Number three in my "3 Things..." series and it's all getting a bit scary. We're delving into the horror genre to see what writers can learn from the mysterious and terrifying. 1) How to generate suspense Horror thrives on suspense. Horror writers must build and sustain an atmosphere, something that prickles at the sense of... Continue Reading →
Walks In A Neolithic Land – Wayland’s Smithy, Wiltshire
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 →
5 Ways to Describe Your Characters
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 →
What To Do When You Hit Wall With Your Writing
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 →
A Visit to Lord Tennysons House, Isle of Wight, UK
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 →
6 Ways To Get Inspired To Write
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 →
How To Manage Writers Guilt
When you're a writer, you may well occasionally feel guilty. In our driven society, it's not unusual to feel like this if you're doing anything that isn't "work" but is vaguely important to you. So how do you cope with it? Here are five common writing "guilts" and how to manage them. 1) Spending too... Continue Reading →
Jane Austen’s Birthplace, Steventon,UK
I know what you're going say about the photograph below. "That is not the birthplace of Jane Austen, Wordlander. That...is a field." Photo of field with arrow indicating location of house where Jane Austen was born And yes it is indeed a field. Because unfortunately, the original rectory of Steventon where Jane Austen was born... Continue Reading →
The Grave of Charles Kingsley, author of The Water Babies
It's always worth doing a bit of research before you travel, whether it be to somewhere you've been before or somewhere new. Before a recent walk, I did a bit of a search of the local area and discovered an authors grave I hadn't visited before. So I took a quick detour to St Mary's... Continue Reading →
5 Tips For Writers Without “A Room of One’s Own”
"A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction"Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own, 1929 When Virginia Woolf wrote those words, she was referring to the specific condition of being a female writer. But outside of those specific intricacies, the need for a space to write... Continue Reading →
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