Finding creative focus during the Covid-19 lockdown has been tricky for many writers and creatives and I’m no exception. Like many of you, I’m working from home, following all the advice about social distancing and trying to stay motivated and sane in these scary times we’re currently living through. No news is good news ….
Tag: writing
How to know when an idea is ‘THE IDEA’
As writers and creatives, the problem is rarely ‘I have no ideas’. It’s usually quite the opposite and we get inundated with the damn things. So how do we know which one is ‘THE IDEA’, the one that has the legs, the depth and the originality to be worthy of our valuable time? It’s a…
Novel Writing – Opening Chapters and Prologues
This is the latest of my weekly updates on the redrafting of what will be my debut novel, ‘Safe Hands’. You can find the story so far in this previous post. This week was all about revising my opening chapter. Like many of you reading this, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about whether…
My Debut Novel, ‘Safe Hands’ – The Story So Far
I have mentioned my debut novel from time to time on this blog, but it’s been a while so in preparation for my upcoming weekly updates, I thought it might be an idea to bring you up to speed with what it is and where I am. “Cracking a safe doesn’t mean dynamite. No oxecetyline…
New Year Goals – don’t say the ‘r’ word!
New Year’s Day is for nursing hangovers and banishing the regrets of last year, which is why I’m writing this on January 2nd. Yes, it’s that time again. Time to lay out my reso – NO! DON’T SAY IT! Let’s use goals, targets, milestones – anything but the ‘r’ word. Call me superstitious but any…
Write Up to Date #4 – Coming Up For Air
If anyone has been paying attention, you will notice I am more than a week late with this post. Life and, unfortunately, Death pushed my writing to the sidelines for a while. Sadly, my Grandad passed away on May 1st. It was sudden, unexpected and in a foreign country, which complicated things even further. He…
Write Up to Date Post#2 – The Nearly Man
It’s that time of week again. No excuses. Last week I set my writing goals for the week. Here’s a summary of what I was aiming to do – along with how I got on: 1. Write minimum of 1000 words of novel – ACHIEVED – 1200 words written. 2. Write minimum of 1000 words…
Time for ACTION! Writing Goals – Write Up to Date Post Number 1
This is the first of my ‘Write up to date’ posts. These will be weekly updates and in addition to my regular blog posts. The idea is for me to better plan my writing activities, become more accountable and to bring you ‘Write up to date’ with my progress. That accountability is key – your…
Why you should be listening to podcasts – grabbing inspiration on the move.
Podcasts are a great way to multi-task – getting advice on writing from shows like Writing Excuses, listening to the musings of comedians like Bill Burr or getting hooked on true crime stories like the brilliant Serial. I’ve been listening to podcasts for several years and as of last December, I’ve even begun to…
15k in May – Final Update
Ok . . . excuse me while I just slap on a fake smile and put some positive spin on this . . . ahem . . . there we go. That’s better. So, 15k in May is over and the big question on everyone’s lips (ok, just the select few who are interested) is…