Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire is one of the grandest and most fascinating houses the National Trust have to offer. It was the home of Elizabeth "Bess" of Hardwick, who became one of the richest women in England, second only in wealth and power to Elizabeth II herself. Bess was born on the Hardwick estate about... Continue Reading →
It would be remiss to travel halfway round the world and not visit possibly the most famous place in New Zealand - the original Hobbiton movie set. Watch our trip to Hobbiton video Don't get me wrong, there are loads of stunning places in NZ - you can see a bunch of them in our... Continue Reading →
Robert "Rabbie" Burns is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland - despite the fact he was only 37 when he died. The fact he was able to achieve this status as a Scottish icon during his short life shows how meaningful his work was. So it's only fitting that he's buried within a... Continue Reading →
If you're in Scotland and even vaguely interested in literature - or frankly even if you're not - you've got to visit at least one site associated with the poet Robert "Rabbie" Burns. I'll be honest, aside from knowing who he is and the big deal that is Burns Night, I wasn't overly familiar with... Continue Reading →
Ok, so writers aren't this big homogenous group who all think and act the same way, but I'm fairly certain there will be something in this list that you (or the writer in your life) will recognise. Just remember, it's all in fun! 1) We don't always want to write This may sound shocking -... Continue Reading →
This time of year is usually focused on presents and parties. And if you're more of an introverted bookworm, it can be a bit overwhelming. But if the past few years have taught us anything, it's that there's more to life than stuff. And whilst I'd never argue against disappearing with a book from time... Continue Reading →
So here we are at the end. If you've followed my previous posts on writing a book then I hope you've found them helpful. If you haven't you can find all the posts guiding you through the full process: Research Characters Plotting First draft Editing This post focuses on what to do once your book... Continue Reading →
Are you a plotter or a 'pantser'? There's no right or wrong way to write a book, but it's probably more usual to plot out your book before you start writing. But there are writers who simply sit and go - flying by the seat of their pants hence 'pantsers'. Douglas Adams for example was... Continue Reading →
Hello there! So you've finished the first part of my blog series about writing a book. Great. Let's start on part 2 then. But as I mentioned in part one, research keeps going throughout the whole writing process - including character development. After all, you might not have a clear idea of all the research... Continue Reading →
Want to write a book and don't know where to start? Well, you're in the wrong place! No, but seriously, in this six-part series, I'm going to share some advice I've gleaned over my years as a writer. But, I'm not a writing expert and this is NOT a definitive 'How to write' guide -... Continue Reading →
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