The best novels with unusual narratives.
Do you have a great idea for a novel but are struggling to work out how to tell the story? Or are you midway through telling a story and feels it needs a bit more? This blog is all about novels which push the boundaries of narrative. Non linear narratives - this is...
What stops you writing? – extracts from July Newsletter
July: What gets in the way of you doing what you want to do? I think most people have something they really, really want to do, but sadly many of them will never get around to fulfilling that desire. This seems to me particularly true if the wish is to do something...
Top ten novels set in the workplace.
After a year of virtual working, do you feel more than ready to get back to the real workplace? Hold that thought for just a second. Can you remember what it was actually like? The commute? Getting dressed up (or dressed down)? Those weird people you work with - are...
Writing courses – there’s never been a better time to enrol – extracts from June newsletter
I'm sure most writers, when they start out, get themselves onto a course. I certainly did. In fact when I first swapped over from writing as an employee to writing as a freelancer, I joined the Writers Bureau in Manchester, a correspondence course advertised in...
Top Ten Enormous books which are worth the investment.
I don't know about you, but I often hesitate before picking up an enormous book, even if I know it has a fabulous reputation and friends are urging me to read it. Even though I am a quick and voracious reader, it's quite an investment, isn't it? So in this blog I'm...
Smart writing. How to use your writing time effectively – extracts from May newsletter
As I mentioned last month, i'm finishing off a novel which has been on the go for quite a while, and part of me wonders if I could've written it more quickly. So here are some tips I've gathered from thinking about my own mistakes, and it all comes down to using the...
Top Ten Unputdownable reads. Books you will have to devour in one sitting.
I've just finished a book which I literally could not stop reading. This was a bit inconvenient as I started reading it fairly late at night, but sometimes that is just how it goes. Write off the next day through lack of sleep, wander around in a daze, in awe of a...
Editing tips and writing help – extracts from April newsletter
April: Editing tips. I'm nearing the end of yet another draft of a middle grade novel which I've been writing for.... oh at least three centuries it feels like. (Actually I've just checked and I started my first ever draft of this in 2017.) I realise now that I prefer...
Top Ten Road Trip Books
There is a bit of a theme developing here with these blogs. A yearning to get back out into the world. Not surprising really. Anyway this month's blog is about Road Trips. Stories often involve a 'quest', and therefore there are many brilliant books which feature road...
Extracts from March newsletter: springing into action with your writing
I don't know about you but I'm beginning to feel a bit optimistic about the coming months, and that feeling always energises my writing. So this month I'm going to make some suggestions to help you expand your writing bandwidth. First off, if you are an unpublished...