Writing a novel may be hard work but it’s nothing compared to the gruelling task of editing…at least that’s my experience. You see it’s possible to get on with the task of drafting a novel, even on days when the muse doesn’t show up, you can just keep at it. If you just write, the words slowly add up and eventually …
‘My writing has just stalled completely. I haven’t written anything for weeks.’ I was sitting with a lovely writer, on our lunch break from a writing workshop, listening to how she didn’t know what to write next, so she’d stopped writing. She was devastated, because she was so attached to the story and its characters, but the ‘muse’ had left …
When I write, I always try to visualise each scene and character as if they were in a film. It’s incredibly important for me to be able to ‘see’ it as if it was really happening. It may also reveal my secret ambition; that my books will be so damn good, they’ll become movies. There’s nothing wrong with dreaming big …
It’s taken nearly 40 years but I’ve finally figured out what I am. When I say ‘what’ I mean how to define what I do and love. I’m a Creator. Everything I have done and got so much joy of during my life is about creating. Creating words, content, stories, strategies, food, businesses, ideas, events, dinner parties…it’s everything I …
Sometimes…no…more than sometimes, a writer needs a little inspiration. Here are 10 of my favourite images and words from the internet that inspire me. Most of them are self explanatory, though the Alice in Wonderland image is one that speaks to the philosophy of this blog: “Like Alice in Wonderland I go about my day-to-day life hopeful of falling down …
I sat down three times this week to write this blog. Three times. Each of which was unsuccessful. The problem is that every time I sat down at the computer, I found something more urgent or more tempting to devote my time to. Whether it’s emails, funny cat videos or a seemingly important business matter that comes to your attention, …
Four-year-old boys and superheroes are pretty much a package deal. I’m not sure when or how it happened. It may have started with a Batman suit my son was given one Christmas, but it has since morphed into a costume collection featuring everything from Marvel and DC comic book characters and Star Wars, to Transformers and ninja turtles. It peaked …
Staying motivated to write when you are tired, grumpy and exhausted is an ongoing challenge and sometimes downright depressing. Since I write a lot for a living, sometimes it’s hard to put fingers to keyboard with the enthusiasm my fantasy writing deserves. Often I listen to my favourite music to keep me inspired. I have a few different playlists for …
As a writer I have a natural passion for words. I’ve also claimed, rather cheekily, to be a purveyor of fine words. Maybe a more accurate description is that I’m a word collector. Just like someone who collects stamps or Star Wars figurines, I find extreme pleasure in discovering unusual, underused or just interesting words. I then file that word …
I’ve earned a living as a professional writer for more years than I care to admit. I can pump out 1,000 words on almost any topic and edit them to a professional standard, well before the boss screams down the phone ‘one minute till deadline’. That might sound like a bit of a brag-fest, but it’s not meant to be. …