I’ve heard a lot of publishers and agents talk about this mysterious thing called a ‘writer’s voice’ – even a fair few writers have mentioned it. On a basic level it’s the unique magic that appears in a writer’s narrative – something that identifies those words, strung together in such a way with a certain […]
As a new writer the most repeated piece of specific advice I heard was linked to be consistent with your narrative’s point of view. In other words: don’t head-hop. Of course, they also tell you not to break the rules unless you know them. Over the weekend I was reminded of a book I read […]
Well, since I’ve been trying to promote my own book [if you missed the launch of my short story collection, The Memorial Tree, last week where were you?!], I’ve been considering what it is that makes us love the books we rave about. Isn’t it every authors dream to hear readers say that they enjoyed […]
Do you ever go to a cafe, or sit at the station waiting for your train/bus, and just watch everyone else? This is generally considered ‘people-watching‘ and I love it. It’s a fascinating glimpse into the lives of other people that fires up my imagination. Observed idiosyncrasies that might be ingrained habits or a nervous […]
This struck a chord with me today. There is something about realising the part we play in our own self-destructive emotions and our responsibility, not just for how we act, but also how we respond to the world around us. When we get angry, or sulk, or even resent other people for what they have […]
I’m an avid reader, but when do you stop reading a book? How do you decide that it’s just not the story, or characters, or writing for you and close it up and never pick it back up again? I can admit that, sometimes, when I expect to struggle I carry on reading regardless. I […]
I had an idea today. One that has been used before, that I probably won’t write as a story or even attempt to draft. But, I had one. It’s been a while and when I got over the initial shock of realising that my brain was turning over a plot, considering characters and thinking about […]
I never wanted to be average and I hate the word “routine”. I used to get itchy and uncomfortable whenever I felt life was becoming ‘ordinary’. I’m a little less concerned by the words themselves now. I’m living the life that makes me happy. It’s likely that no two lives look the same, so what […]
I’ve known my best friend for half my life: we met in college and while we weren’t one of those so-close-we-live-in-each-other’s-pockets type of friends we have maintained the friendship through consistent determination and honest conversation. We didn’t go to the same Uni, we still struggle to call one another on a regular basis, and when […]
