After publishing my latest novel, "The Healer", I've chosen to take some time out. Four novels in decade is not prolific writing, but I'm meant to be retired. This is my hobby and a passion. Some writers can churn out a novel in three months. Not me. Writing was never about churning out material, it …
Tag: Writing novels
The Healer
I am pleased to announce my latest novel, 'The Healer' is now available on Amazon in e-book and print form. The Healer is a slight departure from my three previous novels insofar that it isn't strictly part of the Science Fiction & Fantasy genre. That might seem strange since I have always described myself as …
Beginnings and Endings
One of the first books I ever read on the art of writing emphasised the need for a good opening line, opening paragraph and at least ten opening pages to catch the reader's attention. It's advice I find difficult to disagree with. Writers need to arouse their readers' curiosity. Here are some of the best …
A Decade of Writing
March 2021 will mark an important anniversary for me. It will be a decade since I retired from 'normal' work. I was an accountant in the City of London working for one of the largest firms of accountants in the world. It was a job I enjoyed, but working in an accountancy practice is a …
The writer’s toolbox
In this blog I want to look at Scrivener -- a software tool that changed my life as a writer, and which today I couldn't do without. What does a novelist or writer need in order to write? Comparatively little. Remember Shakespeare only needed a quill, ink and paper. And he did quite well with …
Editing — my tools and techniques
In the first of my previous blogs on editing, I looked at the lessons that I had learnt a long time ago from the world of business book publishing. In the second blog I looked at what I had to learn more recently to adapt to publishing fiction. In this blog I want to look …