Giving Eugenica a New Look

I am always looking at my work and wondering how I can improve it. The two commonest approaches are manuscript reviews and designing new covers. I recently undertook such a review of the covers to the Sorrow Song Trilogy books and I was very happy with the end result. I am not sure how I …

A Marketing We’ll Go

As I come to the end of writing my latest novel I cannot help but return to the subject that I like least and yet what I was considering at the beginning of the year; marketing. As previously mentioned in earlier blogs, I have dabbled with marketing, but not enjoyed any great success. In fact, I cannot say that I particularly enjoyed the experience. It does seem, however, to be an absolutely necessary requirement in my ongoing quest for a greater readership and an increase in the awareness of my work.

Writing My Seventh Novel – Part Fourteen

This has been fun! I have really enjoyed the experience of both writing a book and posting updates here about the progress. I think that splitting my time between the two activities has been really helpful. At the start of the lockdown I was a designated key worker, but later I was identified as at …

Writing My Seventh Novel – Part Eleven

In the past I have never had a problem with deciding on a title for the book that I am writing. I usually have a working title first. I do not know why but it seems to help me with my vision of the book. The Sorrow Song Trilogy books were very easy, as was …

The Sorrow Song Trilogy

Writing My Seventh Novel – Part Eight

One of the most interesting things about writing is when a story appears to take control of itself and starts making decisions for you, the writer. When I started Mephistopheles, still only a working title but I have got an idea that I like for a better one, I had only one protagonist in mind, …

Writing My Seventh Novel – Part Seven

Plotting. When it comes to writing there is no question of whether to plot or not to plot, it is an integral part of the story building process. Events have to happen for the story to move forward. This is true even where the tale is character driven. How successful a writer is at spinning …

Writing My Seventh Novel – Part Six

Torture. Not the writing, the act of extracting information from an unwilling person. It is not a pleasant thought. I suppose, unless you have prior experience of being a torturer, then that is exactly how it should be. However, the act of torturing someone does appear to be something of a staple in thrillers. The …

Writing My Seventh Novel – Part Five

I am just approaching the 20,000 word mark. Some writers insist that the word count is unimportant but I do not agree. I like having both a target and a measure as to how I am progressing. 70,000 is the approximate minimum figure for a novel these days. I usually exceed this by several thousand. …

Writing My Seventh Novel – Part Four

I have been busy! My status as a key worker has been revoked due to health concerns. Basically, I have been identified as vulnerable and my employer has decided that I should remain at home. This disappoints me as I felt that my work was worthwhile and I have already been exposed to the Coronavirus, …