They say a week is a long time in politics. Three years is a long time in the life of a writer.
My fourth novel, Troll Life, was published in October 2018. It sold well, and I knew what I was going to do next.
I had an idea for my fifth novel, and I had the experience of the previous four to know that I could get it written, edited and published within a year. … More Burying the doubts.
Struggling to write during lockdown? Covid wiped out your creativity?
You’re not alone. … More Beat the block
Four years ago, I handed my notice in to embark on a full-time writing career. I didn’t know how long it would last. I didn’t know how I would make a living. And I didn’t know how I’d adapt to working from home rather than being part of the office life I’d known for so long. … More My writing life – some changes
Call centre inspiration for author’s new novel. An author has used Sunderland call centres as the inspiration behind his fourth novel. Alan Parkinson launched Troll Life at Sunderland Museum as part of the Sunderland Libraries Literature Festival in October. Set in Southwick and Doxford Park, it tells the story of an online troll who is … More Call centre inspiration for author’s new novel.
One month, nine venues, eighteen events and nearly five hundred attendees, I think it’s fair to say that the Sunderland Creative Writing Festival has been a bit of a success. I’m not sure when Iain Rowan first asked me if I wanted to be involved, it was probably in a dream or something. I’d run … More Tweets, Beasts and Writing Treats (The story of the Sunderland Creative Writing Festival 2018)
When you think of a writer’s group, how do you picture it? I’d always assumed it would be a bunch of lonely old women wanting to be Catherine Cookson or something resembling table nine from The Wedding Singer. With this in mind, when I stepped through the door of Holmeside Coffee, home of Holmeside Writers, … More Happy 4th birthday to Holmeside Writers.
Editing workshop. Last week I was asked to do a last-minute editing workshop for Year Nines (13-14). With little time to prepare and not much information on what they wanted or expected from me, I had to come up with something quick and adaptable. I’m currently eighty hours into the editing process of my latest … More My top ten editing tips.
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?)
As I’ve mentioned in many of my blogs, I am passionate about my home city Sunderland. My novels are all set there and I believe that it is a hidden gem waiting to be uncovered by the rest of the world. I was recently asked my views on why Sunderland shoud win the UK City … More Local author supports Sunderland City of Culture 2021 bid.
On Tuesday, almost two years on since I released Idle Threats, I launched my third novel, Life In The Balance. More accurately, I released it over a week ago but chose not to tell anybody. This may appear to be counterintuitive. Why wasn’t I shouting it from the rooftops? The answer is simple, I wanted … More Softly, softly. (The cautious approach to book launches.)
Alan Parkinson 