Full disclosure, I’m not impartial in the case of this particular interview. It’s not an exaggeration to say that guest author Laura McKenna is the reason I’m writing today. Back in 2014, I spotted a sign on the noticeboard of the Crawford Art Gallery in Cork. It was for a six-week writing class, using the… Read More Words to Shape My Name author Q&A
[UPDATED 27/1/21] I’ve reached the point where I’m researching agents and trying to find a good match for my recently completed book. For some writers, the way to an agent, and indeed a publishing deal, is by winning or placing in a novel competition. So for my latest round-up, here are some UK and Ireland… Read More Novel competitions 2021
‘How’s the book coming along?’ is a question that writers are asked over and over and over. The answer generally goes along the lines of, “I’m a teeny bit stuck/We’ve decided to consciously uncouple/I hate it more than fascism/Oh look, a pigeon! Sorry, must dash…” Today, I can happily report the book is going well… Read More Book report: Irish Novel Fair runner-up!
I’m at the very final stages of my WIP now – this draft, anyway. The troublesome character has been ironed out a bit more (still not completely there, she’s such a pain) and the MS has had a rigorous read through with various sections moved around. Now I’m back on the laptop, taking in all… Read More Book report: reading, writing and research
I’ve had stellar feedback from my two first readers. Really, they’ve been so meticulous and wise, and I’m very fortunate to have had their input. They’ve picked up on everything that didn’t hang together and pointed out all the areas I rushed through and glossed over hoping no one would notice, and now it’s time… Read More Book report: here we go again
Well, this was a pretty epic milestone on my writing journey: The completed (ish) book has now temporarily left my hands, and is being read by a wise and experienced first reader, who will come back to me in due course with feedback. The inevitable corrections will probably bring on a Bridget Jones-type sulky meltdown… Read More Book report: the beginning of the…
From time to time, I do a round-up of competitions that have no entry fees because heaven knows it’s a costly business. Right at the moment, there aren’t that many available, but I think the list below is nonetheless an interesting mix. I’ll add to it as and when new opportunities arise, and I hope… Read More Free-to-enter competitions 2020
After two weeks and industrial amounts of red ink, I have finished a first paper edit of my book. There is still a lot of work to do, but the gaps are slowly being filled in, or at least identified. The next step is to get back on the keyboard to take in the many,… Read More Book report: red and read
This is what 94,000 words of a manuscript look like. It’s surprisingly heavy: I have cheated a bit because this thing is rife with notes in the copy like THIS MAKES NO SENSE! and EXPOSITION!! Plus there’s at least one chapter that still needs to be written from scratch once I get a better overview… Read More Book report: words and more words
Progress! I have had such a writing block recently, but a WhatsApp chat with some writer friends over the weekend has given me a fresh perspective. They were discussing the use of index cards to organise/rearrange the chapters of a WIP. One person said that if they can’t sum up what happens in a chapter… Read More Book report: psychics and nannies and Post-its
