Writing can be a lonely business. If you are working towards a deadline, you may find that you are stuck at your desk for very long periods of time, not seeing anyone. If you are used to getting out and about in the day, this can be torture. Even if you’re not working towards a deadline, you’ll still spend a lot of time working by yourself – that’s the nature of writing. Read the rest of this entry »

Editors are busy people, especially in today’s economic climate with a squeeze on their budgets and a reduction in their staff.

That’s why it’s vital that your first contact – the ‘pitch’ or ‘query’ – makes a good impression. Follow these five steps and you won’t go far wrong: Read the rest of this entry »

Writing can be a very sedentary pursuit and sitting for long periods can wreak havoc on your health, particularly your posture. This in turn can create stiffness and pain and, if left unchecked, can lead to repetitive strain problems. Read the rest of this entry »

First, thanks to Karen for last Friday’s blog post. It can be so easy to fall into the trap of writing the kind of children’s stories that you enjoyed when you were a child.

Things move on and it’s a very different world now to what it was 30 years ago (or 50, if you’re a grandparent). I think that in many ways it’s much harder being a child today – the pressures to grow up too fast are so intense. So, it really is essential that you know what children’s lives are like and write for them as they are now. Read the rest of this entry »

We all have those moments (hours in my case!) when we just can’t get going. You sit down to work and it’s a hard slog. Nothing comes easily, you have to fight to get every thought out of your head and onto the page. This can have many causes, but I’d say the one most people suffer from is plain old tiredness.

Feeling tired can lead to a lack of concentration and a block on creative thought. But, whatever the cause, you need a remedy and one of the easiest is food! Read the rest of this entry »