How to write a book in 30 days (or less)
You could do anything in thirty days. You could run 30 marathons or 780 miles. You could (probably) sail across the Atlantic, from east to west. Thirty days seems like it holds so much possibility in the abstract. This year, I spent the last four weeks concertedly writing a book. —— Every year, as November […]
How to find (real) writing buddies
Writing is very lonely. Like, sure, I talk to various voices all day long and let them lead me through a story. But physically, and actually, I am most often alone. Writing wouldn’t work if we weren’t alone with those voices. Most of the time, writing has to be a lonely task. That said, there’s […]
How to Write Dialogue That Seems Real (NANOWRIMO-STYLE)
During my first Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month), over ten years ago now, I was determined to write a novel in 30 days. And that was all cool. Writing every day was a challenge, but I quickly realized that authentic dialogue was the toughest hurdle of all when it came to writing something worthwhile. Dialogue […]
Why I Love Writing With Notion
I’ve been through about a thousand tools trying to find the perfect book-writing machine that suits my style, and I know one thing for sure: I am a finicky customer. Microsoft Word never suited me — the formatting alone drove me mad. While some really enjoy YWriter, I really could jive with it, to be […]
Creating a World in Novels: The Magic of World-Building
I’ve always believed that stories can be the mirrors of our souls. We capture a reflection of us in the worlds we build. Sometimes that reflection is good, and sometimes bad. But how do we create a captivating universe that feels as real as our own? And why does it matter? Why care about world-building? […]
How to write 1,667 words a day
If you’ve ever dreamt of penning your own novel but found yourself lost in the whirlwind of life’s responsibilities, you might not have heard of Nanowrimo or National Novel Writing Month. Every November, writers from all corners of the world unite with a singular purpose: to draft 50,000 words of a novel in just 30 […]
How To Write A Book For Beginners
A lot of people tell me they’ve dreamt of penning a masterpiece, but they don’t quite know where to start. Now, I’m not saying the whole journey is easy, far from it, but it helps to break it into sections, doesn’t it? Trying just to write a novel all at once is a little like […]
Lessons From a decade of words
When I was younger, it seemed like doing anything for a decade (other than the obvious, like staying alive or watching sunsets) was insane. My interests changed from moment to moment in my teens, and so did my personality. Nothing was consistent. Nothing survived the test of time. Or, so it seemed anyway. Now, as […]
A Year, Interrupted
When you’re young — and the thought of waiting even just ten more minutes for your parents to get ready for a day out at the zoo seems like a lifetime wasted — they tell you that time passes faster the older you get. You push that thought far back into the recesses of your mind and instead focus on ice cream and tigers an
I Blogged Every Day in January. Here’s How It Went
If you don’t celebrate the little things in life, how will you ever be able to recognize the larger things when they roll through? Today marks a whole month of me putting pen to paper, and writing blog posts. Every. Single. Day. Here’s how it went (& how you can do it too).
Finding Time For Yourself: Working From Home
Often, hours tumble into one when I’m working from home. I find time to work, and barely to eat, and that’s about it. Here’s what I’ve been doing to relax.
Standing On Broken Glass: How To Get Up After A Fail
This post is both a metaphor and entirely literal. Last night, in the middle of the bathroom, as happens to me not infrequently, I was injured. I stood on some broken glass. As with all large, momentous, fails it honestly took me a while to notice what had happened. It took a moment for the […]
How To Write When You Don’t Feel Like It
Few people disagree that it’s hard to write when you’re uninspired. So how to write when the words don’t come? Here’s how:
Writing When Circumstances Change: More Tips
The longer I go on, the more I become utterly convinced that life is one giant shout into the void. It’s one epic adventure into the unknown. Here’s how to write throughout that unknown.
How To Become A Writer
In all the worlds in all the universe, one question echoes louder above the rest in the hearts and minds of avid creators looking for their place in the cosmos: how exactly does somebody become a writer? The answer is far simpler and more complex than most people imagine. Here’s how.
