When the words won't come...
With Ever This Day finally on the shelves in the autumn of 2017, I was absolutely honoured to be asked by Vanessa and the crew at writing.ie to scribble down some of my thoughts on writing.
It's no secret that I found Ever This Day an absolute slog to write through a combination of circumstance and a missing mojo. Here's how I overcame it .
It's no secret that I found Ever This Day an absolute slog to write through a combination of circumstance and a missing mojo. Here's how I overcame it .
The first rule of process is that there is no process...
"A couple of years ago, I was messaged by a former work colleague who congratulated me on my latest book. I was, as is any writer, flattered. ‘How do you do it?’, he asked. Feigning humility, yet high on recent publication, I gushed for a bit, only for him to ping back; ‘No – how do you actually do it? I’m thinking of writing a book and I’ve been meaning to ask you – what system do you use? Do you do lists? Spreadsheets? How long do you write for? What’s the system? The process?’".
See how there's no such thing as process here
See how there's no such thing as process here
Keeping it real...
"Think back to your favourite books. You can pinpoint characters, events, plotlines – all of which you’ve thought were really well put together; brilliant twists and ideas, clever stuff, all of which you have enjoyed. But both you and I know that the best books you’ve ever read are the best for reasons other than words and events. The best ones are the ones that made you feel – really feel. And, as writers, we all want to be the best, don’t we? So how do we do that?"
How indeed...
How indeed...
Where I Write...
My first novel, The Dead Summer, was started with pen and paper at my garden table on a blazing July day in 2009 as barely more than a doodle. Much of it was written sitting in a red rocking chair known as ‘the Moon’ while my newborn daughter dozed or played in the living room of my home in East Wall. When I realised that I was writing something that I liked enough to finish, a netbook was purchased and my first novel began its adventure proper.
Read more here...
Read more here...
Writing to scare...
Why and how do I do it? Read my article on writing.ie here
