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 […]
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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:
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]