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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 ‘Bonnie Bethany’ in the 5th race at Carlisle….
Dems the rulez
Once again, I find myself writing about an argument I stumbled upon on X (Can’t 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 it’s not a war. Us against the machine. I’m not I-Robot-ing or anything. Or am I? I do know I’m 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 you’ll 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 friend’s house and noticed they had a book table. It’s literally what it says – 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 ‘Pace’ And Why Is It Important? We often hear that books are fast-paced, slow burn or ‘saggy in the middle’….
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 shouldn’t…
Welcome to Publishing Year Zero
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…” wrote…
My First Crit
Do you remember your first time? Was it exciting? Were you nervous? Did you just want to get it over with? One of the most…
Bombing in the Reviews
An indie author often lives or dies based on their books’ ratings and reviews. Okay, maybe that was a touch dramatic. Often, it’s a case…
Safeguarding Writers’ Mental Health In 2025
Writers are, by definition, people of heightened awareness and sensitivity. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t – couldn’t – be a writer. Yet in a world…
My Resolution (Or a List of Books)
As the old year comes to a close, I think about things I am grateful for and about fostering good habits for the new year…
WTF, Will! Sonnets + Summary
My reading of The Complete Works of Shakespeare was almost at an end. The book (only a paperback) had weighed in at 1250g, and the…
Let It Snow!
I looked everywhere but I couldn’t find it. It wasn’t in the jumble of decorations packed away from last year. Nor in the Advent calendar…
WTF, Will! The poems 1 – 5
Well, I’d just read all of Shakespeare’s plays and I was feeling extremely showy-offy. And yes, I’d been totally mind-blown or singularly unimpressed and all…
Don’t Call On Me
Cold winds blow through city streets as winter’s grip takes hold and grey souls in downbeat worlds retreat to lies untold. . Rain-lashed pavements now…
WTF, Will! parts 36 – 37
Unbelievably, after nearly six months, I had almost come to the end of the complete works of Shakespeare. That lockdown challenge had proved hard to…
The Unexpected Pantomime
Deep in tribal territory in Jharkhand, India, three schools — one by a road, one in a forest, and one on a hill — hosted…
WTF, Will! parts 33 – 35
My book was looking ragged and my Kirk and Spock bookmarks were bent. But I was determined to push on, despite having never heard of…
Christmas Eve in the Graveyard
Four-year-old Hugh wanted to be a villain. This puzzled my son Jack. If they played Star Wars, it was Luke vs Darth Vader, which made…
WTF, Will! parts – 30 – 32
By now Shakespeare was all Henried out, so he turned to the ancient world to inspire his next set of plays. With varied results, to…
A Christmas Reflection
If you read my Christmas Snippets post, you’ll be aware that I suffered a psychotic episode in 2019. This was followed by a long period…
WTF, Will! parts 27 – 29
This part of the book had the men taking centre stage. Shakespeare had hit his stride. At least, that’s what I’d heard, and I was…
After 65 Decembers
In August, he smiled at the memories of 65 Decembers, and put away his razor. . The ruddy complexion, jovial disposition, and expanded waistline where…
WTF, Will! parts 24 – 26
My paperback version of The Complete Works of Shakespeare was starting to look properly shabby. I’d bent the cover back a lot, and sat cups…
Christmas Snippets
Port and Lemon and Dirty Jokes My nan was the type of woman who couldn’t walk to the shop without stopping at least three times…
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