In my class on Writing Romantic Comedy last week, we discussed recognisable tropes, and when they were comforting and when they veered into stereotype. Don't get me wrong, I love a trope. Give me a 'hate-to-love' romantic pairing, forced to share a room with only one bed in the middle of a storm in December …
Mid-list authors and the curse of invisibility
I was at a conference this week, where I happened to mention I was an author. The person I spoke to immediately asked: 'Ah, self published?' Dear reader, this is not the first time this has been said to me, automatically. It also takes a superhuman sort of strength not to deny this vehemently, and …
Continue reading "Mid-list authors and the curse of invisibility"
Anxiety, Curiosity and Writing Fiction
I have had this feeling for a while now, that being anxious is actually part of writing. It's both a cure and a cause. For me, anxious thoughts start in the same way my ideas do...with 'what if'. Sometimes those 'what ifs' are bad and disturbing and upsetting. What if everyone I love dies? What …
The unexpected complexity of a perfect romantic comedy
We all know the snobbishness the genre faces. People think romcoms are 'frothy', 'easy' and 'all the same'. They make judgements about the readers and their intelligence levels. Even more so, those judgements apply to the writers. But those of us who love, read and write romantic comedies know just how powerful they can be. …
Continue reading "The unexpected complexity of a perfect romantic comedy"
The death of the author in a world of influencers
Do you remember the days, before Twitter, Instagram, or even the internet, when the only thing you knew about your favourite author was the list of books they wrote and whatever they had written on the bio inside the book cover? I didn’t know anything about my favourite authors except how their voices sounded on …
Continue reading "The death of the author in a world of influencers"
Toxic relationships in fiction: what’s going on?
Toxic relationship stories are having a bit of a moment, and whether it’s realising that your partner is a gaslighting piece of shit, or coming to terms with life after a controlling ex, the stories to be told are varied and powerful. The main books I’ve read that have covered this of late can often …
Continue reading "Toxic relationships in fiction: what’s going on?"
Satisfying female narratives: do women get what they deserve?
I was having a think about the end of Game of Thrones (again). Now, wherever you stand on the final few episodes of one of the most popular television shows in recent years, I think we can all agree that endings matter. I'm not sure anything is capable of evoking such disappointment or elation as …
Continue reading "Satisfying female narratives: do women get what they deserve?"
Is being an author bad for your health?
I know, I know, I've spent the last five years talking about the health benefits of writing. And I stand by that. Getting to write, express your feelings, explore ideas and taking the time to create instead of consuming can have huge benefits. But the actual job of writing a book can have a negative …
Mid-list, A-list, Z-list: what type of author are you?
No one wants to think of themselves as not being a priority. No one wants to think they're not as good as someone else, or worse, that they're just as good as someone else but not being recognised. There's been some interesting chats on social over the weekend about the value of marketing in an …
Continue reading "Mid-list, A-list, Z-list: what type of author are you?"
When writing full time isn’t the goal…
It's meant to be the dream, isn't it? Being a full time writer has a level of authority - you're good enough to survive, you must be doing a good job! But one of the problems with the publishing industry and writing in general is that there's so much of a disconnect around what writers …
