Inspiring the Uninspired
Writing a story is exciting, it's fun and it's full of exploration. But it's also hard, and it's not uncommon for writers to reach a point where they feel disconnected from their story. Perhaps it's a particularly bad case of writer's block, or you've simply wound up in a slump. Whatever it is,, it sucks.… Continue reading 6 things to do when you’re feeling disconnected from your story
Welcome to 2020 everybody! Here's hoping it is a year of success and happiness for us all. The start of a new year you always comes with a bunch of new resolutions and goals. Which is why I start every year with a post about how to achieve your writing goals - it works for… Continue reading How to Achieve your 2020 Writing Goals
As the year comes to an end, and a whole year of fresh opportunities arises, I am reflecting back on 2019, and the achievements I've made. It's a little self indulgent, but I want this blog to represent my writing journey, so I can look back on it as the years pass. Not only that,… Continue reading 5 Writing Achievements from 2019
Querying a novel is challenging. It takes a considerable amount of courage, determination, thick skin and, most importantly of all, research. Don't waste your time or disappointment by sending your novel out to agents who aren't in the slightest bit interested in what you're writing. It's so vital to choose agents that are a great… Continue reading Questions to ask when choosing an agent
Writers often have an odd relationship with the first draft. It's that mixture between excitement and fear, motivation and doubt. It's easy to pile on the pressure, putting ourselves under a certain level of strain and expectation. That's why I wanted to share this things to remember while you're writing a first draft. The writing… Continue reading Things to remember when writing a first draft
Prologues can be a contentious issue. Everybody has a different opinion on them. I've known of readers who love them, agents who hate them, and everything in between! The last novel I wrote started with a prologue, even though as a reader I'm not a huge fan of them. Sometimes you just have to do… Continue reading The Pros and Cons of Prologues
For the past couple of weeks I've been focusing on query letters, and they've been the subject of my previous two blog posts. So now we've discussed things to include in a query letter, and things to leave out, I thought I'd share my step by step approach. Please note, as with my synopsis writing… Continue reading Writing a Query Letter – A Step by Step Method
Writer's block. We've (probably) all been there. The words won't come, the ideas fall flat and your motivation falters to a halt. How to combat it? There are plenty of ways. One is simply to write anyway. You could try freewriting, or find a great prompt or go for a walk. And you could also… Continue reading 4 Reasons to Read When You Have Writer’s Block
I have always adored this quote from Ibn Battuta. Let's see it again: “Traveling—it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” - The Travels of Ibn Battutah As somebody who loves to write and loves to travel, this has always been something I think is entirely true. And I know that not everybody… Continue reading Travelling: It leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.
Inspiration and ideas can strike writers at any time. They're always lurking, those little moments in life that spark the plot for a novel or short story. And that spark is electric, it's exciting, it pulls your pen to paper until you're fizzing with the sheer need to tell that story. However, although it's hard,… Continue reading 5 Reasons to Finish your Writing Project
