Once upon a time, the only thing a writer needed to take care of was the writing itself. In modern times, with the rise of social media and self-publishing, a writer needs to do more. I and the other talented wordsmiths in my #6amAusWriters Twitter group refer to this as "authoring." Sometimes when we check in …
Concentration is hard to come by at the best of times, but as we're currently experiencing the worst of times, it's downright rare. Time to write is just as scarce some days, with new Coronavirus world responsibilities taking priority. When you do get the chance to write, you might find that diving straight into work …
2020 has become the strangest year. In January we were all ready to kick off a new decade and make the next 10 years better than the last. By March, we were all in lockdown, where it felt like the month lasted 10 years. Times changed quickly, and although we're now home with more time …
Continue reading 3 Signs You Need A Break, And Why I’m Changing My Blog Schedule
Many of us will kick off April 2020 in the comfort of our own homes. This isn't a collective vacation, it's the new normal as the world adjusts to coronavirus. For some writers, this has been their way of life for years. For others, the initial burst of enthusiasm for working in their PJ's, extra …
Raise your hand if you've been having trouble concentrating this last week. With Coronavirus sweeping the world, it's been hard to think about anything other than keeping your #SocialDistance and what you will do now it's impossible to find toilet paper. If you're lucky enough to be able to work from home, you're also facing …
Continue reading How To Stay Creative When The World Is On Fire
Happy New Year, everyone! It's time to get out of that magical land between Christmas and New Year when you're full of chocolate and cheese and don't know what day it is. 2020 brings the chance to start afresh, kick off some resolutions, and get back into the writing game. If, like me, you took …
Continue reading Getting Back On The Writing Track After The Holidays
Writing a book takes time. Even if you're a fast drafter and can put something together in a matter of weeks instead of months or years, working through the multiple drafts it takes to reach the final draft is still tough. You're so exhausted at the end, that the thought of starting again at a blank …
When you’re a writer who works full time and/or has tiny humans to care for, sitting down to write can be impossible. You can go days without ever getting near your computer, let alone time to scribble a note on your phone or a scrap of paper. When you hit a rut like this, it …
Continue reading Incidental Writing: How To Write When Life Keeps You From Your Keyboard
If you've been following my blog for the last few months, you'll know I've been spending this year working on rewrites. I'm currently rewriting the second book in my YA series, Blackbirch. I wrote the first draft of book two in 2003, the fifth draft in 2018, and that's the one I'm rewriting now in 2019. …