How to Eat Healthy Working From Home
Look, I struggle as much as the next person when I’m sandwiched somewhere between the cereal bars and the literal sandwich bread trying to work or write from home. So here’s how I eat (somewhat) healthily at home.
Best Writing Software: Reviews
Ah, the gentle tap of keys clinking in the early hours of the morning as the dew settles on the grass. There’s nothing quite as reassuring, nothing quite as meditative, as that sound. But, what software do writers use? Here’s a deep-dive into some of the software I have tried over the years and what tickles me.
Three Years Of Caribbean Sunsets
It’s been over three years since I moved to the Caribbean. Here’s what I’ve learned in that time.
How Much Does It Cost To Publish A Book?
How much does it cost to publish a book? If you aren’t quite looking for a philosophical answer, here’s actually how much it costs.
I Made An Amazing Race Scavenger Hunt. Here’s how it went
I’ve undertaken many wild, and ambitious, schemes in my thirty years but none quite so complex as the Amazing Race scavenger hunt I recently organised for the light of my life, my affianced, this January. Here’s how I did it and some free downloads.
What To Expect When You’re Expecting (A Book)
Writing a book can be a daring task. It is a shout into the void. It is in an echo in the abyss. Every journey is different, and isn’t that the beauty of life? But here’s how it generally goes for me:
An Engagement
In 2020, many things happened. For one, I became affianced. Here are some notes I have on getting engaged that could help you should you become engaged and might save you a few hours of furiously Googling things.
My Writing Goals
Much like I’m not a fitness guru, I’m not a total writing goddess yet either. When the world crumbles into chaos, spinning out of control, I find my words crumble away too. Suffice it to say there was a lot of crumbling in 2020. That said, I do have goals and hopes for 2021. Here they are.
Writer Seeks Chair
Here are some great chairs I am considering using working from home. In my opinion, these could be the best chairs for working from home of 2021.
How To Relax When You Work For Home
These are some tips for how to relax when you’re working from home but they’re also tips on how to relax when you’re facing a series of uncontrollable events. In some ways, this last year, they were kind of the same thing.
Best Opening Lines From Books
First lines aren’t the only thing that make me want to read a book but they are powerful. I love lines that give me heart palpitations. Lines that make me sit up a little and smile. Lines that dance around the corners of my mind long after I’ve closed a book. Here are some of my absolute favourite first lines.
The Art Of Not Living
On the internet, you’re not supposed to mention time. You’re supposed to act as if we live in a timeless vacuum, a tear drop suspended in a waterfall, a moment paused for the rest of existence. Timeless vacuums are attractive. Instant classics. Silent and contemplative moments tinted with a golden hue and gilded with the […]
You Made It To 2021
Happy 2021! Here’s looking at you.
The Art of Living
The older I get, the more I understand that life isn’t about perfectly staged moments or pristine memories or even long periods of joy. It’s about all the other stuff too. In many ways, all of that other stuff. Here’s how life just seems to work now.
How Many Words Does It Take To Write A Young Adult Book?
In all my time writing things down this is perhaps the most common question I hear asked: just how many words are in a young adult novel? The answers is as long as a piece of string — twice the length from the middle to the end. That said, in general Young Adult books tend to be around 50,000 - 90,000 words.
Over A Year of Caribbean Sunsets
I've lived in the Caribbean for over a year now. It started as my adventure and it has become my adventurous home. Here's what I've learned after hundreds of Caribbean sunsets:
Writing With a New Job
I’m starting a new role at the beginning of February (still in the Caribbean) and as we dance into the unknown and take a leap into the future it has me thinking about writing when life around you is changing and uncertain. Here are some of my tips for writing when circumstances change:
New Year, New You, New Novel?
It’s a New Year! All these new ideas swirling in your head! Each of them begging to be written and somehow brought to life. There’s not enough time in the day to write every idea you ever have – we all know this in because in some shape or form, we’ve all tried to at one point. So how can you deal
Where I Have Been
Shamefully, I only blogged about six times last year. When I first saw this I thought there must be some kind of mistake; maybe a goblin logged-in and deleted all my posts. But no, I'm quite correct. So, what did I do with my year instead?
