I do not make New Year’s Resolutions in a formal way. I know my limits but I do make changes at the start of the year simply to reflect Christmas has been and gone, too much food has been consumed, winter (in the UK) is still with us. These facts present opportunities: Hopes for 2026 Last year, I completed a massive rewrite of the novel […]
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 Many Words Make a Novel? Let us imagine you are about to begin planning or writing a novel…are you wondering how many words will be enough, and how many will be too much? What are the criteria for deciding the word count aim? The answers include publishing industry standards as well as decisions that are personal to your chosen story and/or genre. For once, […]
A Novel Rewrite/New Genre is Underway The changes are so significant, this is almost a new first draft, a chance to add all that the novel lacked, to reshape it, to listen to my inner voice, and to do my characters justice. Not Really An Announcement Sometimes no news is little news. Other times a little news in big news. This is hovering somewhere in […]
The New Work-In-Progress Is On the Starting Block… …waiting for ready, steady, GO, to be called. What? I have a theme, a location, some sketchy characters – what next? The planning stage is both exciting and daunting. But last week, I hit snarled traffic, full stop, or maybe just a short vehicle queue. Who knows? This isn’t writer’s block, more like the brain fog I’m […]
Formerly Called the Work-In-Progress, Now an Unpublished Book Months of drafting, redrafting and editing are behind me, for now. What next? But before life moves on too fast (oh, how I wish) I’d like to pause and think about the two human characteristics I’ve strengthened along the way. Tenacity and Resilience This may sound a tad pretentious but saying, “I will write a novel” before […]
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 […]
I Am Guilty of Talking and Writing About my Work-in-Progress,
aka The Crime Novel…