Author Archives: mjschofieldauthor

Back in 1996, I had an idea for a pandemic love story. It was set in a house shared by four young twenty-somethings, struggling to survive through an epidemic that was bringing the country to a stand-still. One of the women would be ill, while two of her friends try to keep her alive atContinue reading “Self-isolation – a good time to write a novel”

One of my favourite DVD box-sets is the HBO series Rome. Originally broadcast between 2005 and 2007, it was a retelling of the story of Julius Caesar, Mark Antony and the end of the Roman democracy. Many of the characters were the big names well known from history, but alongside it, the scriptwriters had createdContinue reading “Powerful Gods”

Happy New Year! Ok, I know it’s already February, but this is my first blog of the year so I still get to say this. I hope your Christmas was a good one. Looking at the figures from my website, I can see that twenty-five of my Advent Stories were downloaded; more than half ofContinue reading “New Year, New Look”

The Oxen, by Thomas Hardy Christmas Eve, and twelve of the clock. “Now they are all on their knees,” An elder said as we sat in a flock By the embers in hearthside ease.   We pictured the meek mild creatures where They dwelt in their strawy pen, Nor did it occur to one ofContinue reading “A Shepherd’s Tale”

My Easter treat to myself – along with all the chocolate – has been reading a George R R Martin book that I have been saving since Christmas. I am a massive fan of the Game of Thrones books. When the TV series first started, I was quite attracted to it but we don’t haveContinue reading “Revisiting Forgotten Worlds”

Today is the last day of March, so it’s time to review the ‘experiment’. Have I met the targets I set myself? Has it had the desired results? Well, let’s see. Firstly, I have been writing. Not every day, but more days than not. Sometimes, it really was just a few hundred words, no moreContinue reading “A Writing Experiment – the Results”

I have a confession to make. I didn’t write anything new last year. Despite all my intentions, chronicled here in this blog, I do not have a new project. I am not currently writing a novel, and haven’t been for some time. I’ve been working – editing, rewriting, bogging, etc – but I haven’t writtenContinue reading “A Writing Experiment”

Yes, it’s that time of year again, when I start banging on – sorry, reminding you, how easy it is to download a 24-part story to print out, cut up and put into your reusable Advent Calendars. There are eight to choose from, including a brand new one for this. I had a lot ofContinue reading “Advent Stories”

In the summer, I embarked upon the project of editing of my novel The Most Beloved Boy. I was aware of some mistakes, and knew that I would only find them all by completely rereading the text, correcting as I went. But I also knew that if I did that, I would want to changeContinue reading “Me vs the Editor”

Writers need to read. When successful authors give advice to aspiring authors, one thing that comes up again and again is the need to keep reading. Fortunately for me, this is not a problem. Reading is second nature to me. I will read anything, and have, in the past, done just that. At work inContinue reading “Reading as a Writer”