Authors’ Resources – Poll

Many of you know that one of the things I wish to do is provide a wide range of resources for authors and authors-to-be, so that, at a glance, simple yet popular issues could be clarified in one minute flat. Issues such as customary phrases people get wrong on a regular basis, for example. Some …

2013 – Week 17 and a Poll

Hello and welcome to newsletter number 17. I can't believe a third of this year's gone - poof! - and I still have so much I want to achieve! Stand still, Time, for goodness' sake! I could do with an extra month or two, but I'll even take a week, if that's all you have. …

Giving Back – Help Me Decide

Hello, my friends. I thought we should talk about something easy today, since it's Sunday. So, how about a quick poll? Hey, I never thought it would be easy for you - just me. What I was thinking about was the injustice of having a multitude of means to recognise the brilliance of traditionally published …

Sexiest Language Poll

    Ok, this is just a cute little poll inspired by one of the books I edited not so long ago. The choice is simple. If you were to have undying love declared to you loudly and in public, in what language would you rather listen to it? We'll assume, for the purposes of …

The Ideal Human Being – What Gets Your Vote?

Hello, mes amis. I was having a chat with a few of my friends the other day, and found myself commenting on the characters in my novels. What they are capable of, how they think, what they would do and say... you get the gist. Anyway, what got me thinking after that conversation was not …

A Question For You

A while ago I did a little poll - well, no, it was a huge poll, actually - about what it takes to be a writer. I was asked to add to the original answers because I had missed some obvious ones, and I agreed. That list is a combined effort of our author minds. …

Which One’s Your Worst Offender?

This post has a lot to do with grammar, so if that word has the same effect on you as a BOO shouted loudly in the dark, then please yourselves. Run away. Or, if you're a hero, you could stay and read on. I grew up in a far away land, in a time when …

What Does It Take To Be A Writer?

Following on from a good few articles that seemed to dissect what writers do, how they may feel and what makes them successful, I feel more than a little overwhelmed by all the qualities we, the scribblers, are expected to possess. So help me pick the top three most important. I know I've listed 29 …

You Talk – I Listen

A little while ago I posted a little poll asking readers to vote for the most important feature of a novel – a guide I use when reviewing books. Unsurprisingly, characterisation came up top of your list, while grammar and awards scored ‘null points’. Does that surprise anyone? Really? Anyway, the purpose of this post …

Impatience

I often feel misplaced. You know, as if I don't belong to this day and age. As a child I kept telling my parents I should have been born in an earlier time, and as time went on I began to see why. Not a day passes without some question to occur to me, some …