10 Aug, 2017

This post is also available at HuffPost - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/598c6307e4b0f25bdfb32250 ...and by shorts, I don't mean the miniature trouser. I mean short stories of course. I always have several short stories on the go, and this is why... Practice Although writing a short story is a different discipline to writing a novel—and normally has specific requirements for structure and delivery—all writing is good practice. Some of my short stories don't make the grade as a complete

05 May, 2017

This content can also be found at Huffpost http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/590c6f82e4b046ea176ae9fb I always think my work is brilliant, don't you? Think your work is brilliant, I mean, not mine. Well, perhaps we don't, not all the time. I'm well aware I'm too close to my writing to have a rounded opinion about how things are going. I know everything about my story and can't see the holes; where I haven't related it effectively. Telling your story to others is the point, isn't it? That's

19 Apr, 2017

This post is also available at Huffington http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/58f60102e4b048372700db46 A pantser is somebody who doesn’t like planning - flying by the seat of their pants. Personally, I like planning my novels. There you are. I've said it. There's nothing more pleasurable to me than playing with my story concept and structuring it in all sorts of different ways. It helps me craft a more solid work: I avoid time-consuming writing of work which won't eventually fit I make sure

21 Mar, 2017

This post is also available at Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/58d10a28e4b0537abd957493 When you get that precious time in your day to do your writing, you want to make the most of it. Preparation will help you with that. Let’s start with some great quotes from some great people on the importance of preparation, so we’re in no doubt of its importance: “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” - Benjamin Franklin “He who is best prepared can best serve his moment

07 Mar, 2017

This post is also available at Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/58bec12be4b0aeb52475ff17 Although most of your work is done in your writer’s nook, you need to get out and about for your sanity and your health. But that doesn’t mean you stop working. The world is full of inspiration for your writing. Whatever your genre, you need to generate real places and believable characters, and that will come so much easier if you have your brain full of experiences and senses. Here’s

23 Feb, 2017

This is post is also available at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/58aeae5fe4b0d0d07e7c679e Ever get the feeling you’ve really enjoyed the book you just read, but you’re not sure why? Writers are always looking for beta readers. These are people who will read their work before publication and comment on it. They want your opinion of whether they have a best seller… or not. Beta readers aren’t providing editor type feedback (although an author will take it if you’re offering it free I’m

08 Feb, 2017

This post is also available at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/589b0c2ae4b02bbb1816c1ae I hear authors saying how they've added X thousands of people to their e-mail list, but is that a good thing? It might be, but what if you imagine them as an audience, sitting there, staring as you stand on the stage? Are you prepared? Here's a quick intro you can skip if you already know all about e-mail lists: An e-mail list is a list of personal addresses that people have given to you with

31 Jan, 2017

This is also available at Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/5873d889e4b0a5e600a78d5a Continuing on from my previous post about three types of author bio, this one's about the content.  Apart from the personal information you include in your long bio, it's all about achievements and qualifications. Firstly, the ones that you state will need to be relevant to your audience for this particular bio. With fiction you need other fiction achievements. With non-fiction you need

19 Jan, 2017

This post is also available at Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/588082a1e4b09d73ca33739b “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” - Stephen King “Good artists copy; great artists steal.” - Picasso (allegedly) “Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal; bad poets deface what they take, and good poets make it into something better, or at least something different.” - T. S. Elliot. “I write because I read. I read