June 2026 … I recently started participating in NYC Midnight short story competitions. This is a range of competitions spanning 100 word micro-fiction stories; 500-word ‘Flash Fiction’ stories; to more …
Under Pressure!
May 2026 … Recently I started drafting a new novel. I had outlined some characters, and centred the novel around some iconic scenes I’d created many months ago. However, I …
Focusing on the Story
April 2026 … In recent months I have undertaken a new major creative writing project – writing a musical for the stage. Part of the reason was to help fulfil …
From Beginning to End
March 2026 … In February’s blog I presented the ‘What If’ question, used by Stephen King as a technique to reveal interesting story ideas. I have also been watching the …
“What if …?”
February 2026 … I recently finished reading Stephen King’s non-fiction book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. The work is often referenced in writing courses or other texts about …
Effortless Creativity through Practice
January 2026 … During the holiday break I have been reading Stephen King’s much lauded and quoted book, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. One of King’s pearls of …
From the Stack – ‘The Creeper’
December 2025 … I’ve recently had the pleasure of reading The Creeper by Margaret Hickey (Penguin Random House, 2024). The novel is notable as it was the winner of the …
Literary or Genre Fiction
November 2025 … Recently I have been preparing synopses and pitches for my two manuscripts, which has led me to the question ‘what is their genre?’ In some cases, where …
Reader Emotions
October 2025 … One of the aspects I enjoy about being in a writers’ group is being prompted to explore the deeper ideas about why we read novels and stories, …
Discovering Characters
September 2025 … In my April 2024 blog I talked about outlining a new major work using a Mind Mapping method. I created a network of characters and their relationships …