Juggling Drafts & Reviewing Books

Juggling Drafts & Reviewing Books

If you’ve been following me on Instagram you probably know I’ve sprinted my way through Draft 1 of The Rush of Stone. Now I’m dialling up the other part of personality, Methodical Me, to work on Draft 2.  Step 1 Create a prompt sheet for revision. ...
Guided Journaling

Guided Journaling

You know how good intentions pop into your head now and again and you play with them and then discard them? Usually it’s a case of: too hard not as much fun as you initially thought you got distracted and the idea went stale Just occasionally your good...
Writing Life Hurdles

Writing Life Hurdles

I began writing professionally when I was 26. In the beginning, I loved it so much it felt as though every moment was a joy, including all the muddy bits and the mistakes and the struggles. Fourteen years and 14 books later, the joy evaporated. That 14th anniversary...
Thinking of cork trees again…

Thinking of cork trees again…

Now that I’ve almost finished writing my young adult, science fiction, murder mystery novel, I’m almost ready to start volume II of the Promise of Stone series and I’m going to use a new method. In February this year I had the good fortune to be able to listen to Hugh...
My Language Nightmare

My Language Nightmare

Meet my… bond mate? shadow daughter? love niece? significant other? clone? daughter’s mother’s daughter? I’ve been thinking about English language kinship terms and their woeful inadequacy when describing contemporary family relationships. Wife, husband, mother,...
The Next Big Thing

The Next Big Thing

I’ve been off the blog for far too long (and by the way off the blog isn’t anything like being off the grog) but I’m back on it again because Patrick O’Duffy invited me to contribute to an online writers’ roundabout called the Next Big Thing. Each writer answers ten...