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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”

  As part of that essential decluttering I had planned, I turned up a box full of old floppy discs. I hadn’t actually forgotten about them, but they haven’t crossed my mind for several years. As an archive, they are not very satisfying; I don’t think we have a device in the house that willContinue reading “The past – so floppy and unsubstantial”

As of this week, I am a free woman. The college course I started last September is over. Two days ago, I attended the last session and handed in my portfolio. Most of it has been marked already, so barring any minor rewrites in the last unit, the work is done. And it has beenContinue reading “End of term, beginning of summer”

In my last blog, I wrote about doing Nano Wrimo and writing a novel in thirty days. I started that thirty day challenge knowing that I was writing a novel called No Such Cold Thing, which is important because, like my earlier novel Have You Got That Book? this was another novel that started withContinue reading “No Such Cold Thing”

  Writing has always been not just a part of my life but a part of me; ideas come spontaneously, and the desire to sit down and write is not just compulsive but intensely enjoyable. It comes so naturally that I have adopted it as my motto – the only thing I cannot imagine isContinue reading “Nothing could ever stop me writing, right?”

I’ve come back to this subject because I know this is something that authors get asked about a lot; when my bookshop hosted an author event and some member of the audience asked “where do you get your ideas from?” I would inwardly groan and wish they would ask something more original. But actually, IContinue reading “Where do Ideas Come From – Part Two”

If I write it down here, I can’t ignore it. My resolution for 2018 is to start a new novel. At this point in time, I don’t care what it’s going to be about, or how much of it I write, but by this time next year, I hope to have written a bit moreContinue reading “A Resolution for a New Year”

Merry Christmas from me and my Advent snowman. There he is, hanging happily beside the Christmas tree, looking very festive. The story I wrote for my own calendar is going down very well with my children. Once again, I’ve been inspired by them. They are growing up, discovering their own tastes in music, and two of themContinue reading “Merry Christmas”