Tuesday 29 January 2019

FB Post from Stephen Booth

I wonder how many writing courses take place in a fire station? Retford Fire Station is the venue for my next course, generously provided by Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service. The first session is this Saturday, with a whole bunch of eager writers coming along! 🙂

Thursday 10 January 2019

Novel Writing Course with Stephen Booth

Received confirmation today that I have been accepted onto a Crime Writing Course led by Stephen Booth.  He put a notice on his Facebook page a few weeks ago, asking who was interested, and asking us to send him an email with preference for venue.  The nearest one to me is Retford, which is over the border, but I think I can leave the county for Stephen Booth.  Yvonne is as excited as me!

Its been a while since I saw him speak at Waterstones in Lincoln, but I have read a number of his books (set in the Peak District) and am looking forward to gaining a true insight into the writing and publishing process.  So many times I see writing courses advertised, and yet those running them have not had anything published - or what they have, hasn't really been that successful.   Stephen is the real thing!!  He has had 18 novels published in the Cooper and Fry series (that's the names of his detectives).

See: http://www.stephen-booth.com/

Wednesday 2 January 2019

Surf the Peaks

Was relieved to find I am not the only person who believes in peaks and troughs when it comes to writing / energy / inspiration.

Ben Schott, interviewed under Writers Bookshelf in January's Writing Magazine says:....I have a deep mistrust of the "writing schedules of famous authors" that clutter the web.  I've never kept a daily word count, and don't really know why anyone would: writing comes in waves, you need to be ready to surf the peaks whenever they chance to appear.

He goes on to say; It's a cliché, but the only way to be a writer is to write.  Writing is in no small part a craft - and every craftsman improves through industrious iteration.  Imagine an aspiring violinist who didn't practice every day. Absurd.

See: https://www.benschott.com/