Tag Archives: author
Writing a novel: taking myself away for a week
A recent article in The Guardian caused some controversy by suggesting that writing is an elite activity because it requires two things: time and space. Of course, both those things will often require money, meaning that as Lynn Steger Strong suggests, you can only be a writer if you can afford it. I’m not saying […]
Writing a novel: the beginning
In the interest of being honest and open, and sharing my entire writing journey here on my blog, I suppose I should say that I have started working (mainly thinking) on a new novel! It’s really exciting, but something in me hesitates to talk openly about it, simply because it is still all so new […]
How to stay motivated as a writer
Writing really is a strange and lonely occupation and, like many writers, my motivation ebbs and flows depending on how busy I am, what I’m writing, and my general mood. However, there are things I know that work to keep me organised and to keep me going. Here are my tips on how to stay […]
An ode to the first draft
Ok, I finished a rough first draft of a short story about ten minutes ago, and nothing felt more apt than writing a speedy blog post about just how much I love this feeling (and just how much I dread the next stage of the process). As most people know, the first draft of anything […]
Poetry Corner | Poem #31
And I was always told that there was a permanence in change.
The Diary of an Unpublished Author #8
Dear Diary, This one is all about rejections. Dum, dum, dum. I’m not going to pretend that I haven’t received any rejections from literary agents in the quest for a book publishing deal… Don’t worry, people will tell you. [Insert famous author name here] received hundreds of rejections before they finally got published. That’s all well and good, and […]
The Diary of an Unpublished Author #7 (or how to apply for literary agents)
Dear Diary, It’s coming to that time of year again. Nope, I’m not talking about mince pies and Christmas lights and terrible but wonderful festive films. (Although, yes that is true too. Can we talk about how great Arthur Christmas is for a minute?!) I’m talking about the time of year where I bear my […]
Review: Uprooted, Naomi Novik
Agnieszka loves her village, set deep in a peaceful valley. But the nearby enchanted forest casts a shadow over her home. Many have been lost to the Wood and none return unchanged. The villagers depend on an ageless wizard, the Dragon, to protect them from the forest’s dark magic. However, his help comes at a […]
The Diary of an Unpublished Author #6
Dear Diary, Today I’m going to talk about motivation. Perhaps it will start off about writing, but I think it will end up being about life, as inevitably everything does. The two are intrinsically linked, you see – writing and life. In many ways my writing is my life; it is, quite honestly, the most important […]
The Diary of an Unpublished Author #5
Dear Diary, This one’s all about redrafting. I’ve got mixed feelings towards the process, mainly because on one hand it’s inexplicably important and so completely necessary, and on the other it’s inexplicably hard work and so completely soul-destroying. I’ve started to lose count of the amount of times I have gone through and edited my […]
