May 22, 2011
In a recent interview, Phillip Reeve (author of the Mortal Engines quartet, and the Larklight series) made this statement in relation to his waning interest in Steampunk: “As for the current Steampunk fad for faux-Victorian […]
March 14, 2011
I’m working on a new novel involving a dual personality, so I’m doing a lot of research into mirrors, perception and point of view, but it has taught me something interesting about writing in general. […]
January 14, 2011
After two days with hardly any sleep (trying to do too much as usual), I finally hit the sack at 6 am this morning, just as normal people were heading off to work, and woke […]
November 28, 2010
NaNoWriMo is almost over, many of you have already reached your 50K goals, and some of you still have a way to go. But wherever you are in the game, 50K isn’t a novel unless […]
October 29, 2010
With NaNoWriMo just around the corner, a few of you asked me to talk about how I develop ideas into plotlines. Ah, yes, such an easy thing to explain… not. Because everyone has their own […]
October 21, 2010
I just had to share this with you because I love it so much. Of course it’s London, my home town, which helps. But I adore the professor flying on his penny farthing, and his […]
October 19, 2010
Today I’m guest posting for Teen Read Week over at the super-popular Reading Teen blog with one of my recent rants on books for boys. Am I flattered to have been asked? Absolutely. Though I’m feeling […]
August 1, 2010
I’ve been spending the weekend at the SCBWI 2010 Summer Conference and yesterday listened to Nick Eliopulos’ session on writing, illustrating and publishing graphic novels, a segment of the publishing industry I know pretty much […]
July 20, 2010
Look at old editions of Treasure Island, Kidnapped, or any number of books from earlier eras and the cover illustrations make it clear from the outset that they don’t pander to girls at all. They […]
July 1, 2010
I love the story that I’m writing, but I often worry that I don’t have the talent to do it justice. Every time that thought really begins to gnaw at my enthusiasm, I remind myself […]
June 21, 2010
Have any of you tried blogging or tweeting on behalf of one of your characters? I’ve started writing a Tumblr for Rowena, my protagonist’s love interest, who lives in a place that can access (and be […]
June 3, 2010
During tonight’s #ScribeChat we’re discussing how to edit your manuscript, and one of my bibles for self-revision is a wonderful book by Elizabeth Lyon, MANUSCRIPT MAKEOVER, in which she states that: “Understanding and reflecting dramatic […]