We do not know why the king went into the cave. Was he hiding? Seeking solitude? Was he meeting a lover? Or an envoy of his neighbour to negotiate a transfer of power? Was he fed up of being a king? I once asked my nursemaid and she told me it was better not to know. I disagreed with her. It’s always better to know… (Click title to read more) Continue reading The Crown (La Corona)
Good advice new writers should already know if they’re worth their salt – but putting it all into practise is the hard part so it’s good to have a reminder. Especially true of Fiona Barton’s advice : “Every new writer should just get on with it.” 😀 Continue reading Every New Writer Should…
Some books are parties to which you are invited, full of friends who are there even when you have no friends.
Continue reading Each Book is a Gift a Writer Made for Strangers
A little message for the New Year ahead …. Happy New Year! Make every day count xxx Continue reading The Blank Pages of 2020
Standing in the corner of my grandma’s hallway in my disgrace, the stolen shortbread still melting on my tongue, I placed my hands on the walls, closed my eyes and saw Grandad. Continue reading INSPIRATION: The Walls Have Ears (and Eyes)
A lot of fiction writers find music a real distraction when writing, but here’s why I find it a real help…
Continue reading “How Music Can Help You Write”
After years of sticking rigidly to that long term goal, I started saying yes instead of no to those wonderful, fleeting opportunities on the periphery, and this is what happened…
I listened to Tim Minchin’s inspirational address, ‘Nine Life Lessons’, again a few weeks ago, and keep coming back to one thing in particular (and those of you who know me won’t be surprised that it wasn’t the ‘do more exercise’ one :-D)
It was concerning goals, and the realisation that his words didn’t strike a chord with me the first time I heard the speech, years ago. And that’s because of things that have happened between now and then to make me realise he’s absolutely right. Here’s what he said:
Continue reading “Look Out for the Shiny Things”
I popped this photo in my Pictures folder a while ago now, and keep seeking it out because I love everything about it… Continue reading One Great Photo: Skate Girls of Kabul
When I finished reading, there was silence in the room. I balked and sat down, thinking I must have done it all wrong. Continue reading ‘Write What You Know is the Stupidest Thing I Ever Heard’
The ‘Publish My Book’ button seems to be a multitasking piece of HTML. Not only does it somehow transfer all your words and pages into a proper book that people can buy on the other side of the world – wow! – BUT it also opens some kind of hidden tap in your brain through which all your creativity magically begins to drain away.
There you are thinking, ‘right then, onto the next book’… You have so many awesome ideas, all written down in a pile of ragged notebooks. There is even the odd chapter or three of a shiny, new project hidden away in your computer. It’s calling to you in a polite ‘excuse me’ kind of voice. You look at it. It doesn’t look quite as good as you thought it did, but you read to the end. You raise your fingers above the keyboard, ready to carry on. And…
Continue reading “Creatives with Claws.. Gggrrr!”
