Tag Archives: writing

My mental health is better when I’m writing.  But also I write more when I’m feeling mentally healthy.  It’s a chicken and egg situation and I definitely don’t know which comes first.  But the bottom line is that writing is a good sign!! How is writing good for my mental health? I’m generally happy when I’m writing.  Exploring amazing worlds, hanging out with fantastic characters, having incredible adventures.  What’s not…

At the beginning of January I went back to work – the paid employment type – for the first time in 5½ years!  When I took voluntary redundancy in 2011 it seemed like the perfect opportunity to take a year out to pursue my long-held-but-neglected dream of being a writer. That year has stretched a loooong way.  It took me two years to really get going with any writing.  Once…

Unsurprisingly a new year is a great time to set goals for the year ahead and to wish people health, happiness and success in 2017. Success = the accomplishment of an aim or purpose (dictionary definition) But what does success mean for you personally? When my shoulder tendonitis was at its worst and I’d spent 3 days in my pyjamas sat on the sofa because the pain and painkillers were wiping…

On the Saturday afternoon of the SCBWI conference I gleefully skipped along to a workshop on Pitch hoping to nail an answer to that question.  It was great session, led by a brilliant tutor, but…rather than gaining any clarity I ended up spiralling into greater confusion. Partly it’ll have been because I can’t work creatively in a classroom environment.  Partly it could be that the partner I was working with…

The great writer, David Almond, was the keynote speaker at the SCBWI Conference I went to this weekend. Until a couple of weeks ago I’d only heard from others that he was a great writer, but I discovered it for myself when I decided to do some conference prep and read “Skellig”.   It shocked me.  It was beautiful and magical, but it was ambiguous.  What was real and what wasn’t? …

Last week I crossed an important literary threshold – I went to the Hay Festival for the first time (twice)!  If you love books and ideas then there probably isn’t a better place on the planet to spend time. While there I went to Radio 3’s recording of “The Essay” – three writers talking about “Why I Write” (the title of George Orwell’s 1946 essay).  I confess I mostly went along…

Considering how many hours a writer puts into a manuscript, most spend surprisingly few researching the right places to send that precious piece of work to. Of course the internet is bulging with potential agents, but the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook is considered the most authoritative place to begin the search (and they also run great courses to help with that, as mentioned last time). However, it’s not enough just to…

Agents are the middle-(wo)men between an author and a publisher – an important filter in a day and age when everyone has something to say and thinks they can write a book.  (I appreciate the irony that I am one of that crowd). Although I’m not at the point of submitting to agents yet, I went to a highly informative and enlightening Writers and Artists event last weekend on the Agent Submission…

Discovering "The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers" by Christopher Vogler was one of the highlights of the Writing Drama course I did last year.  Not only has it been one of the most influential books on my writing, but it was probably the most enjoyable and exciting book I read last year full stop!  Based on Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero With 1,000 Faces” its concepts are the foundation for untold numbers of films…

Writers are often encouraged to join writing or critique groups, but I’ve never heard any being encouraged to join Book Groups.  So today I’m saying – whether you’re a writer or not, but especially if you are a writer – join a Book Group!!! I love reading, but haven't ever spent as much time doing it as I’d like.  That’s particularly frustrated me recently as my To Be Read pile has…