Next Year: 2019
2018 was a huge year for us, but here’s what I think 2019 is going to be like for our writing, our lives, and our loves.
This Year
2018 has been a wild ride for me. We stole palm fronds with rusty machetes down by the beach and danced barefoot around crackling fires underneath the stars.
Three Years, Four Thousand Miles & One Thought: Harassment
I’m paraphrasing but reading recent posts on harassment and the scores of comments beneath them recently there was one that really struck me. It spoke about giving up writing because of all that has happened to them. Giving up because their joy had been tainted. It never occurred to me when writing about our ghosts […]
How to Get Free Books (in the Caribbean)
I rely a lot on kindle now I live in the Caribbean but occasionally I do acquire books too. Here’s how I get them (on a tight budget) on a small island in the Antilles.
Writing Outside: Where To Get Started
Writing outside can be hard. Indoors is often where it is at for writers. There’s unlimited tea and, if you live with me, unlimited pop-tarts too (I know you didn’t ask but there are no less than 48 pop-tarts in my flat right now FYI). There’s never too far of a walk to get to […]
Ultimate Cheat Sheet of Writing Worksheets & Templates
There are about a million different resources and writing worksheets outside in the world for writers and authors, but to be honest, going outside is scary, and who wants to do that? To make things less scary, I’ve collected every worksheet I know of in one place for you to browse so we can really […]
What Happens After Nanowrimo?
Writing every day in November as part of National Novel Writing Month (Nanowrimo) eventually becomes routine. You realise that you can actually do this, and do it well, and so you do. Normally, mid way through November I start thinking about after November. You might not be there yet but you’ll get there soon. So […]
Nanowrimo 2017
Nanowrimo in the heat is v different from what I’m used to. Gone are the days of curling up in three, maybe four, blankets balancing a piping hot mug of tea on my lap along with a laptop and desperately trying to forget how cold I am as I type words towards my daily goal 🌨 […]
I’m moving to the Caribbean
Okay so, this is not technically true.You see I’ve already moved to the Caribbean. But sometimes your adobe files and life don’t line up and that’s just the way things go. As with everything in this life, this story begins with heartbreak. A few bad decisions and couple of poorly timed jobs and I was […]
How To Make The Most Of Critiques
Critiques are great. People willing to let you know when and why something isn’t working for them in a book are gems. It doesn’t matter how great they are in the long run, though, because they’re also challenging. The very thing that makes a person creative can make them sensitive about their work. Pour your soul […]
How To Write A Novel in 30 Days Spring Edition
Spring is kind of off-season for some writers because Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month, during which people set out to write a novel in 30 days or less) is in November and everybody needs a break sometimes and it’s not even Camp Nanowrimo yet. It’s not off-season for me, I like writing throughout the year, […]
Writing Unreliable Narrators
I’m a fan of unreliable narrators. Not simply because I love having a story with duplicity in it but also because it creates intrigue and suspense in a story. Unreliable narration tends to happen most often with first-person POV, and all first-person narrators are unreliable to a certain extent, but those who lie in a big […]
YA Book Deals of the Week (24 February)
I love books. I love reading from libraries and I love getting them from book shops. As any bookworm will tell you, this is a costly obsession. That’s why I want to share some fab offers with you that I found around the internet this week! Don’t ever be afraid to go into your local library […]
How To Write Dialogue (that feels real)
Dialogue in a book is one of those things that can instantly either draw me in or put me off. I love great dialogue, and I appreciate the work that goes into it. So, what can you do if you want glowing conversations, too? 1 Study it in the wild We writers are studiers of […]
