featured posts on writing, creativity and motivation…
I started self-publishing early and, as it turns out, I was writing fantasy and science fiction right from the start! My first books were small but ambitious, and lavishly illustrated. In Write Like a Beginner I shared one of these stories – Creepy Castle – which wasn’t really a book, more a couple of sheets… Continue reading My First (handmade!) Books
A little while ago I went to a Writing for Wellbeing workshop and one of the exercises was called ‘Writing Like a Beginner’. The idea was to stop worrying about getting it right and just write any old stuff – like you did when you were a child. It frees you up and gets you… Continue reading Write Like a Beginner: A Silly Tale of Derring-Do
I wrote a Fantasy novel by accident. That’s not an easy accident to have; not like tripping over your own feet or walking into a glass door. It’s not that I was trying to write something else and it turned into Fantasy. I wasn’t aiming for any genre in particular – I just wrote the… Continue reading Fantasy Fiction: a genre distinction too far
I know the exact day I became a writer. It was Friday 23rd April 2004 and I was walking to work. As I dodged the rush hour traffic, a story unspooled into my mind that was so compelling I knew I must write it down. I arrived at work, grabbed some paper and scribbled down… Continue reading Why Do Writers Write?
Last week we successfully avoided doing any work by looking at the eight styles of procrastination. But no matter what your style, you can’t keep putting things off forever. Sooner or later, you’re going to have to get stuff done. But first you need to figure out why you’re procrastinating. So here’s another thing you… Continue reading How to Stop Procrastinating – Now!
I’ve been meaning to write this for ages. It’s been on my list of possible posts for over a year, but I kept putting it off in favour of other stuff. Then around came the new year and it gave me the perfect excuse to stop making excuses and get it done. Everybody procrastinates some… Continue reading What kind of Procrastinator are you?
Congratulations on surviving the holidays! Now it’s time to kid yourself that you’ll make spectacular changes to your life for the New Year. Lose weight! Get fit! Learn Chinese! Write a novel! Yeah, right… In this post we’ll have a look at where we go wrong and how we can choose resolutions that’ll stick. It’s… Continue reading How to make your New Year Resolutions Stick
Visionary Fiction became a recognised fiction genre around the turn of the millennium, but stories using visionary elements have always existed. In fact, Visionary Fiction (VF) might be the oldest genre of storytelling. I first heard of VF when I was trying to decide which genre my debut novel fell into. Addled: Adventures of a… Continue reading Visionary Fiction: stories for growing minds
There’s a new mindfulness craze sweeping the nation: colouring books for adults. It’s supposed to help you relax and be more mindful, but does it work? The idea is that keeping your hands occupied allows the mind to become still. If you struggle with normal meditation, where you have to sit and do nothing but… Continue reading Colouring Books: Art Therapy or Mindless Money-spinner?
Every writer gets stuck once in a while, but suffering from writer’s block takes stuckness to a whole new level. It’s said that the difference between writers and would-be writers is that writers write. They actually put the words down and keep putting the words down – regardless. So what happens when you’re a writer… Continue reading The Real Cause of Writer’s Block and How to Overcome It
You may find this hard to believe, but your mind is a puppy. Train it well, treat it with respect, and you’ll have a lifetime of devoted service sitting between your ears. Wet nose optional. Let me explain. Writing is hard work. It’s even harder if you have no control over the most important tool… Continue reading Mind Training with the Puppy Technique
Writers hate rejection. So does everybody else, but writers and other creative souls will experience more than their share of the dreaded scourge. There aren’t many other occupations that have to deal with such high levels of criticism and sheer indifference. There are many ways to deal with rejection. Getting drunk and gorging yourself on… Continue reading How to Deal with Rejection
