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Be my, be my Beta.
I really need to spend less time on X. Once again, Iâve stumbled upon a heated discussion on social media that I canât help but…
The Writer’s Zodiac: Taurus the Bull
Taurus (from the Latin for Bull) is a fixed earth sign; the second sign of the western zodiac, and represents the height of spring in…
The Power of Questions
How can questions drive plot? Hereâs a summary of what Iâve learned. Â Un-put-downable books utilise these types of questions: The long (big) question: this…
The Untidy Desk
In an effort to repossess the poetâs soul I sold to Reality thirty years ago, I decided to tackle a form with some constraint. Like…
Character
Character arc/emotional journey/B plot â whatever you call it, itâs vital that you have one. But what does this really mean? As usual, this post…
One Day in April
   April 2022⊠a quartet of grandchildren: Jack (nine years), Jacob (eight years), James (six years) and Sophie (four years) came for a play…
Plotting
Iâve watched some great webinars on plotting recently and I thought Iâd compile what Iâve learned, as much for myself as for anyone else who…
Everything Has Changed
Monday January 11th, 2016. I awoke to a text from Becky. Becky: You okay, Sal? Sarah: Yep. Why? Becky: Havenât you heard the news? Sarah:…
Future Abstract: Crisp and Squish
SATIRE ALERT: This Future Abstract is entirely fictional and should not be taken as actual scientific research. No plastic was consumed in the making of…
Research
I tend not to write novels that require a lot of research (regular readers will be aware that I write romance/fantasy and psychological suspense-type books)….
The Writer’s Zodiac: Aries, Stories of The Fiery Sky Ram
Meteorological spring began on March 1, but astronomical spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and astronomical autumn/Fall in the Southern Hemisphere began on the date of…
You Don’t Know Me
On The Honest Authorsâ podcast, Gillian McAllister once mentioned that she was asked, âDo you really think that?â about something controversial sheâd written in one…
Merlin
A carved wooden statue of Merlin stands in Carmarthen town centre. A mythical Celtic shaman, he was a constant in British folklore between the 5th…
Everything Is Going to Be Alright
Itâs been a pretty bad week for me. It started last Monday when I took my mum for an appointment with the gynaecologist. Sheâs currently…
Book Club Programme & Dates for the Year
Litopiaâs Book Club, run by @Jason, is an unmissable monthly event. There are â happily â lots of book clubs around. But none like ours….
The Stories in Our Stars: The Zodiac for Writers
We are now in Pisces Season. But what are its stars, whatâs the ancient story behind it all, and what does it mean for writers? Time…
The Moon vs. Brian Cox
Of the many jobs Iâve juggled, my latest presents a unique challenge. Sabah, in Malaysian North Borneo, is popular with Korean tourists. Five hours south…
The Death of the American Penny.
Well, itâs been in discussion for years, but the man behind the curtain Xâd (I guess you canât say tweeted anymore?), that the American penny…
What Came First, the Chicken or the Egg?
Bear With Me! Okay, this is probably a weird analogy but this is how my (bird-brained!) mind works. So, in terms of the title question,…
Bonnie Bethany
. She found a shilling down the back of the sofa and gambled it on a horse called âBonnie Bethanyâ in the 5th race at…
Dems the rulez
Once again, I find myself writing about an argument I stumbled upon on X (Canât they agree on anything over there?) and I just had…
Murmuration
Blackpool has a long tourist season that runs from Easter to Christmas each year, but the biggest seaside spectacular takes place throughout the winter months…
Humans vs AI
Okay, I know itâs not a war. Us against the machine. Iâm not I-Robot-ing or anything. Or am I? I do know Iâm angry about…
Our Stories in The Stars- The Zodiac for Writers
Story Archetypes of The Zodiac We are now in the season of Aquarius, The Sign of All Humankind Whatever we think of astrology,…
Finding a Literary Agent
If you want to be traditionally published, the chances are that youâll need a literary agent. Their job is to sell your book to a…
The Joys of a Book Table
About a year ago I was visiting at a friendâs house and noticed they had a book table. Itâs literally what it says â a…
Identity Politics
Holy hell, this shower feels good. Pretty sure I’m using up the hot water, but any fucks I could give evaporate into steamy bliss. After…
More Haste, Less Speed?
What Do We Mean by âPaceâ And Why Is It Important? We often hear that books are fast-paced, slow burn or âsaggy in the middleâ….
Writing As A Job…
Recently, I came across a fiery argument on multiple social media platforms around the topic a writer compensation. On the face of it, it shouldnât…
Welcome to Publishing Year Zero
âIt was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishnessâŠâ wrote…
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