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Blog

Read about my journey into becoming a creative freelancer, interviews and reviews with great authors, and advice on writing and creative living.

If there's something you'd like advice on or a book you'd like me to take a look at, do get in touch, I'd love to hear from you.

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Dec 31, 2020
5 min

Your Most Popular Posts of 2020

I’m not sure if a summary of 2020 is a good idea. Besides, Charlie Brooker’s show and Flo and Joan’s song sum it up far better than I could. So I thought I’d do something else. Rather than dredging up a whole load of things we’re all perhaps taking a break from (I am currently floating in a cloud of denial, wine and sausage rolls), I thought I’d share my most-read blogs of the year. Thanks to you lovely lot, there have been an awful lot of views of my posts this year. Maybe y

Dec 2, 2020
5 min

Guest Post: Liz Champion and Writing ‘Slice of Life’

Liz Champion is a writer, teacher, and communications specialist from Yorkshire. She writes a Slice of Life blog about the highs and lows of her everyday life. Her first book, Cake, anyone? Scenes from everyday life in extraordinary times is out now. Seeing as it was rather similar to me, I was intrigued at how a global pandemic finally gave her the push she needed to achieve her writing dreams. Read on to find out more. My slice of life blog posts are exactly that — slices o

Nov 29, 2020
6 min

Siblings, Structure and Pandas with Gail Aldwin

I recently enjoyed ‘The String Games‘ by Gail Aldwin. Personally, I think it’s better to go into a book ‘blind,’ so I had no expectations. Right from the off I was drawn into this story of complex family relationships and tragedy. It’s all done with a very light touch, and I was taken back to childhood times with her sensitive framing of the narrative through the eyes of a young girl who grows throughout the book. Wanting to know more about how it was put together, I spoke to

Nov 14, 2020
8 min

High Society, Glamour and Poverty Collide In Jane Davis’ Novel ‘At The Stroke of Nine O&

Hailed by The Bookseller as ‘One to Watch’, Jane Davis is the author of nine thought-provoking novels. In her most recent novel we encounter an actress, a duchess and a hostess, all brought together by a defining moment in British history: the last woman to receive the death penalty. Her novel At The Stroke of Nine O’Clock revolves around a gentleman’s club in high society London where the lives of three very different women become intertwined. It’s pacy, thought-provoking an

Oct 7, 2020
4 min

Playing For Ideas

There’s something strange about expectations. I find that positive ones are far worse than negative. Let me explain. If I’m worried about teaching a tricky class, making an awkward phone call or running a difficult distance, negative expectations can be a good thing. Invariably I get so worked up about how terrible it’s going to be, the actual thing itself is not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. But the reverse has proved itself annoyingly true. Returning home after li

Sep 26, 2020
4 min

Don’t Be a Slave to the Routine

Discipline. Stamina. Routine. I’ve lost count of the number of quotes and advice that tell you that in order to be a writer, you have to write every day. No exceptions, no excuses. I’ve tried every technique I can think of, but I just can’t do it. My writing is typified by bouts of extreme enthusiasm and lots of words, followed by huge chasms where I stare at the wall and wonder how I ever thought I was a writer. There’s a bit of a theme, here. My habits and enthusiasms are t