Last week I took a social media break. Specifically, an Instagram break. I’ve done media deprivation in the past as part of The Artist’s Way, but this time my Instagram retreat came from within. On Sunday night I disabled the app with a rush of breath and relaxing shoulders. Since when did a stupid app feel heavier than my novel?
Read MoreI’ve been many different types of writer. Aspiring. Pantser. Plotter. Bad. Solitary. Slow. Multi-tasker. Recently my writing has shifted into a new phase. I’ve never felt more in tune with the way I write and what I want to write about. It made me realise I’ve changed a lot from my teenage, Tolkien-inspired scribbles…
Read MoreDo you remember me hinting in a recent blog post about a Novel Magic Kit? Well, after months of work - it's here!
Read MoreThe last time I spoke about books here I mentioned falling into a reading rut. I’m happy to say that cloud has passed and I’ve spent most of lockdown devouring books and finding a new all time favourite to cherish.
Read MoreToday I want to show you what my writing process looks like - from first idea to finished story. I’ve avoided creating these types of post in the past because, being unpublished, I don’t feel like a ‘proper writer’. But you don’t spend the majority of your life writing without developing some kind of process. I like to think mine is pretty foolproof by now, so I thought I’d outline it here for anyone who might find it useful.
Read MoreI’ve not done a ‘simple magic’ post in a wee while. Since I’m stuck indoors now seemed like the perfect time to tour my camera roll and appreciate the little things! Hope you enjoy this dairy-style post finding new corners to sip tea from, baking on a Saturday morning and all the little moments in between.
Read MoreNearly seventy years ago, I travelled east to west to guard the great pine tree at Loch Ewes. Every Sunday I row to the island in the middle of the loch and splash a drop of ale under its branches, for the tree’s fate is linked to the fate of my family. Where the Ewes Pine stands tall, no Loughty shall fall.
Read MoreI draw endless inspiration from my immediate surroundings, but every so often I like to escape. Usually, I do this by reading a book. I’m sure you do, too. But what if you don’t have a book? Or the worlds therein aren’t to your liking? What if you could escape to a world of your own invention with just a piece of paper, a pencil and your imagination?
Read MoreIt’s Wednesday afternoon. I’m sat at my kitchen table with a coffee, having returned from my usual river walk and a wee daunder around town.
Read MoreSix drafts, 569 pages and 116,235 words later, I finished writing my book. It’s been a bumpy road, and a longer journey than anticipated. If this process has taught me anything it’s how to not write a novel! I thought I’d reflect on some of mistakes, and how I’ll approach book two differently.
Read MoreI’m currently editing the end of my first novel. It’s a goal that’s long eluded me. My writing failures outweigh my writing successes, yet somehow I’m putting the finishing touches to a story I’ve tried to tell for years, but never had the skills to do so until recently. I’m chalking this win up to one defining trait…
Read MoreI’m sitting down to type this on a peaceful, snowy day. The kind that inspires curling up with novel edits and getting lost in a world of my own invention. Editing my book used to feel daunting, but once I found a process and surrendered to diving deeper into my story, I couldn’t tear myself away.
Read MoreJanuary: empty pockets, the sparkle of Christmas faded and old routines resumed under sunless skies. It’s the time of year we’re most in need of magic but hope and motivation prove elusive. I’ve not succumbed to January blues yet, but there’s still time for those “always winter, never Christmas” feelings to strike, so here’s a list of writerly things you can do for free to illuminate grey January days.
Read MoreHappy 2020 – I hope you all had a restful Christmas & New Year.
Mine was the perfect balance of sleeping in, hill walking and curling up with books and Christmas chocolate.
Read MoreOn Christmas E’en, Fleagrave took the royal pack of wulvers carolling. She rode a shaggy, squat pony because mortals are too big for empty hazelnuts. (As are wulvers, but being in their wolf form, transport posed no issue for them).
Read MoreHibernation season is here 🌙 For my last blog post before Christmas I thought I’d share a wee ‘playlist’ for those cosy days between Christmas and New Year.
Read MoreAs the year-end approaches, I like to reflect on the books that left an impression. It’s a constant source of surprise and excitement knowing a life-changing read could be just around the corner, magical and unexpected as snow in July.
Read MoreWandering through rain. Light-splashed pavements. Hot coffee in crowded cafes. Spiked silhouettes underneath the jagged skyline. A day that felt neither Saturday nor Sunday, just some unspecified date close to Christmas in gloomy, fog-bound Edinburgh.
Read MoreI wanted to share this post to let you in on a little secret: I don’t have an ideal writing set-up. However, that doesn’t stop me from taking my writing seriously every single day.
Read MoreIt is well documented that fairies steal human babies. Occasionally they abduct grown men and women to become consorts, midwives or servants in their stoor-filled castles. Less well-known, however, is the story of Finella, who kidnapped cats…
Read More