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
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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
First draft – be gone!
This blog has been neglected recently while I finished the first draft of my novel. Yes, I’ll say that again. I finished the first draft of my novel. I have writer friends who can get these things knocked out fairly quickly. I am not one of those people. I’ve had the idea for this book… Continue reading First draft – be gone!
The joy of libraries
It’s National Libraries Day! Here are some reasons I love them: They’re one of the last places you can spend time where you aren’t being sold something. Every time I read an article talking about how libraries can diversify their income in tough times by putting in a coffee shop a small part of me… Continue reading The joy of libraries
The writer’s privilege
The conversation about privilege in the creative industries rumbles on. Like many writers, I work. Full time. I also have a small child. So I thought what I might do is make a diary of the time I get to spend writing this week, to see where, if I was from a more privileged background,… Continue reading The writer’s privilege
Finishing a book…
Nick Hornby recently told a book audience that it was ok not to finish a book if they weren’t enjoying reading it. It’s a subject of much debate among book readers I know – my husband makes a point of finishing books where I am much happier giving up if I don’t like them. I… Continue reading Finishing a book…
Susan E Barsby 