By Tom: Lots of people want to write a book. Of those people, a certain fraction feel capable of writing a book. A smaller fraction still actually do write a book. And the smallest fraction of all publish their book to a professional standard. So, the question arises: what is it that causes people to […]
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How to overcome (or, at least, sneak past) writer’s block
by Teika: Pros write every day Experienced writers – certainly those who depend on book royalties to pay the bills – know that writing is work, and that like any kind of meaningful employment, it is done every single day. Of course, a commute may not be necessary – they may simply wake, open up […]
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What’s more precious? Time or money?
by Teika Recently, I’ve led a spate of workshops to do with the business of getting published. One question that’s cropped up a lot is whether it’s worth paying for editorial, mentoring or publishing support. My answer, in essence, is yes. But, it does come with a question – what is more precious to the […]
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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 […]
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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; […]
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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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Convention comedown and writer’s despair
By Teika: Seeing as my last post was about how to get the most out of conventions I thought I’d write about my time at FantasyCon, the inevitable comedown that occurs straight afterwards and the not unconnected issue of writer’s despair. FantasyCon was great, it really was. Catching up with many of my indie publisher […]
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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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