Writing

Never give up

I still have my first rejection letter from Mills and Boon. They were so encouraging, I tried again, and my next book was accepted. I had studied a law degree, and spent years in a job I hated, as a computer programme manager. Finally, I took redundancy, and that gave me the chance to write. So if you think you have a story in your head - write it down.

When I started writing what would become my debut novel, Happy for You, in 2015, the Cambridge Analytica scandal had not yet happened. I wanted to write about technology-specifically, internet technology-which, at the time, was still awash in techno-optimism, but which I was beginning to suspect was having some negative effects on my brain, on my sense of being.  Read more

After two years off because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the London book fair, one of the biggest international literary events, returned in full force last week.

Publishers, authors and illustrators gathered at Olympia in Kensington to buy and sell the books we will all be reading next year.So what did we learn from the deals made at the fair?

Writers have long been fascinated with themselves and their craft, seeing a wealth of material in what is seemingly a rather mundane art-merely putting words on paper, or words onscreen. But in their own reflections, which can often border on myopic, writers have developed an entire, fascinating genre of writing about writing. In some ways, almost all popular stories are about writing.  Read more

What is the first-person point of view? Well, the answer is pretty simple. We all use the first-person point of view daily. If you've ever recounted a personal story to your friends, then you've used the first-person point of view. At least, I hope you did because it would be strange to tell a personal story from a third-person point of view, or stranger, second.  Read more