Change of path

So as many of you were aware I had been put forward for an erotica contract with my story Alpha Dance (Click link). You’re probably also aware that my partner of 5 years is applying for the army. That threw me into a huge tail spin (sorry all who got caught in that) which lead to huge amount of frustration and a ‘half writers block’ as O.T put it! Anyway – After thinking on this for a good two weeks I made the decision last night to decline the contract and focus else where.

My passion really is contemporary fantasy writing. Erotica is a bit of fun here and there but not something I can throw myself into at the moment. I don’t want huge amounts of pressure from a publisher, promotion/marketing on top of my partner going into the army. This means I’m trying to write Red Spiral and will probably try and hone my poetry a bit more. Yes, this means I’ll be bugging you wonderful people for feedback and collab’s!

I may as well use this to tell you a little about my plans for Red Spiral hadn’t I? So R.S is a contemporary fantasy/dark fantasy/supernatural/low fantasy/*insert a few other sub-genres* There are so many bloody sub-genres within the fantasy label I’ve given up! Ahem. Anyway. It’s set in modern day England, probably in an urban setting. Told from first person perspective you’ll follow my angel as he’s kicked from the higher plane and has his wings torn from him. He’ll adjust to his new life and go into a downward spiral of self destruction until.. well, read it and find out. I wouldn’t want to give away too much now would I?

Motivation

Motivation is one of those key ingredients to get us anywhere and to do anything. Without motivation we’d just sit around and turn into a pile of goo. That may sound a little dramatic but think about this -

If you didn’t have the motivation to eat, you wouldn’t. You’d wouldn’t bother going to work, walking your dog, etc. However, we’re not here to talk about walking our dogs. I want to make you think what really motivates you to write and why. Once you understand that you can turn it to your advantage – the key to life is understanding.

Now lets say that you believe your motivation to write is so that you can be a published author. Why exactly do you want to be a published author? Is it because you want the popularity and money? The acclaim from your respected and esteemed peers? Or just because you want to be able to do what you love every day?

Let’s then break that down a little bit. So, you want to be published for the popularity and money. Why writing? There are plenty of other jobs and vocations which will bring you those things. You could be a famous sports person or singer. Are you sure that’s the only reason you push yourself with your writing? Then, are you using that to your advantage? If that’s your route then surely getting yourself into those big competitions and going down that route would work best for you. Where as if you’re doing it for the acclaim then perhaps getting into some good review circles and pushing to improve and hone your craft is your better route.

Of course they’re not the only forms of motivation here. There’s another side to this motivation malarky as well – if you understand what your’s is and where it comes from, you have a better chance of dragging it back when it runs away to the circus. I’ll use myself as an example. I want to be published because I absolutely adore writing, I would love to make my life from it. My motivation on the smaller level however is pressure. Then there’s the fact I’m pretty proud and very stubborn (I’m a leo). You’re probably think, ok, great… and?

My point here is, my friends know this about me. So, they use this to push me back into writing when I fall off the wagon and complain. I expect they do it because they get fed up hearing me whine that I can’t write but hey, that’s what friends are for! The way in which my friends get me back into writing is usually the form of a challenge. I just can’t quite help myself, it’s very rare that I can turn down a challenge. Take last night for example. While talking to J.S. Wayne about how I can’t write (writers block, evil plague it is) I doodled down a random scene. Of course he jumped on me, pointing out if I could write that I can damn well write!

Anyway, cutting to the point! We both did nanowrimo last year and the same people are setting up a deal where you can do the crazy novel writing during any month, not just November. As June as 30 days there’s talk of that being the next one coming up. That lead him to lay down the challenge – we’d see who had the highest word count on midnight of June 30th. Now, I’m pretty hot headed and impatient so I smirked back at him and changed that. I can’t help myself, I suppose I thrive on the pressure and the challenge. This has now resulted in us seeing who can write the most words over the next week. The goal is 25,000 words. The catch? The work must be good enough quality to submit to Noble romance publishing (the publisher we’re both with) within 30 days after the week’s up. The forfeit? Whoever loses will be writing a story of the other person’s choice. Minimum 6,000 words. Must be ready to submit to Noble within 30 days. The referee to stop us sneaking a few words in and generally cheating – our mutual friend R. Renee Vickers.

I’ll be honest here.. I feel a little sorry for Renee, this is the 2nd challenge she’s now ref’d for us. I’m sure she loves it really though!

So there you have it. My motivation is pressure and a good challenge, what’s your’s?

Writer’s block

This is a topic which comes up again and again within a writer’s little world. It’s something which has been covered many millions of times. That however doesn’t change the fact it’s something I’ve been suffering from.

