It's shiny, that new idea. It whispers in your brain like a friend at the back of the classroom, distracting your attention from the main order of the day, which is, namely, to finish the project you've been working on for the past six months. But its voice, loaded with salacious detail, as tempting as… Continue reading Thoughts on writing a new novel
Tag: writing
How ‘Horrible Histories’ gave me Harry Sinclair.
When I'm writing a novel, I always like to have an image in my mind of what the two lead characters look like. Often, this can be a composite of two or three people - for example, in my debut novel, The Second Chance Tea Shop, Matthew Carter, the leading man, was a kind of… Continue reading How ‘Horrible Histories’ gave me Harry Sinclair.
Why I love…writing a new book
Photo by Lum3n on Pexels.com So, today's 'what I love' is actually about something I've just started...again. There's something about the very beginning of a new novel; when the details aren't there, when you're feeling your way, and things are just vague shapes in your mind. For me, it starts with the end. I generally,… Continue reading Why I love…writing a new book
Why I love…the Shipping Forecast
I'm going to try to follow my daughter's example with this blog, and post more regularly for the next few weeks. As a result, I thought I'd do some shortish posts where I write about things I love. Welcome to the first in the series! So...the Shipping Forecast. Put simply, it's a list of the… Continue reading Why I love…the Shipping Forecast
Art Imitating Life – 10 ‘true’ things in my novels.
The truth can be stranger than fiction... Like most authors, I often get asked if I base my characters or events on real life things, and, like most authors, I always say no! However, now that my latest novel, 'Snowflakes Over Bay Tree Terrace', has been published, I thought it would be nice to talk… Continue reading Art Imitating Life – 10 ‘true’ things in my novels.
Welcome to my writing place!
For the first four novels of my career, I wrote in the living room. The computer was in the corner, and I’d type while keeping a vague eye on my young daughters, just to make sure no major mishaps occurred. When the first, and then the second, went to school, I stayed put because it… Continue reading Welcome to my writing place!
Musings on Point of View in fiction.
It occurred to me the other day, when trying to teach point of view in narrative to an exam class, that the notion of POV can be a bit confusing. Certainly, when I started writing, years ago, I didn't really consider the importance of maintaining a consistent point of view in a scene, and was… Continue reading Musings on Point of View in fiction.
Letting it fly…
You find me, once again, in that strange emotional position of having submitted one book to my publisher, Boldwood, whilst starting to work on the next one - as a contracted author, that's definitely the way of things! Usually, I'm quite pleased to send the manuscript on to agent and editor, but this time, I'm… Continue reading Letting it fly…
10 reasons why being an author is the best job in the world…
I've been a bit remiss in updating this blog lately, so I thought I'd break the deadlock by doing a quick list of the reasons why I love being a writer. Now, there are plenty of reasons why being a writer is not the ideal profession; it's a struggle to live on the income from… Continue reading 10 reasons why being an author is the best job in the world…
Letting go…
I find myself, for the fourth time, in a state of what Gwyneth and Chris would call 'conscious uncoupling'. Not from the ever devoted Husband, I hasten to add, but from a novel. It's a funny old feeling. You live with characters in your head for so long as a novelist; even when you're away… Continue reading Letting go…
Fay Keenan 