Ah, the heady feel of a new year, when you can leave all of last year’s mistakes behind you and emerge as some shiny, productive, improved version of yourself. At least until the second week in January, when it all seems a bit too much like hard work, the weather is bloody miserable, your next […]
Tag Archives: writing tips
Yesterday, I was lucky enough to be invited to speak at an ALCS on How to Make Money From Your Writing. The Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society is an organisation set up to make sure writers get paid for their work – I feel a little silly that I haven’t joined yet, that is definitely on my […]
{Note: this blog was originally posted over at Prodigal Geordie]. It’s been just over a year since I moved back to Newcastle, and the theatre scene has delighted me. I spend most weeks bobbing on some triangular trajectory between Northern Stage, Live and Alphabetti, and I’ve seen shows in locations that range from a castle […]
Normally I wouldn’t presume to write a list like this, but I did it for a blog post on a book tour a while back (and for which I have, annoyingly, lost the link) and the material seemed worth sharing so I have reworked some of it here. Hope you find it helpful! 10 Things […]
Envy and professional jealousy are an occupational hazard for writers – as, indeed, for any creative. The arts are an insecure business; most creatives are wracked with self-doubt, and it can feel like you are in constant competition for a dwindling reserve of paid gigs, audience attention and market presence. You put your heart and […]
No one can be entirely objective about their own work. You spend so long in your own head with your words that they can become stale or overly familiar, and a new perspective is vital. This is why a team of beta readers is so useful for authors and writers: a fresh set of eyes […]
Now, I must admit I have long had a Bridget Jonesian level of fascination for self-help books. I read them like other people devour thrillers or romances – for a dose of pure escapism. It doesn’t matter if they are not remotely relevant to my life, and sometimes, the more bonkers they are, they more […]
Guys, writing is hard sometimes. Like, really, really hard. And while a deadline or a paycheque can force you to produce something if your income depends on it, if that’s not the case, it can be a struggle to get the energy or enthusiasm to do any creative project. And who can blame us? The […]
I’ve written a lot about writing advice – the good and the bad – but if there is one piece of ‘accepted wisdom’ I’d like to see killed by fire, it’s ‘writers must write every day’. It comes packaged in many forms – ‘real writers write every day’, you are told, as if being a […]
One of the pleasures of publishing is other people’s reactions to your writing: I don’t imagine there’s a writer out there who doesn’t love getting nice feedback. If you didn’t want readers to connect with your writing, you wouldn’t put it out there, and the validation that comes with a good review can’t be overstated. […]
Dark Dates 