Category: The writer’s life

Dancing with Plain Jane

I once wrote a book – The Lieutenant’s Lover – which was a historical novel set mostly in the St Petersburg of 1917 and then,…

Harry 21 May 2021

50 Comments

Call for Entries: New Talent Aesthetica Creative Writing Award 2021

Calling all writers of poetry and short fiction! Aesthetica Magazine are on the look-out for new talent – could you be just who they’re looking…

Emily 17 May 2021

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The Micronesia of Publishing

It’s conventional to talk about publishing as split into two camps, two rival poles: There is Trad Land, populated by literary agents and Big Publishers…

Harry 14 May 2021

16 Comments

How to build confidence in your writing

It’s time to realise you’re amazing Writers are often plagued by doubt in our writing ability, stories and our careers. This newsletter offers some practical…

Esther 11 May 2021

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Finding the red thread

One of the strangest experiences in any author’s life arrives the moment they sign their first two-book deal. (And yes: fiction is normally sold in…

Harry 7 May 2021

12 Comments

Tools that help writers write

Scrivener, BeemGee and more – oh my!  It’s May and this month we’re focusing on beginning new story projects. We’re kicking things off by looking…

Esther 4 May 2021

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Leaky pipes

Last week, we talked about how you can manage your affairs effectively even if you feel daunted by the potential scale of the marketing challenges…

Harry 30 April 2021

3 Comments

How to be organised

I like tea and I need reading glasses. I mention this only because both activities require some basic accessories: a china cup in one case…

Harry 23 April 2021

12 Comments

How to build an author website (without screaming)

I wrote an email before this one – reread it – didn’t like – and scrapped it. So here instead is a workhorse of an…

Harry 16 April 2021

10 Comments

Summer Festival of Writing Early Bird tickets have landed!

Your summer of writing starts here Well, do we have a lot to get through in this newsletter! Excitingly, this is the first weekly newsletter…

Esther 13 April 2021

1 Comment