One of the benefits of writing regular blogs – which I have been doing on and off since December 2011 – is that you can scroll through your archive and get a glimpse into your mindset at particular points in your story. This is what I wrote in June 2012, in the run-up to the London Olympics: “I sense that I’m not alone in feeling that 2012 is a momentous year, one in which people are starting … [Read more...] about Why the Olympics symbolise my own triumph over adversity
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Why 1981 was my Year for the Ages
We’ve all lived through those years in our lives – those golden, razzle-dazzle years when everything seems to come at us in an exhilarating, heady rush. I had one of those years 40 years ago: 1981. To understand why, let me take you back to 1980 and my appointment as a staff writer (under the pen name Betty Page) for Sounds in June of that year. Following that momentous event, I’d quickly … [Read more...] about Why 1981 was my Year for the Ages
Dispatches from my ancestral home
I’m sitting on a rough wooden bench looking out at the Worm’s Head, one of the most famous landmarks on the Gower Peninsula. It is looking particularly stunning today, resting underneath a blue sky striped with faint clouds and aircraft trails. It is a distinctive promontory that Queen of Dragons Daenerys Targaryen might have used to demonstrate her power. (I later discovered that the name is … [Read more...] about Dispatches from my ancestral home
How do you take an idea and convert it into a story?
In a recent blog, I shared a range of writing tips and received this comment from Parag Shah, a creative writer: “I observe a lot, I get a lot of ideas, but I struggle with converting them into a story. I hope the challenge I'm facing inspires you to write a blog post on this topic.” So I decided to accept the challenge of addressing Parag’s challenge. As I have said before, anything can be … [Read more...] about How do you take an idea and convert it into a story?
Why is writing a book so hard? Plus other FAQs about being an author
I'm not a seasoned author, but I have written three books. I finished the first one 15 years ago (it remains unpublished); the second was a short e-book about storytelling that I published on Kindle a few years ago; the third is a work in progress (I am working on a second draft). But in my capacity as a developmental editor I am currently working with several authors to help them write business … [Read more...] about Why is writing a book so hard? Plus other FAQs about being an author
Can writing be taught? Plus other FAQs about writing and storytelling
I was recently made aware of a website called AnswerThePublic, which is essentially a database in which you can enter a key word and receive a report based on every phrase or question that the public are currently asking about that word on search engines such as Google. It’s aimed at marketing people but is also a useful resource for anyone wanting ideas for content. You can only search for a … [Read more...] about Can writing be taught? Plus other FAQs about writing and storytelling