I have just finished editing the first draft of one of my works in progress. This story takes place on a fantasy cruise liner sailing on a chocolate ocean with a permanent rainbow sheet hanging from the sky. In it, Ferris wakes up on the boat, but he's from the real world. He has no …
Just finished a Fifth Draft
These days, that's more that I usually do. But this manuscript is special. This story, The Midnight Man, took me a year to finally start as I was revisiting my earlier works for a new publisher at the time I came up with this story. And while I'm more efficient in my writing these days, …
That Manuscript you Agonise Over
Perhaps 'agonise' is too strong a word. You see, I've gone back to work on the fifth draft of The Midnight Man, a novel I need to get right. I haven't been this obsessed with perfection since my first book. It's currently novella length and tells the story of Stan, a middle aged man in an …
Writing on a Work Trip
A couple of weeks ago I went on a work trip. I flew to Broome in Western Australia on Tuesday, flew to Perth late on Thursday night for a meeting the next day, then returned home to Sydney on Saturday evening. I had my meetings, worked on work stuff back in my hotel rooms, and …
Outsourcing ideas from a 10 year old
This post was originally published while I was still working on Winter Masquerade. This ebook novella has since been published. Click HERE to find out more. My current work in progress is delayed. I have to complete assessments for a course I attended, so my current novel is still in its planning stages. I have …
Adultery and the Beta Reader
For the first time I used a Beta Reader. I've tried to before on another project but the person I wanted wasn't interested as the main character was not gay. He reasoned that he'd spent a lifetime reading mainstream novels, and that now with the explosion of queer writing, he wanted to indulge in stories …
Self editing my first draft
Over the last two days I've read through the first draft of a work in progress. I finished this draft three months ago. This is how long I take before I revisit a manuscript. Any sooner and I wouldn't be able to clearly see what elements need work. I had some doubts about this novel, …
As an author, how much social media is enough?
I have two designated days a week to write. That's more than most. One of those days is Monday and like most people find, Mondays fly by quickly. I usually do the washing on that day as well, and pop off to the gym in the morning. So I don't get to my laptop until …
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Trusting my author instincts
Something has changed in my approach to writing. Or perhaps it's just a change for the book I'm currently working on. I usually meticulously plot chapter by chapter, but for the sequel to Social Media Central, that's not the case. Maybe it's because it needs twists and turns as its a dystopian thriller. It's better …
Ideas, and where to find them.
I've been travelling. I took some time off to realign my life. Before this trip my day job got very hectic, taking over both my time and my thoughts, and forcing my current writing project to feel abandoned. Yet, in a way, this has turned out to be a good thing. The work in progress, …
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