There are a number of factors taken into consideration when travelling abroad. Age, budget, going with family or friends, ability to handle the sun and level of pretentiousness being just a few. Above all, in an effort to get away from it all and unwind, you want to be confident that wherever you are going … More Learning to fly (Etiquette on a foreign holiday.)
I looked out over the garden. “This all your work?” “Yeah.” “You’ve definitely got a skill there, Gilbert.” “Can I ask you something, Pete?” “Fire away.” “It’s just that … it doesn’t matter, it’s not important.” “No, go on.” “Well, you’ve been away for fifteen years.” “Yeah?” “You’ve just come home and you’ve got me, … More Leg It (Part forty)
In my previous blogs I have tried to outline how long it is taking me to write my latest novel. I’d got up to the second read through of the first draft and that had taken me 140 hours. Synopsis and character profiles – 10 hours Plot outline – 30 hours Write first draft – … More Time to write. (How long does it take to write a novel Pt.3)
Plans were hatched that lunchtime. Retribution was going to be swift and painful. A message was going to be sent to Joe Ingham that nobody messes with lads from St Pat’s. Kev, luckily, let me know that he didn’t need everybody to be involved at this stage. It would be a two-man job. I struggled … More Leg It (Part thirty-nine)
The jukebox was now drowning out the conversation. It was Fresher’s week and the students in the pub with their newly found freedom and student loans had just discovered the late seventies and a wave of nostalgia swept over the four lads sat in the corner of the bar. Jilted John blasted out accompanied by … More Leg It (Part thirty-eight)
I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m lazy. Most people are. Why choose the difficult path when there are far easier options available? I see people climbing mountains, trekking across deserts or rowing across the Atlantic and despite having some admiration for the effort, my overriding feeling is why bother? I know someone who once … More From lazy to legging it. (Why I’m running the Great North Run)
Now I’d been in trouble at school, not doing homework and that sort of thing but nothing like the trouble I was about to experience. What do you do when you’ve been thrown out of class? Burns hadn’t given me any instructions. Did I go straight to the Headmaster’s office? Did I go home? Did … More Leg It (Part thirty-seven)
I headed up the cold, damp stairwell to Elvis’ flat, it was a depressing walk. I wasn’t sure what I was going to say but knew I had to make amends for last night. I possibly shouldn’t have told Elvis that I was going to approach Bumper but I thought he needed convincing. Marie answered … More Leg It (Part thirty-six)
As discussed in my previous blog, I’d been dipping in and out of the idea of writing Troll Life for about a year or so and did some work on a synopsis and character profiles in the summer of 2016. I don’t know how long I spent on it in total but I’m going to … More Time to write. (How long does it take to write a novel Pt.2)
Writer’s get asked many questions “what’s your proper job?”, “are you rich?” and “have you thought about writing about a wizard who lives under the stairs?” being just a few of them. One of the most frequent questions is “How long does it take to write a novel?” It’s a question I rarely have an … More Time to write (How long does it take to write a novel?)
