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 →
"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 →
Places to go (now we can go places) I’m digging out and sprucing up blog posts to bring fantastically inspiring places to all you writers out there. Stay safe. There are some places you never think you'll see the inside of and a modern-day prison is certainly one of them. Dana Prison in Shrewsbury closed... Continue Reading →
If you're a writer, you're going to spend a good bit of time on your own. It's a cliche to say writers are introverts - but it's true to say you've got to be comfortable in your own company. Society isn't exactly understanding of this though. So if you want to be a writer you'll... Continue Reading →
I have two writing mascots on my desk - Kit and Granddad. Kit is well, a kitten - not much imagination there I'll grant you. Granddad is a vicar troll doll I bought back when troll dolls were a thing, and gave to my Grandfather (a former vicar) for Christmas. After he died, the doll... Continue Reading →
I've been waiting to visit this one for ages. North of Oxford, in a busy suburb, is a small graveyard called Wolvercote Cemetery. It's an unlikely final resting place for arguably one of the most influential fantasy writers who ever lived but nevertheless, this is where you'll find J.R.R. Tolkien, and his wife Edith. There... Continue Reading →
Writing should be simple - pen, paper, write (or screen, keyboard, write). But like pretty much everything in life, we humans have tried to make it complicated. We've put up barriers that prospective writers have to vault over in order to be considered "proper" writers. And whilst I think there are some things you do... Continue Reading →
The characters in your books are the heart and soul of your story. As a writer you need spend time on them or your book won't have the same impact. There are plenty of novels out there where the characters are used as fleshy footballs, kicked around by the dominant plot. But I'm not going... Continue Reading →
I've recently finished the first edit of the first book in my Cauldron Trilogy. Well I say edit, in truth it's better catergorised as a pre-edit. The main idea was not to edit any of the actual text, but instead make notes on it as I read through. And I think it's a really great... Continue Reading →
