My Blog
My first writing workshop, Jan 17th, Kendal Library
Well, actually, it's not quite my first. That was at the Borderlines Festival in Carlisle in September - which was a great book festival, by the way - but it was only an hour and a half, not long enough to do anything substantial. Even so, I enjoyed it so much that I...
Writing a novel: where to start?
I suppose I've learned quite a lot about writing a novel over the past few years. A long time before that I learned how to write sentences and string them together into paragraphs that followed each other and made sense. I can recall some quite good writing in my...
Me and my editor
In the world of self-publishing there's always talk about the importance of a good editor, and what editors can do to improve the quality of your work. Over the past few years I've been fortunate to work with an editor who is also a long-standing friend. You might say...
‘Writing a novel starter pack’ : what to include?
I love teaching, always have, and since 1982 I've been working with adults as learners rather than younger students. Having recently struggled myself to learn the basics of starting, finishing and publishing a novel, what I'd love to do now is 'teach' some of that to...
The discomfort of book promotion
Two events last week tested my resolve as a self-publishing author. Neither had anything to do with writing, and both were concerned with that other side of the business, the one that starts when the book is finished and printed and needs to be offered to people for...
Doing a ‘talk’ about writing and books
In the past month I've done a number of 'speaking engagements' with local organisations about my books, both the content and the writing and publishing process. Being a self-published author I welcome and need such opportunities to promote my books directly, as the...