Time to overestimate myself 2017
I love new year now is the time for vastly overestimating ourselves! now is the time for dreaming big with reckless abandon. There aren’t a lot of times in life that you’re allowed to promise yourself much more than you know you can deliver i like to think we get to see the inner workings […]
How To Write When You Have No Free Time
I wrote something similar to this not so long ago but because it’s Nanowrimo — national noveling month — this felt especially important to talk about today. I know a little about this subject, working two jobs, an internship and querying my first novel this year along with climbing regularly as a hobby and doing […]
A quick pep talk for writers (and maybe for me)
One of my favourite sayings comes from an old tale. ‘This too shall pass’ You see this plastered on a lot of pictures online these days — for some reason with a lot of pictures of beaches — and you could be forgive for thinking this is a super positive matra. ‘Hey, this too shall […]
Helpful Resources for Nano: Top ten
If you’re anything like me (a pantser!) you’ll have galavanted into Nanowrimo with little or no thought to planning things out. That’s cool. That’s the way we work. Thing is, around about now, I suddenly realise I need tools to help me do the things I want to do and oh! if only I’d actually […]
How To Write a Novel in 30 Days 2016 Edition
I do this every year, November after November I write this post, but with each year the topic on my mind changes and I think it’s worth doing. As many of you may know we’re currently knee deep into November, a month known to some as Nanowrimo during which they write 50,000 or more words […]
How To Use The Nanowrimo Forums
We’ve all been there, standing on the precipice of hitting send on our message, finger hovering as the cursor blink blink blinks back at us and we wonder whether this is a bad idea — maybe the worst idea we ever had. If you haven’t been there, or perhaps this is your first Nanowrimo, welcome […]
Nanowrimo
It’s Nanowrimo in a matter of hours — that time of the year where people across the globe band together and all try to write at least 50,000 words in a month. I’m excited and nervous because this year is so different for me. I try to write a lot in my ordinary life outside […]
I’d Like Your Thoughts
So as some of you might know I write YA. Recently I wrote a YA Fantasy about a hard of hearing teenager whose brother is kidnapped. She grabs a horse and sets off after him because she is a BAMF. Along the way she meets a lot of new people. One thing I’ve been thinking […]
Who To Query
Who to query is one of the most personal things you can decide! It’s like deciding who to be friends with or who to have a staring contest with or who to share a house with only not because this friend is also somebody you’re doing business with and they’re going to be your champion so […]
How to Query
Hooray! Congrats! You’ve written a book! What’s that? You’ve edited to too! Oh my word! You’re ahead of the game! You’re ready for anything. You’re a superstar! There’s just one small thing now. Just a tiny thing really. You’ll probably need a way of pitching this magnificent beauty. Just some kind
Pitch Wars 2016: I’m doing this thing so here’s a little about me (and my book)
I’m mia. I write YA things. Although I’ve been around for a long time this is the first time I’m taking part in Pitch Wars 2016 (#pitchwars). Normally I don’t have anything quite ready but this time around I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. This is my all-time favourite gif: I’m not very good […]
How To Run A Facebook Ad Campaign
The thing is running a facebook ad campaign is actually super easy. Optimising it and not paying a fortune for clicks, that’s the crux of the matter. Don’t worry though! Let’s explore how you run a great facebook ad campaign. 1. First thing’s first, set up an ad account on Facebook. Facebook makes this super […]
Secret Things You Can Do On Twitter: Tip #3 Tweeting Without Internet
So here’s the thing, Twitter was set up as the idea of a way of a person using SMS texts to communicate with small groups. True to its roots, you can still use SMS to tweet and it’s super easy! I often do this when I’m in an impenetrable bunker with no wifi or when […]
