Do you want to write a novel?

Are you one of those people, like I was a year ago, who feels they have a novel inside them, but doesn't know how to get it out?     I want to help you get it written!     How do I know it's possible? Because over the last 12 months that's what I've …

Beating the overwhelm as a writer

Over the last few weeks writing, alongside the other pressures of life, has been a bit overwhelming. Two weeks ago, I got the draft of my first novel back from the editor. He's done a great job, I can't complain at all - it's now full of comments and improvement which I need to go …

How making time to be creative has changed my life

A little over a year ago I made the commitment to put the story that had been buzzing around my head for a while down on to paper - and now I'm a millionaire. That's a joke, I'm probably poorer - I certainly haven't made any money from my writing yet - although one day …

Making time for your writing

One of the greatest challenges writers face is time. The fact is, there just isn't enough time to do everything, and there never will be. Life is about choosing a few things to do well, rather than loads of things to do badly - as such if you want your writing to be one of …

My Author Journey – progress update, September 2018

Update 3rd of July 2019 My debut novel, Kathmandu, is out now! Tap below to start reading: It's been some time since I've written about my journey as an author, which could mean a couple of things - either I'm not doing anything, or I'm so busy I'm doing loads. Fortunately, it is the latter. …

My Author Journey – Keeping the Faith

As an unpublished writer, keeping the faith in a project is hard. With no one to tell you to keep going, no hooked readers, trickles of sales or even friends and family passing on comments of encouragement -  having constant motivation can be elusive. Yes, I have a compulsion to write - that's why I …

My Author Journey – The Importance of Rest

It's May bank holiday Monday here in a very sunny England and I haven't done any writing for five days. It feels good to say that actually, normally I'd say that with some sense of shame - because I love writing - but this week I've needed the rest. For the past two months, I've …

My Author Journey – six steps to help you write your first novel

I'm an English teacher with a dream to write novels. It's something that's been in the background of my mind for years but recently I made the decision to get started. I've been working on it over the last few months, and now have - by hook and crook - a (very rough) first draft. …

Do you read thrillers? I’m looking for beta readers for my first novel

As I've discussed before on the blog I'm currently writing my first novel and it's nearly finished! Read my post here about how I've done that alongside being a full time teacher. I'd like it to be read by a few people who read thrillers frequently and have the time to give me a few …

Do you celebrate every victory?

I'm currently writing a novel. It's a challenge - I've been writing in the margins of life for the last few months - getting up early or staying up late. As I said in my post about pursuing your dreams outside of teaching, this isn't because I don't want to be a teacher. If anything …