You may choose to pen poetry about snowfall and roaring fires. All forms of creative writing are a valid way to let winter pass you by, opting for the consolation of words flowing while gales are blowing (ouch). What Is Stopping You/Me? Do we easily give ourselves permission to write…or do we continuously seek distractions and reasons why we cannot? Do we procrastinate or persevere? […]
Today’s writing prompt is my response to choosing the theme for my next novel. Which Novel – A Disclaimer At present, I am still seeking representation for the novel recently completed. And I’m told the best way to be using my time is to be writing the next novel, especially as I love it. However, I’m taking an artist break to think through the choices, […]
How Do Your Memories Feature In Your Writing? Please read my previous post on Auto/Biographical Writing in which I described a memory that is still important to me, and wrote a poem about my memory of following my grandmother into teaching. At what point might memory cross over into fiction, I’ve been wondering. We can never eliminate the expansive imagined material that our brains house. […]
Recently, I was able to type THE END beneath my 85,000 word novel – the one I’ve been alluding to throughout the life of this website – as well as many other topics. In fact, on the first post of this website, I wrote: Let’s begin this writing blog with a quick look at my own novel writing practice.At the time of writing, I have […]
This seems a suitable point to write an update on Later Writer. In fact, to write anything for this blog, because it’s been neglected. But not through laziness, I promise. In 2021, I announced on here that I was Turning to Crime Writing – a much broader field than it sounds. Previously, I had two incomplete novels to my name, both viable, both given much […]
At last, the day has come. Having left my first novel manuscript to gel for nearly 3 weeks, I am ready to begin The Writers’ Edit: How to Edit Your Novel Course. Yesterday, I spent time with preliminaries and, after writing this initial introduction to the process I’m about to begin, I will be getting on with it. Why Do This? Perfectionism prompts me to […]
Today… Thursday 3rd March 2022 – is World Book Day when many school pupils will be: What…? World Book Day is a charity that: “changes lives through a love of books and shared reading. We will be celebrating World Book Day on 3 March 2022. Our mission is to promote reading for pleasure, offering every child and young person the opportunity to have a book of […]
This follows on from my previous post: FF is for Feeble Feelings – take a look to remind yourself. Since writing that piece, I’ve noticed a growing trend on social media – authors happy to admit they like nothing more that writing – it’s their happy place, it’s what they can do, it’s where they are most at home. Maybe it’s going too far to […]
How do you use Success?
I have noticed that the crime writers I read are very busy writing the next novel. Their success is fuelling hard work and absorbing their time. This cannot always be easy. My suggestion for the Later Writers reading this site is that you celebrate every time to complete a piece of writing whatever the outcome. Of course you will be thrilled at winning a competition or seeing a story published.