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; […]
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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. […]
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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 […]
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Personality and professionalism
By Teika One of the best things about being behind a book stall at an event or convention is the conversations with fellow stallholders and interested browsers. At the start of December I was at the Nottingham Print & Publishing Fair and I had several fascinating discussions with people I’d never met before about publishing and […]
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The psychology of “editing limbo”: how to get out of the loop of doom (part 2)
By Tom: In the last post, Teika discussed the challenge of being trapped in a cycle of editing and redrafting. In this post, I’m going to work through some of the psychological implications of finding yourself in this trap, some of the likeliest causes, and some practical steps that can be taken to break out […]
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Editing, revising, redrafting – how to get out of the loop of doom (part 1)
By Teika: The Book Stewards is about helping writers. We want to hear about your writing problems so that we can offer a helping hand by sharing some of our hard-won wisdom. After our latest newsletter dropped into the inbox of one of our excellent subscribers, she got in contact with us and shared her […]
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Buzzing with creative back-to-school energy? Time for a plan…
By Teika: So, the season is turning, the kids are back to school and the stationery sections in shops are looking particularly lovely and alluring… Yes, it’s the start of the autumn term and for many writers it’s accompanied by a rush of energy and a renewed desire to get back to their writing. This drive […]
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Writing for love or money?
By Tom: Following on from previous deliberations about how to choose a project, another common dilemma that writers face is whether to write for love or write for money. Framing the question in that way is a misrepresentation, of course, as the most desirable outcome is to do both. However, most writers feel this conflict. […]
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Choosing what to commit to
By Tom: Some of my earlier posts have focussed on how to use your time wisely, and how to cope with rejection by directing your effort on improving your craft. For those of us who want to make a living out of writing, there is inevitably going to be some mismatch between the art we […]
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Eight low-cost ways to improve your editing skills
By Teika: As I wrote in an earlier post, hiring a professional to edit your book can really improve your manuscript and make it shine. However, money can often be an issue, and although there are various schemes to help out writers, they’re not right for everyone. Also, what about the writer who likes DIY? […]
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