Last week I delivered a workshop on how to build writing confidence to a packed room. I mean, who doesn’t want to be more confident in their writing? I opened it with a quote from designer, writer and podcaster Debbie Millman, who said: “Confidence is the successful repetition of any…

When writers talk about their books, they often start with a story about their initial idea. I wrote about this time-honoured opener in last week’s newsletter. Now let’s move on to how they end. Unfortunately, this isn’t always in their control. Once the awkward introduction is out of the way…

When writers do promotional talks they often share the backstory of their book: where, when and how they were struck by a spark of inspiration. My lightbulb moment arrived at Lumb Bank, the Ted Hughes Arvon Centre for writing, the site of many creative inspirations. This week I returned to…

Oliver Burkeman believes current thinking about productivity is a trap. There is no such thing as the perfect time management approach or the ideal writing routine. Instead, he argues that accepting the limited time we have leads to liberation. …

To celebrate the launch of ‘Written: How to Keep Writing and Build a Habit That Lasts’ co-authors Bec Evans and Chris Smith explore what it means to be a writer with bestselling writer Oliver Burkeman, who wrote the foreword to the book. You can watch the video on YouTube. Welcome! Introducing Written: How to Keep Writing and Build a Habit That Lasts Bec…

Yesterday I had a writing day. I cleared my calendar, scheduled it in, met up with an author accountability buddy in the most perfect literary library, and I spent the whole day — not writing. It was the most productive writing day I’d had in months. The riddle of not writing As a coach specialising…

What-if thinking is a powerful tool for writers. It helps novelists create new worlds to shine a light on how we live now. Speculating about the future is not just the preserve of science fiction writers — it can be helpful for all writers as they plan their writing goals…

I thought I knew about resilience. For the last decade I’ve been studying writing habits and how writers keep going. After a bereavement, I started to see things differently. It turns out I was wrong about what it means to be resilient. …

Everything you need to know about working with beta readers — who they are, the benefits of using them and practical tips on how to recruit, brief and communicate with them. It’s publishing folklore — how JK Rowling was famously rejected by multiple publishers before Bloomsbury took on Harry Potter…