I’m still saying yes!

I'm sure I wrote a blog post years ago about the benefits of saying Yes. At the time it referred to replying quickly to an email from the Guardian asking a few questions about my Costa Short Story Prize shortlisting. Because I acted quickly, I was the only writer from the six-person list to be …

10 Things I Love About Being a Writer

Photo by Jacqueline Munguía on Unsplash I've recently found myself slowly falling into a bit of a negative mood. Some of you are probably feeling the same. Dreary February, combined with lockdown and uncertainty, a deep wish to return to work, and the feeling that I'm repeating myself in these posts 😉 So today I'm …

Lockdown 2 – Electric Boogaloo

It's Sunday morning, in my world (although you're reading this on Monday or maybe even later than that). Usually by now, I've got my post written and scheduled because I work on Monday mornings and it's one of the few things I'm organised about. This week has been manic, with seeing family, friends, work, my …

Holding my breath

Bear with me, because I have no idea what I'm going to write today. I know I want to write something - the whole point of returning to my blog was to do it regularly - but... oh my god, I did not sleep well last night. I watched 1:15 disappear into the darkness, and …

Write with Fey

Hello, dear readers! Today I'm welcoming another guest to share her book with you - this time Chrys Fey, whose new book will help you navigate the world of writing and publishing. I'm still busy querying my novel, gearing up to write a new one (I'm planning another month-long blitz, so I've been jotting down the …

Because the song told me so!

There I was, working through my book, re-typing and re-drafting... and then three things happened: It got hot... so hot... my head doesn't like making sentences when it's hot. (It's actually lovely, if all I had to do was sit in my garden with a book and a glass of wine - as I did …

Red edit hiccup

I'm still in the red edit zone, so no completed chart just yet. Instead I have these: Yes, I'm making the grievous error of not just a prologue, or epilogue, but both! But, let's gloss over that for now. My red edits have gone really well, and I technically finished them last night, after a full-on …

The green edits are done!

I originally allowed myself thirty days for this part of the process, but did it in fifteen! As I got closer to the end, I reduced the date goal, because I like tidy graphs... Normally when I edit, I meander around - reading, adding notes, watching TV, going back over the same parts again and …

Reading my first draft

Since starting this blog, I've been unsure of the direction, but as I have decided to attempt to write, and have ready to submit, by the end of the year, I'm going to blog each step of my new-found process, under the Novel in a Year category tag. If you read this post first, it'll …

Reasons Why I Should Have Planned

I'm not a planner. I feel stifled if I have plot to fulfill, instead I usually start with a title and the very last line. I sit with my pen poised and let the words flow. I go back and add chapters where needed, go forward to write a killer line, backwards to add a …