About me

Although I started writing late in life, I feel like it's been all I have ever done.  Planning, writing, character development, plot development etc are a full time job for me now.  And thats not to mention editing!

 I read that every writer does things slightly differently, and I suppose I’m no exception. I’m more productive in the morning so I tend to be at my desk by 8ish and write till around lunchtime. In the afternoons, I edit the previous day’s efforts and use whatever time is left to prep the next day’s writing. I don’t set myself targets in terms of word count per day as I think that reaching the target becomes of greater importance than what is being written. Two thousand words of tripe is still…Tripe. Nor do I beat myself up if I get stuck. Writer’s block, or whatever term you wish to use, happens to all authors. 

I find the best way for me is to walk away. Take a day or two away from it and let my head clear. This leads to regaining clarity of thought and enables me to get back to my desk and be productive. As to the quality, how well one writes is subjective, but if it’s true that to become an expert in anything requires 10,000 hours of practice, then I’m on my way. Not that I’m claiming that my expertise will rival the great authors, but it is making me become the best writer I can be. 

If writing is time and brain-consuming then editing is its big nasty brother. Weirdly, however, I enjoy it. If I was to offer one tip to any author’s starting out it would be to find yourself the best editor you can afford. I was fortunate enough to find Mark Leggatt, who is not only a McIlvanney nominated author in his own right but is also an expert development and copy editor. A pre-requisite for working with Mark, and I assume most editors, is a thick skin. I’ve learned to take criticism in a positive way and use it rather than rage against it!