Anna's Blog

Routine often works when you’re writing well. Each morning, I get up, let my dog out, feed her, and come upstairs to write. My husband kindly provides me with cups of tea. I usually write for about three hours. Sometimes I find that writing just doesn’t come to me....

Sometimes I treat fiction writing like painting a picture. I have little experience with art, but what I remember from school was that you’d start by sketching an outline in light pencil, which won’t be seen under your paint. Then, you fill in large areas and begin...

All writers know there’s a spectrum of activities involved in their daily routine depicted by the rainbow in the photo. Writing a new manuscript, editing, providing feedback to other writers, writing blogs, updating websites, admin, finding publishers, to name a few....

Last year, I took my occupational pension. Not much, but one new thing I do is stay in pleasant hotels every couple of months. The hotel stays are excellent for a three- or four-night writing boost. I go on my own, with my laptop under my arm. There’s an overwhelming...

A fantastic way to overcome writer’s block is to join writers’ groups. I belong to three in Chester where I live. They’re all related to each other – two take place in a pub, one on a Thursday afternoon, another on a Thursday evening. At these, we can bring about 500...