Character driven fiction is always deeper and more satisfying than that driven by plot. That’s a personal opinion, and many writers will disagree. But it’s how I write. I devise my characters first, get to know them, and then set them down in the location I’ve chosen/invented and place barriers on their route to their …
Continue reading Writing Characters: My Method.
A break from the relentless imperative of the internet is calling. This brief note is to let you know I’ll be absent from the internet, away from the keyboard and screen, for an unspecified period not likely to be longer than a couple of weeks, or so! I need time away from the chaos, insanity, …
Continue reading An Extended Pause.
A break from the relentless imperative of the internet is calling. It refreshes the spirit and reclaims sanity. I’ve produced posts to fill the gaps while I’m away: scheduling is such a useful device! So, before I go I’m indulging in some unapologetic promotion of my books. The best people to comment on books are …
Continue reading Progress, or a Pause?
Return to Dust stood proudly racked with the other books my publisher, Fantastic Books Publishing was launching at Fantasticon 2018. I entered the big arena, the sports hall at Cleethorpes Leisure Centre, on Saturday morning before the public were given access. The whole place was an exciting hive of activity. But I get ahead of …
Continue reading Launching the Latest #Book
It’s an odd situation for me, though I know many writers visit this apparent desert frequently and often for prolonged periods. But I appear to have hit that dreaded void known as ‘writer’s block’. But is it real? And, if it is, what causes it? I’ve spent the past few weeks catching up on all …
Best laid plans… I woke last Thursday intent on starting a new short story. My usual method is to gather two or three characters, get to know them, select a theme or two, and begin writing, allowing the story to unfold. It’s worked in the past, so, although I haven’t done it for a couple …
I’ve spent the better part of three years on a project, writing a novel each year, and found the void at the end of that process strangely debilitating. So, what do I do know? Fantastic Books Publishing launched Blood Red Dust, book 1 of the Generation Mars series, on 18th October 2016. War Over Dust, …
Continue reading The #Writing’s Done. What Now?
As I write this, on Thursday, 26th July, nothing new has happened regarding the book. It may be that, by the time this is posted, something has changed. But I’m offline until 1st August, so this post has been scheduled to appear at the normal time. I’m continuing the short series of posts on why …
Continue reading Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
Much like the swan paddling upstream, most action on the WIP is happening beneath the surface for now, so I thought I’d post a piece on the process of writing the book, the reasons behind some decisions. As I recently had a rather unusual review of the first two books in the series, highlighting the …
Continue reading Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
We’re in that quiet-on-the-surface period, when the publisher is frantically busy behind the scenes but very little shows on the surface. So, briefly, regarding progress: the book’s with the publisher and proceeding through the various steps that take an author’s words and make a book of them. The cover’s well on the way to being …
Continue reading Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
‘Tis done! The final version of the MS ran out to 76,749 words in 41 Chapters. Great when you get back an acknowledgement from your publisher’s editor saying, ‘Excellent! Next time you see it, it’ll be a book!’ The next stage will be the cover, which I’ll post here as soon as I’ve seen it. …
Continue reading Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
Well, it’s back with the publisher.  The finished MS ran out to 75949 words, though whether that will be the published total depends on how the editor sees my changes. I’m expecting to have the book back for some minor tweaks and the odd typo, etc. But I’m relatively confident the MS I delivered on …
Continue reading Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
And the tale continues. This book’s been subject to a number of interruptions during its creation. Not least was the collapse of my iMac, it’s replacement with a Windows 10 PC, and the appallingly drawn-out and unnecessarily complex issue of transferring files from iCloud to MS OneNote. I’ve dealt with corrupted files along the way, …
Continue reading Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
As a general rule, authors dislike dealing with the edits sent them by their publishers. It’s often a battleground between competing egos. However, I welcome the chance to correct those things that escaped my attention by being too close to the creation. I’m on the third pass through the MS, having already done the full …
Continue reading Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
Apologies. I’m deeply involved in the edit notes for my WIP back from the publisher. This is time sensitive, so I’m missing the post this week to concentrate on the vital job of getting the corrections back in time for publication later this year. Bear with me. I expect to be back to normal next …
Continue reading The #Write #Word? Post 22
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