I've just edited the initial draft of my novel set in the 1990s. Like any novel at this early stage, some scenes work, some need work. But for the first time I sense this manuscript needs more work than my recent novels did at this early stage. It's not because it's bad. It's because I …
How I changed my writing habits during lockdown
I need to be alone to write. Regular readers of my blog know this. But with my husband at home with me during the extended Sydney lockdown (yes, this blog was written during that time), I've had to find a new strategy to work on my projects. So, I've broken my process into what I …
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Recycling characters
Many authors do it. They place their characters in several unrelated books. I've been doing it for a while although I'm planning to stop after my current release, The Midnight Man. And while the major characters in this novel are brand new, a whole range of characters from my novellas Nate and the New Yorker …
Writing about a dream lover
I was listening to Kate Bush. The track was 'Man With the Child In His Eyes' - a song about a mystical lover that waits for the songwriter at bedtime. It has been one of my favourite songs since its release in 1978. Natalie Cole does a beautiful cover version. Its haunting melody was the …
I wrote a sex scene without realising it.
The Midnight Man started with a nightclub scene. At least it did in earlier drafts. In the scene we meet middle aged gay couple, Stanley and Francesco, as they pick up a guy to share their bed for the night. After that opener was an erotic sex scene in which we discover Stanley isn't happy …
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Book Review – Desperately Seeking Spinach by Petrina Binney
As the cover says, this is a short story. It is cheap or free depending on your relationship with Amazon. Petrina Binney read the opening of her story during the IQARUS online book conference, and on hearing it, I needed to download it. This is a tongue in cheek take on celebrity and obsession. The …
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Book Review – Art of Magic by KJ
Cath sets the bar high. She expects a lot from her partners, her friends and herself. This is what she learns to let go of in the enjoyable novel, Art Of Magic, by KJ. She also has trust issues as we find when she still doesn't have faith in her mother accepting her sexuality, or …
Over think your novel between drafts
During this Sydney lockdown, something has occurred to me. Over thinking is best done between drafts! I'm writing this on July 21, 2021, and as I'm here at home with my husband, my works in progress have taken a back seat. Usually, I'd be working on the next draft of a manuscript while another is …
Time to rethink my work in progress
I'm writing this during Covid lockdown. The date is the 9th of July 2021 and due to the Delta variant, we're not allowed to leave our homes here in Sydney unless totally necessary. As I've often mentioned in my blogs, I can't write unless I'm alone without distractions. My husband is home with me and …
Writing a dystopian novel in an ever changing world.
I've just finished editing an early draft of Virtual Insanity. This is the sequel to Social Media Central. I was surprised most of it needed few amendments. The chapters where the action takes off and continues to the end of the novel are much more polished than I thought. A few other chapters, not so …
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