0 890  2 Comments on Diary of a Novel: the sleuth
Posted in Diary of a Novel

Diary of a Novel: the sleuth

I didn’t get very much work done on the novel at the weekend as we did shopping and gardening on Saturday, the poet had a gig Saturday night, and we…

0 865  2 Comments on My legs are screaming
Posted in writer at work

My legs are screaming

We finally caught up on “I is for …” yesterday, for the alphabet adventurers. It’s been a long time coming – 6 months since our last outing – and, boy,…

0 807  2 Comments on Diary of a Novel: Great beginnings
Posted in Diary of a Novel

Diary of a Novel: Great beginnings

I didn’t do any more work on the novel on Tuesday, so I wrote the grand total of 197 words, bringing my running total to 464. Instead, I carried on…

0 828  2 Comments on Diary of a Novel: 2 April 2019
Posted in Diary of a Novel

Diary of a Novel: 2 April 2019

Having abandoned – temporarily – Catch the Rainbow, yesterday I started work on The Beast Within: a Marcie Craig mystery. Marcie Craig is the main protagonist and amateur sleuth in…

0 893  2 Comments on “Orbiting” projects
Posted in writer at work

“Orbiting” projects

Thanks to everyone who took the time to reply to last week’s post – here, on Facebook and elsewhere. The general consensus is that I finish the book and, on…

0 863  2 Comments on What took them so long?
Posted in writer at work

What took them so long?

*** AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION REQUESTED *** For the past four weeks there has been an inquest into the Birmingham pub bombings of 1974. Much of my book, Catch the Rainbow, was…

0 668  2 Comments on Cutting your losses
Posted in writer at work

Cutting your losses

After much hand-wringing and some discussion with friends and colleagues, I made a tough decision and sent a particularly heavy edit back to the author yesterday. It was taking me…

0 887  2 Comments on Chicken rustling
Posted in writer at work

Chicken rustling

I had a relatively productive day yesterday. I stuck to my schedule and kept on top of the household chores. I did some writing work, a blog post, and some…

0 749  2 Comments on Starting a new editing job
Posted in writer at work

Starting a new editing job

I didn’t have chance to do any writing on Thursday evening, as the poet had band practice and I had to do the shopping. So we had a quick tea,…

0 668
Posted in book review

Book review: The Mistress of Pennington’s

This feature is in association with NetGalley. The Mistress of Pennington’s, Rachel Brimble Thanks to NetGalley and to Aria for an advance copy of The Mistress of Pennington’s by Rachel…

0 681
Posted in writer at work

Still windy, still working offline

We had a relatively still night. When the wind drops, it’s actually fairly mild – currently around 11 degrees Centigrade, but with plenty of sunshine during the day. However, at…

0 1277  2 Comments on Writing without power or internet
Posted in writer at work

Writing without power or internet

We’re in the midst of another massive storm here in the UK and my internet connection keeps blowing out – on the phone and on the broadband. Fortunately, I can…

0 618
Posted in writer at work

Fitting my own work in somewhere …

We had another long weekend, this time for my birthday. And this time, it was more of a chilled, relaxing time. We saw the poet’s mum on Friday evening, and…

0 743
Posted in book review

Book review: The Body in the Dales

This feature is in association with NetGalley. The Body in the Dales, J R Ellis Thanks to NetGalley and to Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of The Body…

1 661  2 Comments on More lovely publicity
Posted in writer at work

More lovely publicity

The Cadbury book has certainly stirred up some interest. Not only did I get a photo-splash in the Daily Mail, but after I posted last time, the Daily Telegraph also…

0 760
Posted in writer at work

Timing

I was feeling overwhelmed last week, and started to steadily work through my outstanding piles of work. One of the jobs I did was send out a book proposal on…

0 857  2 Comments on Getting out of the doldrums
Posted in writer at work

Getting out of the doldrums

I was feeling a tad overwhelmed this time last week when I posted about the various piles of work I had. But sorting them out and discussing it with the…

0 834  2 Comments on Getting organised – so many piles of work!
Posted in writer at work

Getting organised – so many piles of work!

Today I thought it might be a good idea to get myself organised. I have so many different projects on the go, it was time to weed some out. But…

0 928  8 Comments on My (new) fat year: weeks 2 & 3
Posted in writer at work

My (new) fat year: weeks 2 & 3

The more reading and research I do, the more I realise that losing weight shouldn’t be the main objective. Plus, my doctor assures me that I’m not worryingly overweight. However,…

0 1474  2 Comments on Hard copy versus electronic copy proofreading
Posted in writer at work

Hard copy versus electronic copy proofreading

I don’t normally edit or proofread on screen. I find I miss things and, anyway, reading hard copy exercises different eye muscles (apparently). So I usually print my editing and…

0 613
Posted in writer at work

A distraction-free week

I’ve had a very busy week, but it’s been a good one. I’ve been working at a desk in the corner of the living room away from distractions on the…

0 759  2 Comments on 52 books in 52 weeks: Save the Cat! Writes a Novel
Posted in 52 books in 52 weeks

52 books in 52 weeks: Save the Cat! Writes a Novel

I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 44. Save the Cat! has been the last book on screenwriting that…

0 670
Posted in writer at work

Week 1 didn’t go well

I started the year with great plans to catch up with the backlog and crack on with new stuff. (Wow, I got a dropped capital.) (Hmm, not sure if I…

0 1070  3 Comments on New Year, New Start
Posted in writer at work

New Year, New Start

Welcome to a shiny new year. What are your plans for the coming months? We had a decent, relaxing holiday, with a very busy first half and a very lazy…