by John | Apr 10, 2026 | How Is It Going?, General, On Writing
Going back to that sequel: the one I had pledged to my agent without any idea what was going to happen in it. I know why the industry likes sequels. A reader who has enjoyed the first book will want to read the second. Unlike the first time around, they have a good...
by John | Mar 9, 2026 | How Is It Going?, General
As promised, I have sent my agent a synopsis and first three chapters of a possible sequel to the latest novel. It needed to be done, and it is done, but as I have said, it’s not something I feel I’m particularly good at. Those three chapters in particular… They do...
by John | Feb 23, 2026 | How Is It Going?, General
You want to pitch a book to someone in the industry who already has an idea of the kind of thing you do. They’ve read the first in your series, and they’ve asked, ‘Is there a sequel?’ The good news is you probably won’t have to write the...
by John | Feb 9, 2026 | How Is It Going?, General
My wife and I spent the last fortnight cycling around Rajasthan with a couple of tour guides and a group of other Brits, all very lovely people. I had confessed early on that I was a writer, and my fellow travelers were interested. I was asked several times if I was...
by John | Sep 8, 2025 | So you want to be a writer?, General, On Writing
‘Have you read anything good lately?’ It’s such an innocent thing to be asked. So well-meaning. Yet each time a little voice inside me that wants to shriek – ‘NO! There’s NOTHING good. Nobody anywhere is writing ANYTHING that is ANY good at all. Except ME!’...
by John | Jul 7, 2025 | How Is It Going?, General, On Writing
The End. I’ve written those words again. I’ve unwound the thread of my story all the way to its finish. The next thing is to look it over to see what more needs doing, and what needs doing differently. It’s a mental adjustment. I’ve been living with this thing for...
by John | May 12, 2025 | So you want to be a writer?, General, On Writing
So you want to be a writer, eh? And why not? It’s a great life. Let’s hear what some of those writers have had to say about it. For those of us who are feeling undervalued, the problem was diagnosed as long ago as the 18th century: “That...
by John | Mar 31, 2025 | How Is It Going?, General, On Writing
All right, I admit it. I did. I stole from someone else’s novel. I had been reading a retelling of the Arthur story. I wasn’t thinking a great deal about it, except the usual “I wouldn’t have done it like that” thoughts that authors often think when reading someone...
by John | May 20, 2018 | Story Tale, General, On Writing
Think of a random word. Last time I did this (it was on a school visit) I came up with “olive-pitter”. Never mind if you think it’s two words. Fit that word into a sentence. The sentence must leave you asking questions. My sentence was “it’s hard to commit...
by John | Feb 11, 2025 | Story Tale, General, On Writing
So we’ve got an idea for a story. We’re excited about it. We know what kind of story it’s going to be. It’s time to start planning out how we’ll tell it. Sorry? Time to do what? Wait a moment… Disclaimer: Writers are Different Some...
by John | Jan 4, 2018 | General
