Authors spend most of their time at a desk be it in a coffee house, an office (oh, the luxury!) or at home. It's quite a solitary profession, something which I've had real difficulty to come to terms with since I turned full-time author two years ago. Attending author events has helped me a lot with … [Read more...]
Don’t Bore Your Reader
We all know to bore the reader is the most heinous crime an author can commit. Boring Explanations You know those days when you sit down at your keyboard to write and know you have to explain something in the book that, to put it frankly, bores you? It could be a little bit of backstory, or scene … [Read more...]
Write Your Story
Write Your Story: How to Turn Your Life into Fiction in 10 Easy Steps is out now. Turning Fact into Fiction You may know that my best-selling novel, The English Heart, is closely based on my own life. Or how some 30 years ago I fell head over heels in love with my Englishman. He was a Royal … [Read more...]
5 Ways to Combat Writer’s Block
Are you unable to finish that novel but don't know why? If you suffer from Writer's Block, here are five ways to deal with it. What is Writer's Block? I have to come clean: before I was writing my latest (7th) novel, due out later this autumn, I didn't even believe in Writer's Block. I agreed with … [Read more...]
Advice for New Writers Part 9: When to Start Editing?
When should you start editing your work? This can be a tricky decision. Do you wait until you've reached a certain amount of words? Or when there's an 'r' in the month or a full moon? Perhaps you've got into the habit of editing as you go along? Editing while you write I used to edit while I wrote … [Read more...]
How to Attend Indie Author Fringe
The virtual doors of The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) third Indie Author Fringe event open at 10am Frankfurt/9am London, Saturday October 22nd. Here’s how to attend and get the most out of our Online Author Conference, and how to join in conversations with Sponsors and Speakers on the … [Read more...]
Provence and social media detox
We've been here a week and I haven't once looked at my Facebook page, Twitter feed or posted a single picture on my Instagram feed. I have also not written anything more than short shopping lists (by hand with actual pen on actual paper) for our nearly daily visits to various markets in this area of … [Read more...]
Advice for New Writers Part 8: How to Build an Author Platform
In my previous post I discussed why an author needs to establish a way to communicate with his or her readers, or build an author platform. In this, 8th post in the series, Advice to New Writers, I talk a little about how to go about building such a platform. What Does Your Author Profile Look … [Read more...]
It’s Time for the Crouch End Festival!
It's here again! The Crouch End Festival, UK's largest community arts event, is now in its fifth year, and this, the 2016 festival will be bigger than ever. There's everything from open air cinema, live music, art, poetry, food and even a Latino Day when Crouch End goes all Latin. Check out the … [Read more...]
Advice for New Writers Part 7: Do I Need an Author Platform?
Whether you are a traditionally published author, an indie or something in between, the commonly accepted wisdom is that you need an author platform. But why? Why do you need to broadcast to the world about your writing? Why do you constantly need to post on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, … [Read more...]
