The second I emailed my finished Oh Sugar! manuscript to the publishers, I vowed I would not write another book for quite some time. I was exhausted. And yet that very same afternoon I found myself pondering, Yes, but I did write another book, I wonder what it be? Later that day, after I had… Continue reading Will snowflakes help me write my next book?
I have always wanted to know how much authors really earn. So I did some digging recently and to be honest, I almost wish I hadn’t. The sad fact is that writers earn diddly-squat. Less than £600 a year to be precise! Admittedly these figures are for all writers lumped together. Surely full-time professional authors… Continue reading How much do authors actually earn?
The best book to write is the one you really want to write. (There’s not much point in forcing yourself to write a book about a disgruntled fairy when your whole being yearns to write a dark thriller set in some grimy seaside town!) But it's interesting to see which type of books earn authors the most… Continue reading Which books earn the most money?
The last three days have been rubbish. (‘Rubbish’ being code for utterly, soul-sappingly crap). Out of the blue, several times a day, I have found myself crying. For no reason other than the fact that I am deeply, to-the-core-of me tired. Not the kind of tired that goes away with a little more sleep. The… Continue reading The good news about crying for no reason and feeling utterly shit and listless
I am 15,000 words into my children’s book and I have a problem. My plot is missing HUGE chunks. Some plot-eating monster has come along and gobbled huge mouthfuls of my story and left me with odd bits and pieces that don’t quite fit together. (Thanks monster.) Where are these missing pieces? How am I… Continue reading Plot-eating monsters and other dangers
Yesterday I finished working on my book and did a word count. Holy moly, I’ve written over 10,000 words! Considering that a few years ago I was so creatively constipated, the mere thought of writing anything would make me break out in a cold sweat, this is a GARGANTUAN achievement. I celebrated, as every self-respecting… Continue reading Message to my subconscious: Writing a book is scary shit. Get over it.
Yesterday I had it. Today it has gone. Yesterday there was steam coming from my fingertips. Today I'd rather walk naked down Chichester high street than type a single word. This is the mysterious (and infuriating) case of the disappearing inspiration... Marianne Cantwell says the reason so many of us fail at our creative endeavours is because we… Continue reading The Mysterious Case of the Disappearing Inspiration
I am 6000 words into my book. And I am gobsmacked. I mean, I really am actually writing a book! Not talking about it. Or thinking about it. Or spending hours researching it. I am actually parking my bum in front of the computer for anything from a few minutes to a few hours a… Continue reading My book is like a plate of spaghetti
Inspired by Ira’s comforting words on writing and disappointment, I have been writing more regularly over the last week (virtually every day). No matter how often I write though, I never seem to make it past 15 minutes. This is still good news, of course. It’s amazing how much writing you can get done in… Continue reading 15 minutes to write a novel
So, I have found my calling. (Hurrah!) I am going to be a children’s writer! (Tra-la-la) Now I just need to sit down and finish writing my book. (Uh-oh. Can’t I sit here and daydream about seeing my words in print?) No. (Can’t I do some research and think about my characters and their names… Continue reading The terrifying gap between what’s in your head and what comes out on paper
Katherine Bassford 