This month has been a waxing and waning of writing inspiration and time. Sometimes I find there are weeks I can sit at a desk and write a lot, other times I have to go and rest on the sofa. I was really struggling to get back into my novel until I spoke with one … More February Thoughts – Welcoming Spring
January has come and gone in a blink of an eye it feels like. I’ve been improving my wordcounts on my novel, and had a few plot-based breakthroughs this month that I’ll talk about more in a separate blog. For now, the focus is to try and stay on track with my novel writing, stay … More Goodbye January
This time of year is always my favourite – before the full heat and intensity of summer has hit, but still warm enough to enjoy the outside. Whilst this month has not been one for writing, it has been one for reading. It’s quite a common saying that to be a good writer, you need … More An summer’s evening thoughts
Somehow it’s already three days into December, and it’s only now I’ve realised I had yet to write a monthly blog update. It’s fitting, really, given how this month has gone. I’ve read a lot more and written a lot more, which has meant my blog break I started in October has extended into November … More Winter Evening Thoughts
August has been a lot like July in terms of creativity. A month to be outside, doing things rather than sitting at a desk writing. One thing I’ve been trying to tackle is the middle plot for my ongoing WIP. You can read more on my update here. Outside of writing, I’ve been fiddling with … More August Thoughts
Wordcounts are a stable of any writer’s life. They’re an excellent way to measure progress through a draft, and a good way of working out how your pacing is working through a story. But they’re not everything, and here are my three reasons why: You can pick other goals I’ve spoken before about writing goals, … More Wordcounts aren’t everything
Summer time is a time of transition. A time of transition from the early spring to the full bloom of warmth and sunshine (or in the case of the UK, rainstorms), and a time to reflect on the half of the year gone. When I look back at a lot of my posts over the … More Reflections on Half a Year
So my end of March blog post has become a start of April blog post. Which seems to summarise how March has gone, quite frankly. March is one of those months, every year, almost without fail, where something changes. Whether it is the pressures of the financial year at work, or the changing of the … More Where did that go?
Let’s talk about tropes – those storytelling shorthand cues that give the reader a clue as to what will happen next. In any kind of creative activity, you end up using shorthand triggers that act like cues to the reader. Used well, these cues can increase tension or help create an air of familiarity around … More Why Tropes are a good thing
Everything is about balance. Not about juggling in a furious attempt to keep everything in the air. Not giving up on your dreams because you feel like that time has passed. It’s about balance. Some days, your writing is the most important. On those days, you closet yourself away and write, and write, and write. … More Find a Balance (Monday Inspiration)
Alex.J.Cobalt 