So as you know I’ve now got a baby, and it probably won’t surprise you at all to hear that this means finding time to write is trickier than ever. I seem to be getting a few windows of opportunity at the end of the day but these windows seem to be quickly filled with doing the writing that pays the bills (necessary) and feeling extraordinarily tired (unavoidable). But rather than waiting until my little boy has grown up – although that sometimes seems the easiest solution to the “when …

If you’re a writer, you’ve probably been directed towards the I Write Like website recently, it seems to be doing the rounds. It’s an interesting gimmick – you take a chunk of your writing, paste it into a box, and the site figures out which famous writer your style is most similar too.
I thought I’d try it out with my Bratislava novel draft. Given that I’ve tried really hard to have three different voices there, with alternating chapters narrated by three different characters (three very different characters, I had hoped), …

Ha ha. Tricked myself. I’ve been hunting around on this site for my May book of the month post, taking quite some time to realise there wasn’t one because I didn’t finish any books in May. Oh, how depressing. I did, however, finish a book in June. So I’m combining those months, and giving you an update on my writing progress during that time, all in one (probably pretty brief) post.
The good news is that my beautiful time-drainer has just hit three months of age and is sleeping a lot …

Now and again I’m asked to review a book on this site; sometimes I agree, sometimes I don’t (because sometimes the books sound really bad. Even if I don’t like them, I still have to read them!). When I was asked to review Peter Meltzer’s second edition of The Thinker’s ThesaurusI agreed immediately because it sounded interesting, but also because I was a little bit skeptical, a combination which normally makes for a balanced review, right?
I remember as a child having a copy of Roget’s Thesaurus that my mother or …

There’s nothing worse than reading a novel and coming across a factual error.
I’ll always remember reading a book-I-won’t-name where the narrator explained about where my hometown, Perth, was situated, and what you would reach if you travelled in each direction, as the crow flies. For some reason, the narrator had us hitting the west coast of Africa instead of the east, and it bugged me so much – I re-read the section three times to be sure I had understood correctly – that it tainted my opinion of the whole …

Back in January, I read an obituary for American crime fiction writer Robert Parker. The headline labelled him a “prolific author” so I was immediately intrigued, even though I have to admit I’d never heard of him (is he famous out there in genre land? Sorry, I’m a bit ignorant sometimes!). The article says he was among the top ten best-selling authors in the world, so obviously I really am showing my ignorance by not knowing him.
Prolific equaled 65 books in 37 years, something I can’t help but admire, because even …

I’m always curious about what kind of things people are searching for when they land on the Becoming A Fiction Writer blog, and luckily Google helps me out well there by providing detailed stats on exactly that. As you’d expect, the vast majority of people are searching on phrases like “being a novel writer” or “how to become a fiction writer”, and I hope they find something of use here.
But somewhat surprisingly, I think, is the fact that I’ve just noticed quite a few readers arrive here by searching …

I’m not sure why it is that online college websites are obsessed with making lists of resources for writers – last year a similar site put together a list of Top 100 Creative Writing blogs and featured Becoming A Fiction Writer on it – but I’m glad they do it, because these lists are actually full of useful and interesting sites.
Recently someone from the Online Degree site emailed me to let me know about their list of 100 Online Resources That Will Make You A Better Writer. I don’t usually …

There are great writers, and then there are great writers who use annoying local dialect in their dialogue which makes it really annoying to read. If you’re a loyal reader with a good memory you’ll know that a while ago I abandoned Irvine Welsh novels because of his (as perceived by me) overuse of Scottish dialect that was difficult to understand. (He’s the guy who wrote Trainspotting, among others, if you’re not sure.)
So, here’s the thing: Irvine Welsh, who I do think is a great writer apart from this flaw, …

You might remember how my mother solved my “shower thinking” problem by finding me some waterproof notebooks which I can use to jot down ideas that come to me while I am in the shower. Well, there are now two more things I have to tell you today about waterproof notebooks. Who would’ve thought it was such an important topic?
First off, I’ve discovered yet another great use for waterproof notebooks for fiction writers. Or for any writers, I guess. Thanks to some lovely pregnancy-related dramas (pelvis problems and leg swelling, …