"We don't have the characters now that we had in the past." That was said by a work colleague back in the 90s who was talking about how younger generations didn't have adventures any more, like people had in the past. So, they were watered down versions of themselves. They hadn't built themselves to be …
Feedback from my Writers Group
Recently, I searched for a writers group. I wanted one with writers more experienced than me, and I now meet monthly with a group that includes two screenwriters with three decades of experience each, and a published non-fiction author. I submitted the first two chapters of my current WiP for review. I hate anyone reading …
Ten facts about my first novel
Drama Queens with Love Scenes was published in 2012. My tale of two friends who end up in the theatre district of the Afterlife went through eight drafts before Charles River Press initially published it in December that year. So, on this very important milestone, I thought I'd share ten facts about my first novel. …
It takes years to write a novel
Ten years ago I attended a workshop at the Sydney Writer’s Festival. The author gave us an insight to the industry, but the most important thing I learnt at this session was the art of letting your manuscript rest between drafts. I mean, really rest. Not a couple of weeks, but at least three months. …
Book Review – Son Of Sin by Omar Sakr
This is a meditation on identity. Or perhaps it's a meditation on finding your identity. Whichever, it is a meditative experience. Omar Sakr's other published works are poetry. Son Of Sin is his first novel and his prose reflects his poetic style. For example, this is a description of a sunset: "...the sun was losing …
Plotting using the Snowflake Method – An Update
I previously spoke about the Snowflake Method in this blog. At the time I was working on a Space Opera but for my own reasons, that project has been put on hold. A contemporary novel has taken it's place. And I've now had the chance to use this plotting and characterisation method for longer than …
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What should I write next?
I had this dilemma recently. I began a new book in a genre which had me intrigued - The Space Opera. I have character notes which include motivations, goals, conflicts and epiphanies. I have an interesting plot, and extended story lines from each character's point of view. Then we made a sudden trip north to …
Virtual Insanity – Release Day Post
A guy told me he loved books which are part of a series. He just bought a copy of Social Media Central from me at a book con. That novel clearly states it is TAYLeR Book One on the cover, but at the time, little progress had been made on the sequel. Social Media Central …
Editing, over and over
I have a new book being released and a new manuscript I'm submitting. First off, with a new book being released by my publisher soon, the process of editing, second edits, proofing, then final edits make an author really fine tune their work. I re-read my work just after the proofing stage, and again when …
When author business gets in the way of writing
I haven't touched my WiP in six weeks. First it was simply a case of a sudden trip north to catch up with family when an invite to Warren's great niece's eighteenth birthday arrived. And even though I took my laptop, I was busy being social after being trapped in my own state due to …
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