by John | Jan 13, 2026 | How Is It Going?, On Writing
Right, settle in. Let’s talk about Magic. For this purpose, we’ll define it broadly. ‘Magic’ means anything that works or happens in your written world that cannot, according to our understanding of science, work or happen in the real one. It means dragons that fly...
by John | Jan 1, 2026 | How Is It Going?, On Writing
My draft manuscript has been to my favourite readers. Their reactions, in brief: Reader 1 said she needed to know more about how the magic worked; Reader 2 thought the first part was too slow; Reader 3 said he couldn’t tell until he was some way into the book what...
by John | Sep 15, 2025 | How Is It Going?, On Writing
The setting of your novel is as much a character as any of the actors in your story. It drives the action just as they do. It deserves at least as much attention from the writer. Well, I think so. The word “setting” covers many things. If you are writing...
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 | Aug 26, 2025 | So you want to be a writer?
Lauren once asked me how long it takes to write a book. Someone had told her “two years.” It takes as long as you take to write it, Lauren. This will depend on several things. How long is the book? My shortest to date is 40,000 words. My longest is...
by John | Aug 11, 2025 | How Is It Going?, On Writing
It’s a nice scene. It takes place at dawn, when the grasses are thick with dew. Under a cedar tree two sisters are discussing things that have happened, and why their world is as it is. We learn a bit about one of the sisters from the way she reacts. It It’s...
by John | Aug 4, 2025 | How Is It Going?, On Writing
“She was young to know such of life, and how to end it.” Does that work? As a first line, is it intriguing, or just pompous? Does it pull the reader in or put them off? To hell with it! What I have written, I have written: the first edit of my second...
by John | Jul 14, 2025 | So you want to be a writer?, On Writing
Your book launch looms. There’s a faint prickle of sweat in the palms. It’s time to think about publicity. Definitions: Publicity: there’s no budget. The book gets sent to all the press, media, influencers etc that you and your publisher can think of...
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 | Jun 23, 2025 | So you want to be a writer?, On Writing
So your partner has become an author. Congratulations. This may not have been your choice but congratulations anyway. With a little attention an author can be a rewarding companion as well as a curiosity and a conversation piece. But there are just a few things...
by John | Apr 14, 2025 | How Is It Going?, On Writing
My heroine is feeling her way through woods at night. So am I. She knows where she is. She knows where she needs to get to. The way is dark. She is groping with her fingers and toeing forward with bare feet. The path is muddy, stony, brambly. It leads downhill. Her...
