Blog
Bullet journal: Yearly plan spread
I thought I would open my bullet journal with my yearly goals, which are pretty much the same year on year (although the real reason for writing this post so soon after the first is because my publicize (auto-post connection with social media) hasn't been working and...
read more
A new way of organising my time
My website 'about me' page introduces the fact that I am a writer (unpublished), editor, and reader. I am also a geek and love software, computers, and website design... oh, and gardening when I have the time. (You can't beat the taste of strawberries and cherry...
read more
A new approach and an introduction
I've been spending a lot of time thinking about my editing business, more specifically about how far it's come and how far I can take it. While it has certainly come a long way from the days of offering free edits in exchange for experience and testimonials for my...
read more
A to Z Blogging Challenge: M is for Movement
M is for Movement Today's post is about movement, namely how a character might move through a scene (from one location to another), and how a scene might move to a new location within a chapter. It will also cover the montage technique, which is commonly...
read more
A to Z Blogging Challenge: L is for Life experience (aka how to tackle backstory)
L is for Life experience (aka, how to tackle backstory) Every character - from those in the starring role(s) to the lowly alien with a brief appearance on page fifty-six of book three - has dreams and aspirations. As in real life, our life experience...
read more
A to Z Blogging Challenge: K is for Knots, crinkles and plot holes
K is for Knots, crinkles and plot holes I had to get a little creative choosing my subject for today, K is such a difficult letter to find a topic to write about, so I thought it would be a good idea to look at some of what I do as a developmental editor...
read more
A to Z Blogging Challenge: J is for Journals and notebooks
J is for Journals and notebooks Sometimes it is hard to find inspiration to write a story or know how to tackle a particular scene, which is where journals and notebooks come into play. Every writer should have (at least) one. It doesn't need to be a paper...
read more
A to Z Blogging Challenge: I is for Imagery
I is for Imagery I don't know about you, but when I'm reading a book, I love to 'see' the world I'm being immersed into. My genres of choice are - surprise, surprise - science fiction or fantasy. Both of these genres require a substantial amount of...
read more
A to Z Blogging Challenge: H is for Head-hopping
H is for Head-hopping Head-hopping is the 'art' of jumping out of one character's head (perspective) and into another, usually under the guise of allowing the reader the 'full-on' experience. I've heard many a writer say they want their reader to know...
read more
A-Z Blogging Challenge: G is for GDPR
G is for GDPR While this is a break from the subject of creative writing, the General Data Protection Regulation is coming into effect next month and will affect how I conduct my business. It's been spoken about for the last couple of years - I found out about it last...
read more
A to Z Blogging Challenge: F is for Foreshadowing
F is for Foreshadowing This is a plot device that sees an author planting clues in earlier scenes of a story for a payoff at a later stage. If it is done well, the reader won't see it coming, but upon reaching the payoff, will realise that the clues were...
read more
A to Z Blogging challenge: E is for Exposition
E is for Exposition Exposition is the insertion of background information that is crucial to the reader's understanding of a story, be it a backstory (prior events), setting, or description. As with description, my recommendation would be to filter...
read more
A to Z Blogging challenge: D is for Describing through action and inner voice.
D is for Describing through Action and (Inner) Voice I've read many a book that will grind to a sudden halt as the author stops to describe a character, setting or item. When this happens, I always imagine the characters standing to the side, waiting, or...
read more
A to Z Blogging challenge: C is for Crafting your Story
C is for Crafting your Story (dramatic arc) I briefly touched on the basics of storytelling yesterday and today’s post with expand on that and provide some links I hope you’ll find useful. Each story you write will follow a structure similar to the image...
read more
A to Z Blogging challenge: B is for Blank Page
B is for Blank Page This is where all published novels begin life, and this post is about the different approaches an author might take to writing. If you are preparing to write your first novel, I would hope (and advise) that you start your novel writing...
read more
A to Z Blogging challenge: A is for An introduction
An introduction Creative writing is my passion. My earliest memory of writing a book was when I was about nine. I was really into Enid Blyton’s boarding school stories and inspired by this, I recall writing a whole (exercise) book on a similar subject. I no longer...
read more
