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 →
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 →
"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 →
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 →
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 →
Storytelling is the backbone of being a writer, whether it's fiction or non-fiction. And there are many places to learn storytelling; books (obviously), but also art, music, films and TV. But there's another a genre you might have overlooked - video games. The computer games industry is a relative newcomer to the world of entertainment.... Continue Reading →
Editing your writing is a long process. There's no magic wand for it, nor a whistle that blows when your done. But before you send it off, hit print, or self-publish, it's good to do one last sweep to make sure the basics don't let you down. Here's a checklist to help. Spelling Your built-in... Continue Reading →
I like to do end of year/new year posts. A lot of people do them. But this year - this year I'm sure everyone will want to do one, focusing on the once(maybe) in a lifetime events the world has experienced. Even this post is going to be influence by them.From a writing perspective, there... Continue Reading →
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 →
