I don’t know if it’s a current trend or coincidence but I seem to have seen quite a bit of chat about mothers who write recently. Some pieces have advice about finding writing time, others are just describing what it’s like and more still, ponder that it’s not the same for men. Practically all of them… Continue reading The broken pushchair by the back door or… writing with a family
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The to be read pile…
There’s no real need for New Year resolutions when it comes to reading. I did set my Goodreads challenge as 50 books this year so we’ll see how I get on. The days of reading 100 books a year are long gone, but 50 is tough but not impossible. Anyway, here’s the current to… Continue reading The to be read pile…
2015: Books of the Year
I am expecting masses of hardbacks as a Christmas gift – the bonus of cycling to work means that I mainly read at home and therefore don’t have to worry about carrying them – so this books of the year list is not going to feature many published this year. Instead I’ve had a look… Continue reading 2015: Books of the Year
To re-read or not?
I’m re-reading Cranford at the moment, as it’s my reading group’s choice for December. My main memory from the first time I read it was that it was very funny, and so I’m rather disappointed to find I’m not laughing as much this time round. It is still full of delightful observations and little… Continue reading To re-read or not?
A writer’s Christmas list
Stuck for what to get the writer in your life for Christmas? Need a few stocking fillers? There are loads of literature-inspired gifts out there but for practical useful gifts, here are my recommendations: Coffee. All the major chains do gift cards, or you can get beans delivered. Being a Nottingham-based lass, I recommend you… Continue reading A writer’s Christmas list
Unthank Books – How to Write a Novel
Having had a case of the wobbles mid-way through rewriting my book, I did what I often do when I’m panicked about something, I enrolled on a course. Unthank Books, based over in Norfolk, publish fiction and teach creative writing. A three month online course on something called How to Write a Novel looked just the… Continue reading Unthank Books – How to Write a Novel
World building
During a feedback session the other day, (I’m currently taking Unthank Book’s How to Write a Novel online course. More on that to come) someone suggested that the world building in my novel was strong. My what? I don’t do world building. World building is for fantasy writers. World building is for science fiction writers.… Continue reading World building
Review: Between Here and Knitwear by Chrissie Gittins
Anyone who knows me will realise that a book with the word ‘knitwear’ in the title was bound to pique my interest. But Chrissie Gittins’s book has so much more to recommend it than just its name. The book is a memoir of Chrissie growing up, and then as an adult who has to deal… Continue reading Review: Between Here and Knitwear by Chrissie Gittins
The Year of Publishing Women
Kamila Shamsie, author and judge of this year’s Bailey’s prize for women’s fiction, came out with one of those things that is supposed to be controversial yesterday but isn’t really. I’ll let you read the article if you want but in short, she asked for a year of only publishing women writers as an idea to… Continue reading The Year of Publishing Women
Opening the toolbox
I said I would write a little about the tools I used to finish my first draft. In case you’re interested in such things or were looking for some advice from tried and tested tools. Scrivener Scrivener is a software package that helps you to plan a novel – and is really useful for early… Continue reading Opening the toolbox
Susan E Barsby 