"So, I had this idea..." I've heard that line more times than I can count. From the plumber who spotted one of my novels on the kitchen counter. From old school mates who've tracked me down on Facebook after three decades of radio silence. What follows is usually a novel the person has been thinking about for years. A story they swear is different from anything else out there. A character they can't stop picturing. Roughly one in five is something else. A memoir. The life they'd get … continue reading
A Quick Q&A About Writing For a Living
A college student recently contacted me to ask if I'd help with part of her course. In short, she had to select her ideal career and then ask five questions to someone within that industry. The student in question wants to be a full-time author, and as her questions are quite interesting, I thought I'd share my answers with you... 1. What skills are most important when it comes to being an author? Being able to tell a compelling story is, without doubt, the most important skill, … continue reading
Want to Write a Book?
I receive several emails a week from folks who've read my books and would love to write their own. So, I decided I'd put together a basic overview of my writing strategy, together with the process I go through to stock Amazon's shelves. I would stress that this is my process. It might not work for everyone but it works for me; being a process I've honed over the last seven years and sixteen novels. Hopefully, it'll help you in some way. I've tried to list the tips/steps as intuitively as … continue reading
Don’t Say That. Say This…
How many times have you read a page of copy, only to realise you've used a certain word too many times. Next time, try replacing those commonly-used words with one from the list below. To download and save this list as a PDF file - click here. … continue reading