WRITING RECENTLY about my mental health crisis and the long, torturous path to recovery was challenging, to say the least. The story was raw, deeply personal, and not an easy one to share—or, I imagine, to read. So in this post, and as a postscript to my previous one — ‘The Raven’ — I’d like …
This morning I once again felt the lure of the open road. Prompted by clear skies and warm, summer sunshine, I pumped-up my bike's tyres and took to the tarmac. Heading out of my home village, I entered the maze of near-deserted North Lincolnshire backroads. There, flanked by lush hedgerows and verdant verges, I followed …
Today I upload Chapter Thirteen of my debut novel for young readers, 'The Door to Caellfyon'. This is the book's final chapter. It is not, however, the end of the story. When I completed my first draft back in 2015, my initial flush of satisfaction at completing this, my largest project to date, was tempered …
Today I add here the penultimate chapter of 'The Door to Caellfyon', my novel for young readers. I apologise for the tardiness of this latest instalment. The role of political activist and freedom fighter can be a tad busy at times and, with the UK's puppet-government once again playing the role of silly buggers, last …
In her excellent manual for would-be novelists Donna Levin covers all those elements you'd expect to see in such a guide, including the subject of originality. In support of her sound advice she includes a quote from American author Rita Mae Brown: 'Rita Mae Brown said, "The novel is a work of a single, unified …
Following my previous brief foray into the dark and sordid world of politics, current affairs and crimes against humanity, this post sees a welcome return to the more palatable subject of fiction writing. It also accompanies the long-overdue upload of a further instalment of my children's novel, The Door to Caellfyon. In Chapters Nine and …
Characters are people who just happen to live in stories and books.Jesse Lee Kercheval It is said that fiction is about people. If you don’t have good characters you don’t have good fiction. Story characters must think, aspire, love, cry and feel pain (or cause it). They're expected to perform heroic deeds, or perhaps base …
In the parlance of NaNoWriMo, fiction writers fall within one of two categories: PlannersPantsters Planners, as the name suggests, plan their works of fiction in advance - their plot, sub-plots, character arcs, settings and so on. Of course, there are planners of varying degrees, from those who simply sketch out the basics to those who …
In his book 'On Writing - A Memoir of the Craft' horror writer Stephen King gives an account of his early years and his inexplicable urge to be a story teller. He also offers practical advice to writers, whether they be beginners or seasoned wordsmiths. This includes his own recommendations on how to eliminate distractions. …
Today I upload Chapter Five in the continuing serialisation of 'The Door to Caellfyon' my debut novel aimed at the nine to eleven-year age group. I’ve already revealed elsewhere on this site those things that have inspired the writing of this tale. However, there has been far more than just literary influences poured into each …
RAVEN MOON 