Writing and Publishing

‘You should write a book.’ How many times has someone been told that by a friend and thought ‘It seemed a good idea at the time?’ There are two routes to becoming a published author (or possibly three.) Write a book, perhaps find an agent, submit it to a publisher and do the happy dance …

Time

Do you ever think about Time? I don’t mean from the sense of is it 1 o’clock or 2 o’clock, but in its broader meaning. The young feel they have all the time in the world, but as we get older it seems to speed up, and we want to cram as much as possible …

Book blurbs

A recent challenge on a Writers’ group made me think about the importance of book blurbs. Once the cover has attracted a reader’s interest, it’s normally the blurb which is the make or break for whether they move on or press the buy button. A synopsis is a summary of the story, including the ending, …

The English Language

You’ve got to love the English language. Who else would use ‘Fed up’ not to mean you’ve enjoyed a good meal, but the world in general is a bit blur? I’m not even sure if that’s spelt correctly as so many of the words we use are rarely written down, but make a lovely noise …

Balancing the Books

I love writing but hate marketing. When my main career was working in a bank, I enjoyed the customer contact, was good at record keeping and pleased when a plan came together and a problem was solved to everyone’s satisfaction. Occasionally, even giving bad news could be turned into a positive experience. If a customer …

Writer’s block – The blank page

As a writer I’m often asked how to overcome writer’s block. You sit down full of enthusiasm and a blank screen stares back at you, daring your fingers to touch the keyboard, or your pen to destroy the pristine surface of a blank sheet of paper. Fortunately, this is something I’ve never found a problem; …

Social Media – Facebook

Wearing my Writing Guru hat, I thought it might be fun to look at the use of various forms of Social Media in the life of an author. Facebook, blog, web-site, Twitter, Instagram, author page, newsletters, give-aways, paid advertising – the list is endless, and no sooner have you conquered one than they change the …

Aspects of authors – Paula Harmon

A warm welcome to Paula Harmon, my second guest on the new 'Aspects' series. Paula's books include some set in Roman Britain, and others in Victorian London, so I was interested in the type of research necessary to ensure authenticity. You might wonder what 'Underwear and Dormice' has to do with writing. Over to you …

Aspects of authors- Rick Haynes

I’m delighted to welcome my first guest to the aspects series – Rick  Haynes,  whose specialist subject is medieval fantasy. Over to you, Rick. What World Do You Want To Create? It all seems pretty easy, doesn’t it? You have all these ideas in your head racing around and around like eager puppies, but what …

Aspects of authors -Introduction

This is the first in a new series in which we look at some of the different facets of writing. There are plenty of ‘How To’ books, webinars and blogs available on the mechanics of being an author, but I thought it would be fun to approach the subject from a different angle. If you …