Sometimes the best place to start is not the beginning. I’ve been asked some questions concerning how I go about developing ideas, on how I turn them into novels. And since I’m about to start something new in my notepads, I thought it would be fun to take a step back. To not talk about…
Me, Hitting My Deadline, in 2018
Hooray! I’m back from holiday. And hooray! I’ve pretty much got my new novel, EDEN ST. MICHEL, to the editor. I just have a few extra corrections and it will be sent out this weekend. But, not hooray - that means I’ve been a little strapped for time this week to devote much energy to…
How to Write Quickly – my thoughts so far…
I was actually hoping for more of a straight line as I described my writing process, and hopefully offered useful hints for anyone else who wanted to try and write well, but quickly. But to be honest, I've been a bit meandering. One day I hope to pull it together into one incredibly useful guide,…
Me, Not Writing, in 2018
I write, or at least do something for my writing, every single day. This weekend though I'm taking off. Or trying to take off. One never know when a brilliant idea which needs immediate attention might strike, but my intention is to take a break this long Bank Holiday weekend. So, even though this post…
Me, Taking Stock, in 2018
Looking back on my diary this week – my real one, which I write just before bed and consequently has a variable prose style depending on how tired I am – I realised that it was March the 18th last year when I first published something on KDP. When I actually and properly started my…
How to Write Quickly, part 5 (or ‘Me, Chasing Myself in a Circle, in 2018’)
Let’s say that, like me, you’ve made the most of your commute and are managing to write 1,500 to 2,000 words a day on your way into and way out of work. And let’s say like me that you’re making the most of your lunchtimes and getting another 1,500 and 2,000 words down. Before long…
Me, Giving a Monthly Update, in 2018
I realised that it was a year ago this week (the 27th February, in fact) that I started writing properly again. That was the first day I sat on the train in the morning and willed myself to write something in that seemingly unpromising surround. The sketch I produced that morning soon became a novel…
How to write quickly – part 3
I was asked a couple of questions in the last week. The first about where you can get ideas from if you’re struggling for this. And the second about how I know whether I have an idea good enough, or substantial enough, to sustain a book. The first question I couldn’t offer much help with,…
Me, Taking Stock, in February 2018
I’m taking a break from writing about writing quickly this week. Both because I want to marshal my thoughts, and also because this regular Friday slot was originally supposed to be to update what I was up to week in, week out. I’m happy it’s morphed into what I’ve learned over the last year, and…
How to Write Quickly – part 2
If you’re going to write fast, if you’re going to carve yourself out half an hour every day (or simply aim for five hundred words, whichever you choose) then you’re going to have to have a fairly sure grasp of what you’re going to write. Before you pick up the pen or switch on your…
