In light of last week’s very informative guest blog from Morgen Bailey on overcoming writers’ block, I’ve been thinking about ways I deal with my frustrations. One of them is to take time out from writing and express myself through another art form (however badly!). If you would like to try this yourself, read about why I enjoy being useless at the clarinet. Do you find doing something else helps you with your writing? If so, let us know!
Archive for January, 2012
I’ve recently been interviewed by the prolific book blogger, Morgen Bailey about my literary thriller The Peace Garden. In the interview she asked me if I ever experience writers’ block. I said ‘no, I never have. I’m full of ideas; my problem is finding the time to get them all out.’ It also reminded me of the time I was interviewed for The Christian Writer. I was asked if I needed to ‘wait for the muse to arrive’ before I started writing. I said no, I’m too busy to waste my precious writing time which is already under threat by other work and parenting responsibilities. When I’m given the gift of time I just get down and write. And if the muse did arrive? I’d ask her to go down stairs and do the dishes! But does this mean writers’ block isn’t a genuine problem for other writers? As Morgen Bailey has just published a book on this very subject, I thought she would be a good person to ask … Continue reading ‘Overcoming writers’ block’
I’ve recently read The Long Song by Angela Levy. Set in the twilight years of slavery in Jamaica, this passionate and witty novel is a masterclass in writing historical fiction. To read my review, visit my new author blog. To learn more about how to write historical fiction, Ruth Downie, author of the Ruso Roman mystery novels, did a series of guest blogs for The Crafty Writer a couple of years ago:
- Writing Historical Fiction 1 – Creating your historical world.
- Writing Historical Fiction 2 – Doing the research.
- Writing Historical Fiction 3 – Using fact in fiction.
If you enjoy reading books like The Long Song and the Ruso series you will also enjoy my literary thriller, The Peace Garden, which deals with the aftermath of the Soweto Riots and its repercussions in the lives of two young lovers. To find out more, read Ruth Downie’s review of The Peace Garden.
