Something I often hear among writing friends is, 'I'm not in the right zone/mood to write today.' It's a struggle for me a lot of the time, so I wondered-how do writers get into the 'zone'? I asked several author and writer friends how they 'zoned in', and several key themes emerged: 1. Schedule time The hardest thing for most writers is making time for writing. We're either so busy with other aspects of life that our creative endeavours play second-fiddle, or we find oursel

Wow! Where the hell did November go? If, like me, you've spent the past 30 days running around like a headless chicken wondering who, what, and where you're supposed to be next, I empathise. The build up to the festive season is always silly, what with shopping, baking, decorating... living. The older I get, the faster it comes and goes and I feel like I'm treading water. I'm not alone with this, though, am I? Talking of feeling alone, being an aspiring author can often l

My next interviewee in the "Who's that girl?" series is Alexis Jane Lorimar, or ‘Lexi’ for short. Lexi is the protagonist / heroine / female lead in Tabetha Rogers Beggs' forthcoming novel, "My Second Husband", and is someone most of us can relate to. Here's my interview with Lexi, giving you an insight into this funny, resourceful, and down-to-earth character: So Lexi, in a nutshell, what's your story about? Lexi: Essentially, it is about the choices we make in life, and wha

Natasha Lester's "Author Branding" workshop at KSP Writers' Centre has come to an end, and has left me with a banquet of information. But, where is my starter, what do I want for main, and can't I just skip dessert? Should I be Facebooking? How's my website SEO? How often should I post on Pinterest? What the hell is Instagram? And why should I hashtag everything? #Idontknowwhatthehellisgoingon How sociable do I really need to be? Welcome to www.overwhemledbysocialmedia.

I've been attending a workshop at the KSP Writer's Centre to do with creating an author brand. The gorgeous and talented Natasha Lester has been running this workshop, and has been getting us writer-types to think about what we see as quintessentially 'us', and how we'd like that to reflect in our author branding. But, how do you separate who you authentically are with how you want the public to perceive you? And I'm not talking about physical appearance (although it does co

As a newbie to the world of blogging, I've lived in head-scratching land for quite some time trying to think up witty posts with catchy one-liners. Thing is, I often feel like a fraud when it comes to my writing endeavors, mainly because my 'serious' writing journey only kicked off about three years ago. Like most new novelists, finishing what was later to be known as my 'first draft' was a huge milestone. Smiles abound when the words, 'The End' were typed, followed by a hu