Writers can be superstitious creatures. We often have a preferred writing spot, a favourite mug, and a snack of choice. And don’t even get me started on writing pads. We also collect rejections from agents and publishers (unless we’ve burned … Continued
Lately I’ve been thinking about a famous psychology experiment that was run in the 1950s by Solomon Asch. It was about conformity, cognitive dissonance, and – after a fashion – denial. Briefly, a group of students was asked a straightforward … Continued
Some of the themes I spoke about have been tackled in more detail on this blog and over on the podcast. The majority of the talk was brand new material, drawn from my records and some industry research. The talk … Continued
I have a bit of a confession. I’ve been writing fiction for years (novels and short stories) and for most of that time I’ve leaned more towards the art of it, rather than the business side of things. I’ve never … Continued
Creative writers tend to fall into one of two camps – those who see their writing as an art form and those who consider it their business. Often, the thing that tips the balance is money. While the idea of … Continued
Little did I think, when I started writing my first novel (long, long ago) that I’d one day be celebrating my tenth novel out in the world. Death in Wiltshire is the latest instalment in my DS Wild crime thriller … Continued
The most famous really short story is: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” It’s usually attributed to Ernest Hemingway but versions of that story were circulating when Hemingway was seven years old. Unless he had a good memory. The brilliance … Continued
Many of the spy novelists whose works I’ve enjoyed cite Ian Fleming, John le Carré, or Len Deighton as their primary inspiration. John Buchan also gets an honourable mention from time to time, along with Graham Greene. However, for my … Continued
I’ve heard it said that creative writing is an exercise in hope. It starts with the intent to finish a piece of work. Next, before and after editing, is the hope that it’s good enough – by some subjective standard. … Continued
Occasionally I get asked how to go about writing a book. I usually answer ‘one word at a time’. It sounds glib but there’s a lot of truth in that. We start off with a premise, or a character, or … Continued