More than Writers

I don't think that writing is as easy as I thought it would be. I love it, but it can be difficult.  Sometimes, disappointed, and I am tempted to just leave it alone. But I know that life is full of disappointments. I remember the dawning realisation that I would be unlikely to be marrying Han Solo anytime soon – even though I had actually queued all the way around the Empire Cinema for well over an hour to see him in Star Wars. (Do you remember queuing to see a film? Those were the days.) Then there was the time I came second in the school English Essay Competition, which meant winning a rubbish book about Tutankhamun rather than the full set of Nancy Drew Mysteries awarded to the winner.  In my constant quest to be more productive and consistent as a writer, I have listened to lots of advice – for instance, Anne Lamott's “Stop NOT writing”. True and excellent, but not helping with consistency. We have invested in a desk, which is no mean feat in a two-bedroom apartment, and ...

Jack of all Trades I’m a bit of a Jack of all trades. Mostly because I get bored easily. But I also like doing everything I do well , and the problem with being a Jack of all trades, of course, is that you are often a Master of none.  When I started writing, (seriously, I mean) and deciding to publish books, I realised I couldn’t fit everything into my life that I wanted to. I'd spent some years building up a reputation on the amateur dramatics circuit in my town, but I couldn’t do that (a huge commitment) and my books on top of family and church life, so I gave it up. I did songwriting before I wrote books, but with only a mediocre musicianship I hadn’t got much further than lyrics and chords. Going further meant finding a band, having regular practices, committing to recordings, and I couldn’t do that and publish my books. So reluctantly, very reluctantly, I put it on pause. Master of None We can’t do everything. This can sometimes be incredibly frustrating, especially if yo...

  Photo by  Cindy Liu  on  Unsplash What inspires you? I was asked this question the other week and I confess it initially stumped me. Where to start? Should I list worthy books? Great individuals whose lives have spurred me on? There is also the world around me. Without fail, the mountains of the Swiss Alps take my breath away. The awesome sound of waves battering the rocks below Cornish clifftops stopped me in my tracks recently, even though it was pouring with rain. What does it even mean to be inspired?  In a bid to delay answering, I seized that classic procrastination aide, a dictionary. I found several definitions for the term 'inspire.'      To fill with the urge or ability to do something, especially something creative.      To give rise to.  So far, so familiar. But then:      To breathe in air; inhale.  I’d not really considered the process of creativity as being like breathing. Breathing is vital...

     I awoke early this morning, it still felt like night. The early dawn rays were just beginning to penetrate the curtains, I lay there for a while hoping sleep would return. I didn’t want to look at the time and be brought into the reality of just how early I had woken. As I lay there in the stillness, I heard the first bird offer it’s clear sweet song to the world as the dawn chorus began. Like the sound of a solo instrument at the beginning of an orchestral piece, this bird burst forth in the silence. It was as if it was announcing the new day. Even if I would rather not be conscious at this point, here was a new day, a day to be filled with life, as yet uncharted and full of possibilities, a new song for a new day. The bible speaks of new songs in a number of places – Psalm 144 v 9 says – ‘I will sing you a new song.’ The psalmist speaking of his intent of singing a fresh expression of worship to God. There is something very hopeful about the dawn of a new day, ...

You may know by now that the affiliated ACW group, Green Pastures Christian Writers, occupies this spot in the month. Rather than hear from one of our members this time, I thought I’d share some thoughts about running the group – and perhaps inspire some of you to consider doing so yourself.  I originally started the group in March 2020. Yes, it proved to be terrible timing! We held our first meeting in the community space of my local Christian bookshop, Green Pastures, in Dereham, Norfolk. It seemed to me the perfect setting. Where better to promote the art and craft of writing than in a bookshop? During lockdown, we held a few meetings online, even welcoming new members in that season, before returning gratefully to the shop. Fast forward, and we came to realise that the distances members were travelling were starting to make the group unviable. We therefore made the sensible decision to meet online permanently – which had the wonderful effect of everyone being able to join in,...

On a dull, dank day last winter, I went for a walk to get both my brain and my blood circulating, or at least semi-awakened, when I noticed this commemorative plaque of thanksgiving on a church wall in Bath.   As we've commemorated the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII this year, it got me thinking about the modern 'common peril’. That specific peril became increasingly obvious as Hitler transgressed national borders and all of Europe saw the danger as they were sucked into the 1939-45 conflict.   Doubtless, you will remember as I did, learning and studying this in school history lessons, back in the day.   Since then, countless books and films have used that dark period of our collective history as a backdrop to their narratives.   It still provides a rich seam of value for creative minds to mine. Now I’m wondering what our equivalent eighty years on might be.   What would we currently assign to the category of ‘common peril’. I’m not sure I have an answer, a...

I am not very organised in the mornings, but I do try to start my day by praying using Pete Greig’s Lectio 365 app to guide me. Friday’s was all about awe and wonder, focusing on the greatness of God from Psalm 65:6-8.  You establish the mountains by Your power, robed with strength. You silence the roar of the seas, the roar of their waves, and the tumult of the nations. Those who live far away are awed by Your signs; You make east and west shout for joy. After my prayers I had a very busy day with a leadership meeting in the morning and lunch out followed by preparing for yesterday’s ‘meet the author’ at the local craft fair. So I hardly had a moment to ponder those verses until early evening when my dog needed to go out. Feeling pressured by all I had to do, I took her for the shortest ever excursion down our drive and out onto our country road for her to sniff around. I grabbed my phone as I left the house, wanting to make the best of this little break from busyness and tak...

There are two crucial parts to every book you write. The first is the writing and completion of your manuscript and preparing it for acquisition and publication, and the second is everything that goes along with the production, marketing, sale, and distribution of your book. When you have completed your story, y ou want to edit your own work to produce a final draft that is as polished as you can make it prior to submission. Understand, however, that as much work as you do on the manuscript at this stage, it will only be the start of the editing process. If you are fortunate enough to be accepted by an agent or publisher, they will have their own views about how the book can be further improved. A good literary agent will often edit or critique a manuscript they are looking to take on and offer valuable suggestions to increase its marketability. They do not offer line-by-line edits or make rewrites. It is up to the author to incorporate the agent's suggested changes. You may not a...

Since writing about Bob Hartman’s online event on Children’s Books https://morethanwriters. blogspot.com/2025/05/parked-paul-by-nicky-wilkinson.html , I took his advice and released my mum from being bound to my narrative.  Now, she is having so much fun drawing and painting the illustrations, and the book is moving forward in leaps and bounds (the central character is a puppy!) This is great news for me, because I had been bogged down with the text. The challenge has shifted to reworking the text in the light of the illustrations; the drawings have become the story tellers. What joy! I love this companionship in writing; the shared responsibility, the contribution halved, the pace doubled.   Writing has the power to shape people’s thinking. I am currently reading Tom Holland’s Dominion. His premise is an interesting one; the way Christianity has shaped much of the western mindset persists long after the majority have been observant. Specifically, that human beings deserve d...