Secret Things You Can Do On Twitter: Tip #2 Hidden Keyboard
Ever wondered why sometimes, just sometimes, when you accidentally lean on your keyboard while on Twitter it sends five tweets and three direct messages total strangers? I have the answer. Sometimes life necessitates using Twitter on desktop instead of mobile. It’s different on desktop. You might think it’s clunky. Fear not my twitter
Just Bite & Tommy V Cancer
I read books because books have always brought me joy. I am privileged; privileged that I could read before I could do much else as a child; privileged to have parents who were great readers themselves. I was the kid of read the entire children’s library in school twice and then they let her read […]
Secret Things You Can Do On Twitter: Tip #1 Retweets
Some people think you cannot schedule a retweet on Twitter without making it a quote. This is both true and not true. On Twitter you cannot schedule a retweet as of 2016. That doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways to schedule retweets. My favourite way to schedule retweets is through Buffer. All you need to do in […]
How To Get More Done Online
In the day time I work as a social media marketer for an organisation with over 100 social media accounts, and just as many conflicting priorities needing done this instant. As you can imagine with 100 accounts on your tail sometimes it feels like they’re aren’t enough hours in the day! In truth, when you’re feeling this [&helli
Let’s Get Down To Business
A few weeks ago, maybe a month even, I happened upon author, extraordinaire, and genuinely kind human being Tommy Donbavand thanks to the power of twitter. The thing about Tommy is he’s battling cancer right now, like genuinely as I type this the game is afoot. I know this because he blogs about it every single day — […]
Cover Closeups: 2016 YA Cover Trends
They say you should never judge a book by it’s cover but there is something appealing in doing just that. Only to books. Only in the depths of night. Only when the fancy takes me. I like to look at the trends of book covers in YA and think about what it means. Every year […]
Reading Habits: An Analysis
I go through phases with food. I think I go through phases with books too. One time for about an entire month all I survived on was crunchy nut clusters. Another time for no real reason I became obsessed with eggs. Baked potatoes were on the menu for a while, then for a while only […]
Five Best Stationery Products Spring 2016
Because I write, I love stationery. Sometimes I love stationery so much I wonder whether it’s the other way around. Did I start loving writing all those years ago because I loved pens, and paper, and all of the things that accompany them? I’ll happily spend an afternoon browsing the latest fieldnotes books just as […]
Creativity Hacks: Going for a walk
TY for everyone who took part in my 2016 kind of unexpected but totally fabulous planner giveaway! Remember you can still download it for free because everyone’s a winner digitally! The winners are Carla Domingo & Fatimah Mardhiah Omar! Congrats guys! I’ve emailed you so we can get the physical planners sent to you. Why to walk [&
IS YOUR EDITOR WORTH IT?
Want a free 2016 planner? I’m giving two away! Enter my giveaway here by 26 Jan 2015 to win the planner that will change your year around! This is a little like asking whether writing is worth it or what is the meaning of life or sausages or cakes with those little icing flowers on […]
2016 Planner Giveaway
The premise If you’re anything like me, with January comes this overwhelming need to get organised. This month is a little bit like pushing off on a really tall waterslide that didn’t look that tall when you started but now it occurs to you that this thing is really fast and does anyone remember how […]
Creativity Hacks: Doing Yoga
What the Yoga?! There was a time in my life during which I would have laughed in your face, and started choking on Haribo Tangfastics, should you suggest I would ever talk about yoga on this blog or, in fact, actually do yoga. Luckily, that time has been and gone and now we are left […]
Why Does YA Slating Hurt So Much?
