On this blog I like to record tales from my book writing journey. Hopefully a few of my readers will relate to my experiences. Today I am going to tell you about how my approach to makeup changed while writing my debut novel; Instructions For Falling In Love Again. Makeup became my secret weapon while […]
It’s not easy being married to a writer. We are strange creatures. Here are some useful tips on how to survive being married to a writer: 1. Accept the fact that you will spend a lot of your marriage talking about people, events and locations that don’t actually exist. 2. When your writer wakes you […]
Writing and publishing my debut novel has been an unforgettable experience. As I look back at my four-year book journey I can’t help but notice the reoccuring process of creation, destruction and resurrection. I have spent four years doing just this; creating my draft manuscript, destroying my draft manuscript and resurrecting my draft manuscript. Now […]
I have decided to record my 2018 NaNoWriMo journey in a blog post. November is National Novel Writing month (NaNoWriMo) and by signing up to the contest you agree to write 50,000 words in a month. So, here is what happened in a diary style format:
There is a stage during NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) where desperation strikes, 28k words in my experience. Words dry up, your plot sags, characters won’t follow casting direction and the mere thought of your story makes you want to go hide under the bed. During this dark stage, all your old ways of finding some […]
Has your beloved entered NaNoWriMo? Did they cheerfully announce at the dinner table, last week, after demolishing your cheese board, that for the month of November they are going to be enjoying themselves, by writing 50,000 words? On the 1st November, did you watch your beloved strap themselves to their writing chair, set up a […]
Our stories are like the cakes we bake. Some of us plan our cake making projects with military precision. We stick rigidly to the recipe and put in hours of ingredient preparation. Whilst the rest of us stare at the food cupboard, listen to the gurgle of our gut and chuck in any ingredient that […]
I have been listening to a great writing podcast called Write or Die. It is perfect for writers, like me, who are deep in the querying trenches. If you are struggling with rejection and the journey to publication, listen to this. Podcast host and author, Claribel Ortega, focuses on the struggle and the suffering with […]
Sometimes we need a little encouragement to keep going, whilst working on a difficult draft. Writing a novel is not for the faint hearted, (especially romance novels). Support, confidence and hope can come from all sorts of places; family, friends, writer friends, Twitter friends, Facebook groups, writer craft books, podcasts, a neighbour and even the […]
You’re busy writing your draft romance novel. Things were going well…until you started getting a nagging thought; there is something very familiar about your new fictional character. You can’t put your finger on it. Why does it feel like you have met them before in another life? The hairs on your neck stand upright and […]