Remind yourself that we don’t read because of a single tweet, or recommendation, or review. We read to connect with a feeling, and as the writer you are the best person to represent the feelings that your book evokes.
Firstly, I always think you need to know what type of story you are writing. Why? Because there are particular expectations for certain stories that we associate with each type. Typically these are known as ‘genres’ – so think Romance, or Mystery, Crime or Thriller. For each one readers will have particular needs that they […]
Recently, I was asked in a job interview to talk about something I am passionate about. And, perhaps it comes as no surprise that as a writer and someone who writes novels from a Plotting Shed that thing for me happens to be STORIES. But the more I delved into why stories are so significant […]
Because it takes work. You don’t wake up with unstoppable motivation to write every day – if ever. Instead it’s a battle of contrition – of chipping away at the manuscript and story word by word. There’s a certain futility to the action to begin with because the finish line seems so far away. And, […]
My next novel That Which is Left is Lost will be released on 16 June. And, this time – unlike my debut which is only available as an Ebook only – there is going to be a paperback version! [Check out my Books & Stories Page to see when it’s live!] When we writers talk […]
As writers, we have active imaginations. We stare out of the window and look beyond the landscape in front of us to paint a brighter picture of our future as we’d like it to look. You know the one – where we have a Plotting Shed with a Writing Desk that we go to everyday […]
As a debut author, and a short story writer, it’s taken me a long time to accept that the only way I can share my stories with the world is to talk about them! It seems to be one of the final stages in the writer’s triathlon of self-belief. First you have to swim through […]
It’s every writer’s joy to discover a new idea – a spark of inspiration that sets off a chain of possibility in our brain. From seductive scenarios to compelling characters, we love creating that perfect story in our mind and spending precious time nurturing it into something amazing. Only the problem is, we still haven’t […]
Believing you can write a book is a bit like believing in fairies. You have no evidence they exist, but somehow you *want* to believe that they might. The problem is, as grown ups, we don’t believe in the same way as we did when we were kids. And that’s such a shame, because it prevents us from trying so many things.
When I was little I wanted to be a writer. My head was always full of detailed stories about fairies and far away lands. I remember telling my primary school teacher that I was going to write books when I grew up. Her reply? She told me it was a lovely dream, but that’s what […]