Not too long ago, somebody on the internet took something that a myriad of people love and crumbled it into ashes. “but, Mia, this happens a lot on the internet! people have opinions!” Yes they do. The scoop isn’t that it happened. Opinions are as common as typos on the internet. The scoop isn’t even that […]
Taming Fate by Amalia Dillin: Character Interview
To day we are helping celebrate the release of the squishiest cutest novella I know — Taming Fate by Amallia Dillin!! Now, Amalia is a great friend of mine so obvs I think she is amazing, but other people on book places have also praised this novella including scired77 who said: “I highly recommend Taming Fate. The […]
COVER CLOSEUP: ORCS
My dear buddy, Amalia Dillin, has another book out soon! It is called Honor Among Orcs and doesn’t it look fabulous all here on my blog? The font especially appeals to me because it is a really nice serif, but the author name itself is in a sans serif telling you this is a new twist […]
How to survive your first book (robot uprising)
Wih this time of year comes a lot of promises we make to ourselves. We promise to not eat totally all of the cakes in one sitting, or to stop completely drowning oneself in maple syrup or not to kill all the characters in your current draft etc etc. I’ve heard a popular one is […]
When is Darcy not relevant: a blogfest
Folks! It’s time for the 5th annual no-kiss blogfest — the blogfest full of almost kisses and fabulosity — and this time I thought I’d keep things short and sweet. This is also, coincidentally, because I am in the midst of finishing a thing and omg it is delish but there aren’t really that many almost kissing scenes he
A year’s worth of change
A lot can be done in a year. A year is over 520 000 minutes. A year is 365 sunsets, and just as many sunrises. A year is 6 novels, if you’re so inclined, or 3 drafts and few false starts. A year is one slow manuscript, dripping from your veins and bleeding you dry. […]
COVER CLOSEUP: REVEAL
To win the world, Adam will defy the gods, but his fate rests in Eve’s hands. The fabulous Amalia Dillin’s next book cover is out today! Time for another closeup! What do you think? I happen to organise my bookshelves by colour so it is very fortuitous that this matches book #1 so well! Lightning […]
COVER CLOSEUP: TEMPTING FATE
You may remember recently I wrote a post about typefaces on covers, and how I think they are important. Well, today, we get to take a closer look at one of the covers I featured in a series I have decided to call CLOSE COVER CLOSEUP! How fabulous! Tempting Fate came out yesterday and look how snazzy […]
Life Lessons: Endings
It’s funny how sometimes we can’t deal with the end we’re given. Like it conflicts so much with the way we consider the world that there’s no way to think ourselves through such an ending. It’s a cognitive impossibility tangled in a conundrum. It’s an equation that my heart cannot solve. Sometimes, when I can&#
COVER CLOSEUP: LET’S TALK FONT
I was reading a book review recently of a piece of storytelling that I thought was divine. I read it in a single afternoon, surprised by how much I enjoyed the content. This particular reviewer was also surprised. They used a great many exclamation marks to make it clear they thought this story was going […]
Reading: Does experience matter?
I’ve been thinking a lot about reader experience lately, and how it can relate to what and how people read. Do we read differently if we read more? I think a lot of people think we do, but maybe there are arguments for either side: Side One — Greater XP points: On the one hand, […]
Allow me to re-introduce myself
It’s been a long while since I’ve actually just said hello to people wandering around the interwebs and falling into the bottomless pit of literary jam & toast. So! I’m taking part in a super speedy blogfest that will let us exchange info and get to know you guys! In the spirit of things you […]
COVER CLOSEUP: I CAN SING A RAINBOW
I recently reordered my bookshelves by colour because honestly I was getting a little bored of the alphabet and so many of them are such brilliant shades. It took longer than expected (because, unlike with the alphabet, I didn’t know how many colours I needed to account for), and I ended up with at least […]
Useful Invention #67: The Fetchinator
Anyway, all this infographic really serves to say is THIS IS SOMETHING I THOUGHT OF and this is also what happens when you leave me alone for too long, I have ideas, and they are brilliant for all of the twenty minutes I follow them through and then I realise they are pretty redundant. Haha. I’ve […]
I READ A BOOK: The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
We don’t do many book reviews over here do we? Mmm? I think, usually, well first off I am totally not a pro at reviewing. I don’t have le words. Hilarious. When I love a book mainly I am just reduced to single word sentences like, “ASDFGHJKL” and “AHHH. FEELINGS.” So! Mm! This is a […]
THIS IS NOT A BLOGFEST.
“Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl, and her laughter was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering.” Nicole Krauss (The History of Love) So! Happy Wednesday Guys! Woo! I always like to think of Wednesday as basically practically the weekend. We’ve passed halfway, it’s […]
Reason #256 why books have a future
Seriously. Bath readers will never abandon the book. We are finnnee, at least for the moment. I mean, when they invent a waterproof eReader things will get interesting but until then! Stay safe! Any other issues you’ve noticed with either type of reading platform? I find when reading in bed? If I drop a book […]