How to take a (guilt free) break from writing

Hard work and self-discipline are the keys to success. Apparently. So, where do holidays fit into one's writing-publishing journey?

Can a break be good for one's writing?

A writing update – two new quests!

Yesterday, I packed off The Borderlands: War to the editor. After spending every waking moment on it for the last four months it's wonderful to look to new horizons.

Like an adventurer leaving the comforts of the village, I'm off to find new stories!

Why choose self-publishing? My writing journey, part one

'Why did you choose to become a self-published author?' You may think the answers are obvious, and many of them are, but I've never explored this topic here on my blog. After reading yet another great post from author friend, Danielle K girl, I think it's time.

My writing journey has been a winding path

How do you get inspiration?

This is a purely self-indulgent post — an excuse really, for me to post some pics. The best way I seem to get inspiration for my writing is by going on a long walk with my dog Roxy.

Tap, Tap ... Testing

It's pretty dusty here, and I apologise, but very soon I hope to have this blog back in shape.

So I've had an accidental hiatus from all things writing. Apparently this can be a type of writer's block. And maybe it was for me. For some reason I just stopped writing and focused on everything else in my life. I've been writing for the past two months now, quite solidly too, and I've been enjoying it. Why I stopped over six months ago, I don't know. It just happened.

On the plus side I've got a lot of energy for my writing now, and I was able to look at the first draft of my current work in progress ('The Raven') with fresh eyes, deleting all the crap and identifying what needed fleshing out. This is why I always like to leave a draft sit for at least a month before picking it up again for editing.

On the negative side I have dropped some deadlines I had set. The sequels to both 'The Viscount's Son' and 'The Borderlands: Journey' will now be published much later. And I'm sorry to anyone awaiting their release.

So while I was away from my writing desk the writing world kept on turning. I've had a million emails, and if I haven't got back to you please feel free to send me a line. I've had more reviews on both my books, and even earned my first ever 1star rating! I think I've made it now :)

Anyway ... Better get back to dusting!

Interview with Ashley Capes

Ashley Capes is one of my favourite fantasy authors, and I'm currently reading his novel 'City of Masks'. It's a wonderfully intriguing read with characters that draw you in as much as the many secrets that reveal themselves slowly in the plot. I'll be reviewing 'City of Masks' in a future post, but in the meantime you might like to have a peek at the glowing reviews on Amazon. Ashley is also a poet and I have reviewed one of his anthologies in a previous post.

I'll be reviewing CoM soon!

Ashley kindly interviewed me recently for his blog. We had a great chat that touched on developing characters, the writing process and the challenges authors face. You can read the interview here.

A writing schedule that works.

In previous posts I hinted about a writing schedule that works for me.  So, I thought I'd share it.  It's nothing new or particularly innovative, and the key here is that it works for me.  You should find something that works for you.

When I first decided to become serious about writing, I resolved to write when time permitted.  I'm sure you can guess what happened.  Life took over.  The phone would ring, I'd answer it.  The dishes would need doing.  There would be a show on the tv that sucked me in.  My writing trickled away to something I did on the weekend.

This arbitrary approach was never going to work.  One piece of advice often repeated, is to write often.  It's important for our practise and our momentum that we write on a daily basis.  Stephen King states that if you don't write every day "you'll lose the urgency and immediacy of your story..." (On Writing).

I'm no different to most aspiring authors.  I have a full-time job and family commitments, so how was I supposed to find some quality time to write every day?

Well here's what I did.

I sat down one day and looked at all of my commitments for each day of the week.  I decided upon a goal to write for one hour a day, six days a week.  Then I went through every day and found that hour.  Some days I write as soon as I get out of bed at 6am.  I grab a cup of tea and write through to 7am.  Other days I write in the evenings, before bed.    The weekends prove a little more flexible, and often I write more than the one hour.

Sticking to this schedule has enabled me to complete my first novelette and novel (soon to be released), and I am half-way through a third work.  Some days I write a thousand words.  Other days I barely make 200, but I am writing.

I guess the 'trick' if there is one, is to look at each day and determine the best time to write.  The next thing is to stick to it - ignore the phone and make the dishes wait.

'On Writing' by Stephen King

Ask any author the question, 'how can I improve my writing?' and you are likely to get the following response: 'Write and read ... a lot!'