Don’t lose your novel! 5 ways to backup your writing

Writing a novel is a huge deal. It is tough and exciting, long and rewarding, emotional and powerful. Those words you produce, those characters you breathe life into, those worlds you create, are more valuable than gold. And nothing could be more heartbreaking than losing it all. So, while it may sound like simple advice,…

3 things your book needs to be before you send it to an agent (and 1 it doesn’t!)

I've spoken quite a lot about the submission process on the blog. It's a terrifying and exciting part of the writing journey. Deciding your novel is ready to send out to agents isn't easy. You'll always doubt yourself. That's why I'm sharing three things your novel needs to be before you submit, and one it…

5 Ways A Timeline Helps You Write Your Novel

Some writers are plotters. Others are pantsers. There's no right way to do it. There are pros and cons to plotting, and it's up to you to decide what works best. Personally, I'm a plotter. Typically, my plotting consists of a basic outline and little else. It worked for two novels. But on my third,…

6 non-writing hobbies that can still inspire your writing

If you're a writer, you probably have, amongst others, two main hobbies; writing and reading. Though, for many of you, writing is not just a hobby, but a career. A lot of us are still thriving to get there. But we all have other hobbies and interests too, and these can be just as important…

How To Use Mood Boards To Inspire You While Writing Your Novel

Mood boards are brilliant. There's something so pleasing about the aesthetic of it. And more importantly, mood boards can be a really useful tool to inspire you, and motivate you, while writing your novel. Here are just four ways to use them: Character Mood Boards Character mood boards are great fun to make. They enable…

4 Ways Writing Helps You Relax

Life can be stressful, perhaps now more than ever. I'm in full encouragement of people practising self-care and doing all they can to relax. Writing is my very favourite distraction from the world, so I just had to share those 4 wonderful ways writing can help you to relax. Writing is an escape from reality…

What studying literature teaches us about writing novels

Learning is important to all writers. And the exciting thing is that we learn all the time. Every word we write, every word we read, brings us more understanding and knowledge and skill. It is a game of practice and discovery, being a writer. I'm a uni student, and in studying English Literature and Creative…

6 things to do when you’re feeling disconnected from your story

Writing a story is exciting, it's fun and it's full of exploration. But it's also hard, and it's not uncommon for writers to reach a point where they feel disconnected from their story. Perhaps it's a particularly bad case of writer's block, or you've simply wound up in a slump. Whatever it is,, it sucks.…

Unglamorous writing confessions

Being a writer, published or otherwise, is amazing. Writers are world builders, character creators, storytellers, daydreamers! We live in a haze of ideas and inspiration and intrigue. But let's be honest, despite the perfect writing environment non-writers may think we live in, there are plenty of unglamorous times. That's right. It's not all tidy desks…

Travelling: It leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.

I have always adored this quote from Ibn Battuta. Let's see it again: “Traveling—it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” - The Travels of Ibn Battutah As somebody who loves to write and loves to travel, this has always been something I think is entirely true. And I know that not everybody…