A NaNo Update

So we are just over half way through November and National Novel Writing Month which really, by now, should have been changed to International Novel Writing Month. Then we could call it Inno. Y'no? Anyway, it will come as no surpirse to those of you who have been follwoing me the last few years that …

The Liebster Award

I was pleasantly surprised on Thursday to receive a nomination for the Liebster Award by Melissa Mitchell. This award has been floating around for a while now in various forms and is a great way to gain an insight into the minds of your fellow writers, readers and bloggers. The guidelines are fairly simple: 1. Link …

How to Craft your Fantasy Voice.

Although long, this is definitely worth a read.

The bars that confine you.

Sometimes, that stats bar can imprison you. When it falls, so do your hopes. How will I ever be taken seriously as a writer when no one even bothers to read my blog, you ask yourself. The truth is however, that as much as you would like it to matter whether people are reading and …

Uninspired.

Like all writers, there are some times when I'd rather do anything but write. It sounds awful, I know. I love writing and it's a great way to relax but the fact remains that some days writing feels like a chore. If you've ever been in the same situation then I am happy to announce …

Happy Blogoversary

They say time flies when you're having fun. I don't always agree with this but in the case of my experiences with this blog, the sentiment rings true. A year has passed since I first ventured into the blogosphere with this post, outlining my intentions for the blog. As much as I like to think …

Doubt and loathing: How to beat your writing demons.

Earlier this week, I attended a seminar by an internationally renowned motivational speaker. He was talking about academic success but what he said made a lot of sense for writing as well. Too often, we can fall into the trap of despair or pass on our laziness and lack of motivation as 'writer's block'. Writers are notoriously temperamental, …

Stats aren’t everything.

The above statement is certainly true; stats aren't everything, but they are something. They are a way to measure your readership, to guage your effectiveness and can help you to see what you are doing well and what you are doing, well, not so well. Sometime on Saturday I passed a milestoen on my blog; …

Why aspiring authors should study math at school.

Maths is very important. No, really, it is. Everyone needs it, even reclusive author types like you or me. WIthout math, how could we know how many words we've written or what or (imaginary?) sales figures say about us and our writing?Okay...I think we've satisfied the balanced argument types. Now, time for the real reason …