Blogs

Are there more novels in me?

‘Everyone has a novel in them …’ A lot of people believe that this is true, whether or not you add the second half of the sentence, which is... Read More

Criticism

I’ve never dealt with criticism well. Maybe I’m no worse than average, but I do find it easy to leap to the defensive. I don’t know how I... Read More

Listening

I have welcomed all of the advice and feedback I have received in my journey so far. I have sought this advice in academic texts, online writing and direct... Read More

Technology

Leaving aside any of the associated technology involved in publishing and marketing a book, there is an initial decision which is critical, and which will have many consequences... Read More

Literary Agents

This is probably the trickiest area for all new writers. As the publishing industry has become tougher and tougher with more books on release, and most of them... Read More

First Draft

The buzz of writing was unlike anything else. Beyond my simple one-paragraph plot, I didn’t know what would happen to my characters – at least not until I... Read More

Simplicity, Tense and Point of View

As the doors open inch-by-inch onto this new world, I realise that, despite a lifetime of voracious reading, I don’t understand the basics of writing a novel. Or rather: As... Read More

First Words

Everything must begin somewhere. After seven months travelling the world, I decided that I was going to write fiction. I wasn’t going back to ‘real’ work, but would pursue... Read More

A Good Start

Two years, three full-length novels and a gaggle of short stories. I wanted to share my experience of starting to write fiction in middle age, with no previous experience.... Read More