

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 →

4 Tips To Get From First Draft to First Edit

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 →

Literary Paris – Oscar Wilde’s Grave, Alexander Dumas and Victor Hugo’s Tombs, and more

(I originally visited Paris in 2013 and put up a post about Oscar Wilde's tomb. Recently I found some more literary-related photos from my trip and thought I'd add them in with a bit more content - enjoy!) Oscar Wilde's Tomb, Pere Lachaise Cemetery Pere Lachaise Cemetery was built in 1804 and is the largest... Continue Reading →

George Orwell’s grave, Sutton Courtenay

George Orwell is arguably the father of modern dystopian fiction. A lot of terms we use in everyday life (perhaps more frequently than we'd like in recent years) come from his most famous work "Nineteen Eighty-Four". "Big Brother", "Room 101", "Thought Police" all come from his nightmarish vision of what was then the future, now... Continue Reading →

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