5 best books on writing for beginners and beyond
Whether you’re starting out in creative writing or looking to fine-tune your writing craft, there are a wealth of reference … Read More
The most important advice I can give to fellow writers
“What’s it like to see your book in print?” is a question I’ve been asked a lot recently and the … Read More
Don’t give ’em a reason to stop reading – Things I learned while writing Dead Ringer
One of my favourite pieces of feedback I’ve got on Dead Ringer is: “I stayed up past my bedtime reading … Read More
Should writers be sweating the adverb?
I recently read a prominent author’s top three writing tips and one of them was that old chestnut, “don’t use … Read More
Why do mediocre novels get published? My theory (and what writers can learn from it)
There’s little more frustrating than picking up a book and realising it’s BAY-AD. The characters are cardboard cut-outs. The action … Read More
Embrace the idea of multiple drafts – Things I learned while writing Dead Ringer
I’ve spent a lot of my writing life harbouring under the delusion that my first draft needed to be perfect. … Read More
5 of the best audiobooks for new listeners
Looking to download an audiobook, but not sure where to start? Here are five of the best I’ve listened to. … Read More
5 tips for killing it in your next podcast or radio interview
I’ve been doing a few radio and virtual interviews recently to promote Dead Ringer and I’ve made plenty of mistakes … Read More
How I made £250 using cashback websites
I’ve been using cashback websites like Topcashback and Quidco for a couple of years now. Here are my experiences – … Read More
You’ll have to rearrange your life in order to write a novel – Things I learned while writing Dead Ringer
If there’s one myth about writing that I hate, it’s the myth that great novels were written in snatched 5-minute … Read More
My favourite thing about being published in The People’s Friend is…
…the illustrations! It’s magical to open up the magazine and see a short story of mine brought to life with … Read More
To Newcastle in a flash: my experience of reading at Virtual Noir at the Bar
One unexpected upside of a global pandemic is that it makes “travel” much easier. Virtual travel, to book events, anyway. … Read More
Build compelling characters using reality TV archetypes
For guaranteed drama, take a leaf out a casting director’s book and use reality TV archetypes to build fascinating characters … Read More
5 writing lessons you can learn from reality TV
Here’s a writing assignment for you: turn on the TV! The reality TV casting process provides a devilishly fun way … Read More
Joining a writing group will save your soul – Things I learned while writing Dead Ringer
When I look back and try to identify the ONE thing that took me from slush pile to publication, it’s … Read More
The one thing I changed about my writing process that took me from slush pile to publication
I made one (very simple) change to my writing process a couple of years ago that’s been truly transformative. Previously, … Read More