By Teika: When I recently totted up the costs of attending Ytterbium, the name for this year’s annual Eastercon (the annual UK science fiction convention), it was rather disheartening to see that: petrol + car park fees + tickets for the con + table costs + hotel costs + food + drink = a lot […]
Continue reading
I’ll do it tomorrow
By Tom: Procrastination is a foe that many writers know well. To win at the game of publication, it’s a monster that must be slayed. Which is a shame because it’s basically part of you. Getting to the psychological foundations of procrastination is tricky, but essential, if we are ever going to succeed […]
Continue reading
Q&A with writer Angela Readman
by Teika Achieving remarkable success in any one form of writing is challenging enough, but to be able to achieve that kind of success in a variety of forms really does take some doing. Today, I am delighted to be able to welcome Angela Readman to the blog, in order to get nosy about her […]
Continue reading
A marathon of sprints
By Tom: Writing a book takes time. Unfortunately, time is a resource that is precious and limited, and for those of us without wealth or patronage, it usually has to be found in stolen, fragmentary moments. This can seem to be at odds with the sustained discipline needed for writing a novel or non-fiction book; […]
Continue reading
Q&A with short story writer Amanda Huggins
By Teika As I was recently emailed a request for advice about the short story submission process and how to decide which path to take to publication, I thought it would be great to hear from some of the most talented short story writers I know. The multiple prize-winning writer Amanda Huggins was kind enough […]
Continue reading
10 perennial problems in short story submissions
By Teika Having just now been in the thick of reading submissions for The Forgotten and the Fantastical 5, I was once again struck by the fact that year on year the same issues crop up in the short stories I’m sent. So I thought it would be of use to run through the most […]
Continue reading
Shiny new object syndrome
By Tom: “When it comes to glittering objects, wizards have all the taste and self-control of a deranged magpie” Sourcery, Terry Pratchett Ah, the seduction of shiny new things. There you are, three quarters of the way through your latest work in progress, when a new idea for a project slips into your mind, sneakily. […]
Continue reading
The problem with poetry
by Teika Poetry sales are booming – yes, no, maybe? Just the other day an article published in the Guardian brought the news that sales of poetry books in the UK were at an all time high, having passed the £12M mark at the end of 2018. So, good news, then? Well, yes and no. […]
Continue reading
How to avoid the new year’s resolutions blues
By Teika Rather like the energy that accompanies the back-to-school buzz in September, the beginning of a new year has a vibrant, positive feel to it. We’re done with the Christmas feasting, the overindulging and sitting around. And for some of us, we’re done with a year that didn’t amount to much, writing-wise. Yet the […]
Continue reading
The perfect last minute gift for a writer
By Tom: It’s that time of year again when busy, multitasking people suddenly realize there is a gap in their scrupulously organized ranks of gifts. Inexplicably, someone has been overlooked. Or, it’s that time of year when disorganized and forgetful people suddenly realize they’ve left things to the last minute again, and the shops are […]
Continue reading