The body had stayed hidden under the gnarled root of a weeping willow tree for over a year. It was never supposed to be exposed, but the heavy rains of summer had shifted and pushed against the embankment until a huge chunk had given way, disturbing the resting place of some poor girl who had…
Yes, of course I poached Chuck Wendig’s brilliance from his article of the exact same name. But, to my credit, I did change my title slightly to reflect my amazing originality. In a similar fashion to Wendig (God I am a poacher today), when I first came across the term ‘hybrid author’ I pictured something a little less than normal.…
And yes I’m going to call it fan mail, because I’m gonna turn them trolls on their heads, and that’s alright with me. OK, I wouldn’t necessarily call them trolls, but people who have nothing better to do in their lives but waste 10 minutes typing a poorly worded message (and for heavens sake it’s…
You’re watching your friend closely as surprise flirts across their features, the expression sinking into their eyes and the lines around their mouth. ‘You’re writing a book? Far out, I had no idea you were even a writer!’ You smile tentatively back, feeling naked under their blazing gaze. ‘Well you see… I’ve always been a…
The whole ‘Are Writers Born or Made’ debate is still very much alive, and I thought I’d have a go at unwrapping this onion from the perspective of a writer who believes they are very much not “naturally talented” at writing. I’m not saying this to be humble or self-depreciating – I really wasn’t very proficient…
For years now I’ve been almost exclusively writing YA fantasy in all its various forms – paranormal, dystopian, urban, speculative, and even a bit of science fiction (but that was a mistake, a very big mistake) – all revolving around a central, incredibly clichéd angsty romance. But for the last few months I’ve been writing a contemporary…
How many times have you plugged the question: ‘What are the odds of getting published?’ into google? Me – an innumerable amount. There is nothing more mesmeric than seeing that ‘magic’ number of new authors who manage to score a publishing deal or literary agent in any given year. And nothing gives more of a thrill of…
It is a woeful tale, known the world over by every budding author out there who has ever experienced the pain of rejection, yet still retains some semblance of hope. There are thousands, if not millions of us out there who have already tasted that soul-destroying sting, yet still hunt down literary agents regardless, with…
It ignites terror in every blogger world-wide. That moment when you accidentally hit Publish instead of Save Draft or when you schedule an unedited blog post for the distant future, only to completely forget about it. SPOILER ALERT for any of you living under a pebble who have yet to watch Game of Thrones season 1, 2, 3,…
I’ve been collecting a list of WP bloggers with an insane amount of followers who focus primarily on writing. No doubt you’ve come across most, if not all of these writerly scholars who meander about WordPress, affecting us with their Hollywood connections, best seller success, dreamy wordiness or their delicately composed poems that touch on…
When most people finish their first draft they have no idea of the mind-numbing and heroic journey they are about to embark on. Finishing the first draft is only the beginning… as editing may be one of the hardest f—— things you’ll ever do. Here are the nine stages of editing your novel (with cats of…
When Darkness Falls The sliding glass doors closed behind me and I stepped out into the crisp autumn air, the warmth of the hospital foyer dissipating. I glanced up at the flashing neon sign of a red cross, shrugging my coat tighter over my shoulders in the face of the misty rain falling from the…
