Every now and then, I judge a small writing competition on a writing Facebook group. Despite the relatively small size of the group, the volume of entries are often pretty high! I have had the opportunity to read a lot of great prose and I have learned a lot by sitting in the judge’s chair. […]
Tag: Author Advice
A few weeks ago I wrote a blog titled ‘Help, I’m Stuck With Writer’s Block’, where I talked about my struggles with writing. Now I’m back with some updates to tell you what I have found helpful. The biggest change I’ve made is to my timetable, I’ve found that focusing on one main target a […]
I have been looking at my old work again and my first ever attempts at writing a full length novel. To say I’ve learnt a lot since then would be an understatement, and I couldn’t help but cringe at the mistakes my younger self made which seem so blindingly obvious to me now, but weren’t […]
You may be a little relieved to read that there isn’t really a right or wrong answer to this question. There are so many factors and variables to include; Is it your first book? Tenth book? Do you have children? Are you a student? Do you have a full-time or part-time job? Are you a […]
I was on Netflix recently and I happened to notice that the film version of Twilight has now been added to the many films and series you can watch on the platform. Over the years I’ve heard many good things about Twilight and many bad things too, I would say that I’ve watched more critical […]
Like the last time I decided to go to Wigtown, I once again found myself booking a last minute visit. I soon discovered that most of the rooms in and around Wigtown had been booked up months in advance, but surprisingly, I managed to book a room for one night right in the centre of […]
It’s horrible, criticism. Everyone hates it. We hate it even when we know the person, and know that the person is actually trying to help us. Often we’re criticised by mean people we don’t know, and that really does suck, but if you’re trying to become a successful author then taking criticism and dealing with it […]
Do you know the one thing that I cannot stand? Whinging Authors. Particularly authors who whinge about the lack of book sales, or even, whinge that they have sold a paperback version of their book but, because it’s not the kindle version, they get less in royalties. I mean come on! I know it’s tough […]
“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” Steven King “Read a lot. Read anything you can get your hands on.” […]
I already touched on this topic in Blog 37: On The Importance Of Words, but I wanted to write more about the language and terminology that we use. As a writer getting the language and terminology right for your characters, setting, plot and storyline is important. The writers who nail this often have the […]