Hello! Remember me? Probably not, and I wouldn’t blame you! Things have been a little manic recently, and I’m not just talking about Covid-19. (I do hope everyone is safe and well.) Some of you may recall that for the past three years I’ve been working three days a week in an employed capacity, for the Diocese of Hereford, offering grant advice to churches looking for funding (mainly for building projects). It’s been an amazing time, and I’ve learned a…
Do you know where all your assets are? (Oo-er missus!) Seriously, though, do you keep a list of all of the books you’ve written(both traditionally published and self-published ones) and which markets they’re available in? It’s so easy to think that you’ll keep a track of everything, but when I decided to formalise things by putting it all down into a small spreadsheet, I suddenly discovered I’d missed several markets with one of my self-published books.
Inter … what? Stitial. Interstitial. It means the bit in between. I’ve been journalling for a few years now, and a few months ago I came across this term: Interstitial journalling. It’s about journalling between activities. The idea is, when you finish one writing task you journal about it, and then think about what you need for the next writing task. What’s the next action you need to take to get started on it? The idea is that keeps you focussed on your…
Next year will be a busy year for me from a tutoring perspective. I’ve been booked to lead five courses, four of which have been outlined so far.
We’re approaching that time of year again, when it’s common to look back over what we’ve achieved and think about the future. But when it comes to thinking about that future, it’s easy to come up with a list of writing-related goals … but are they the right goals? Here’s an excerpt from my Business of Writing feature in the latest issue of Writing Magazine (out now!). Goals are a complete waste of time, if you don’t have a vision. As my…
There are times when I marvel at the Internet. Here I am, sitting at a computer in the rural tranquility of Shropshire, and looking through my sales data for The Complete Article Writer in 2019, and I see that copies have been bought in Peru, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and Australia (as well as here in the UK and in the USA). And I’m not referring to sales on Amazon, either. Such is the dominance of Amazon, it’s easy to upload anything you…
Turn to page 60 of the latest issue of Writers’ Forum magazine (Issue 215) and you’ll find my ugly mug staring back at you! I’ve been interviewed by Anita Loughrey for her regular Research Secrets column, where she asks writers to share how they undertake research for their writing projects. When it comes to writing articles, there are lots of projects, which means there’s lots of research material. And, as I mention in the article, I love the fact that research for one article…
Twenty-one years ago, this month (last week, in fact), I won a short story competition in Writers News. Little did I know then that I would later go on and become a regular columnist in the magazine. Nor did I even think that five years later I would have a published book (heck, I hadn’t even had the idea for the book at that stage!).
Last week, the British Library uploaded the PLR statements for authors to download. While it’s always nice to be paid for those times when your books are borrowed from a library, it’s also fascinating to see which books are being borrowed.
Just a quick post to remind you that the DACS Payback scheme for 2019 is scheduled to open today. (It hasn’t yet when I check at 11am.) Check out their website here: https://www.dacs.org.uk/for-artists/payback What is Payback? If a photograph that you have taken has been published in a magazine, or in a book, or even on television, then you are eligible to submit a claim via the DACS Payback scheme.
Happy New Year to you all! I hope you had a fabulous festive period, and are all fired up with some life-changing writing goals for the year ahead. (How are you doing with your New Year resolutions? The first week is almost over.) I found myself getting quite angry on New Year’s Eve. Let me explain why.
Many people say that they wish they had more time to write, and often what they mean is they wish they had longer periods of time in which to write. While ten minutes here, and fifteen minutes there is useful, it’s not long enough to become absorbed in what you’re writing and make a big impact upon what you’re trying to achieve.
Many of you may know that in addition to my writing, I’m also a bit of a photographer. I’ve used my photos to illustrate many of my articles and some of my books. So, just like my writing, I like to exploit my photos for maximum earning potential. This is why I sell my images through the Alamy agency. But many of the Agency’s photographers (suppliers) are up in arms, because the agency has issued a notice intending to cut…
Back in 2015, I chatted to Glynis Scrivens, author of about those moments in a writer’s life when we have a crisis of confidence. While many people experience these crises, whatever job they do, writers in particular are more susceptible to these moments of doubt, because we tend not to have that team of work colleagues to help us put things into perspective. It’s therefore extremely useful to have mechanisms for coping with these confidence-crushing moments.
It was a moment of dichotomy. I’d just been offered a job. An employed job. It was my first job interview for twenty years and they offered me the position. (Clearly, they were desperate!) I was going back into the world of employment, albeit on a part-time basis. But the euphoria was tempered with guilt. After all this time working as a full-time self-employed writer, was I selling out on the dream? Would this make me less of a writer?…