So, the moment has arrived and I've actually finished writing my first draft of my first novel. It's a pretty exciting moment for me. I woke up one morning, determined that today was the day, and bashed out 9000 words before teatime - focus! I've learned some important things though that I thought might be … Continue reading Five things I’ve learned about finishing a book
I've been giving some thought recently to the crippling self-doubt that seems to afflict many writers (and although I'm still in the almost- camp, I can definitely relate to that almost paralysing fear that what you've written is maybe, possibly, almost certainly utter rubbish) and wondering how I can benchmark my career as a writer. … Continue reading My writing bucketlist… or how will I know if I’ve made it?
I've just read the excellent Deadfall, by Linda Fairstein (one of my regular favourites) and it struck me that there are some books that go beyond merely setting a story in a specific place; the very tentacles of the story worm their way through the whole location. There's some extra special about that kind of … Continue reading Making more of your setting
In my head, my novel had two protagonists, a woman and a man. Part of the draw of the novel was supposed to be the relationship between those two characters. After all, one of the things that keeps me reading the excellent Ruth Galloway series is the relationship between Ruth and Nelson. I've been struggling though. … Continue reading To boy or not to boy
It's hard working out where to set a novel. Especially if you're hoping to have more than just one, it needs to be sustainable. I explained last time about how I'd been originally planning somewhere entirely fictional but was persuaded to choose a real location. I chose Sheffield because... It's Northern I felt very strongly … Continue reading Making my fictional home in Sheffield
When I started writing my novel, I was virtually certain that it was going to be set in a non-specific location (i.e. a fictional city) - after all, Susan Hill does it in the Simon Serailler novels and it works well - she creates a sense of realism in her place. My tutor however was … Continue reading A Sense of Place
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