Now there are two main views on this topic either -

It’s something entirely real. Something which strikes at a writer and damns them to a place worse than hell.

On the other hand, some professional writers are of the view it’s just people whining. At the end of the day, you have to write to earn your money. So, block or no block, you sit down and write.

I’m not here to give you some magic cure to this or some fantastic new insight. I’m just giving you a little view into my world and my experiences with writers block to date. I’m one of these where things have to be right for me to be able to write. I have a lot of trouble focusing so little things while quite easily distract me. Fortunately, I write very quickly so that comfortabley compensates for my focus problems.

Recently, well over the past few months I’ve had some major changes and upsets within my private life. There’s been a lot going on, some have been fantastic such as getting my first horse – my beautiful Ziggy’s a 22 month old arab x who was abandoned in a field to starve. Other changes haven’t been so great. Yet, isn’t this what us writers thrive on? I can’t remember the proper quote but a famous writer once said that we live for the ups and downs because they produce our stories. Some people panic in the face of a zombie apocolypse, we grab a pen and notepad and write down exactly what it really looks and feels like to run away from a one legged zombie!

So how come when I myself was faced with some (rather less drastic) changes, I shut down? I’m a writer, shouldn’t I have seized my chance to get down some juicy drama? No. See, although writers really are a strange sub-breed of human, quite often thought to be linked to hominus-nocturnas (when have you ever seen a writer during the daylight?), we’re still people, humans (barely human perhaps, but human non-the-less). This is probably a pep-talk aimed at myself but anyway.

The point is – take the pressure off yourself. Stop pushing yourself so hard and remember you’re still a person. When you’re ready, take your time.

There are some good methods to get yourself back into writing. You have to figure out what’s wrong with you in the first place though. Personally, I’d guess you have some emotional baggage or back-log you need to clear, but that’s just me. Then once that’s out of the way you have to get yourself back into the habbit. See, as many writers have said many a time – writing is like a muscle. You have to build it up, work at it, refine it, etc. If you’ve had 3 months off, you need to ease yourself back in.

Take the pressure off yourself. Forget about that mean little inner editor (or outter editor if you’re published), don’t worry about your half-finished series, just write for the hell of it. Throw out a 10 page description covering every dreamy detail of your favourite celeb! Write a deeply sadistic scene about your arch nemesis! It really doesn’t matter what you write, that comes later. You have to remember that if you don’t enjoy writing, it just isn’t going to happen.

If you want to get anywhere with writing – you have to love it.  The thing is, writing is like owning horses, it’s not a hobby it’s a way of life.

Time management

Now this is something everyone needs to learn – writers really aren’t an exception to this.

The number of times I’ve seen friends running round like headless chickens because they have 300 deadlines and everything’s all last second. The important thing to remember though is ‘more speed, less haste’. When you try to rush through something you’re far more likely to waste your time and make mistakes. Time is precious, so take a little more of it, prepare properly and it’ll work out far better in the long run.

The thing that got me thinking on this was speaking to another writer friend. We were talking about a couple of upcoming competitions we both intend on entering. We both suddenly realised that we only have a month left to enter. On top of this, we both have full time jobs, I have horses to care for too. Then I also have to write my erotica, my poetry, etc. The immediate reaction was one of panic, oh gods how the hell am I going to get all this done?

Two minutes of calm and breathe solved the problem. First things first, prioritise. You need to be cold, harsh and logical about what really needs to be done first. Then sit down and realistically look at how much time you have to give to each of your projects. Realistic is the key here, don’t try and give yourself 8 hours to write complex sci-fi after you’ve already done your 9-5 job. Don’t forget to give yourself little breaks and treats, the last thing you need is to burn out half way through the madness.

Remain calm! Once the panic sets in your brain shuts down and you’re really quite useless. Next – prepare properly! If you know that you like to drink coffee and pick at jelly beans while you write then make sure you have an adequate supply close to hand before you begin. Wandering off to get your fix half-way through an important thought will kill your flow. This also applies to warning those around you that you desperately absolutely Must write without any interuptions for the next two hours – otherwise the world will self destruct and they will spend the rest of eternity in purgortory. Yes, that’s a little dramatic but we’re writers! We’re expected to push the boat out and get the point across.

So. You’re in your favourite writing spot, you have your drink, your munchies and a time-table for toilet breaks. The rest of the house-hold is on lockdown so you’re good to go! Make sure you have your head in the right place to do this. Before you settle down to write take a few minutes to clear your mind of the usual work crap and wander down into your writing place. Once you’re there, enjoy getting into the flow and writing to your heart’s content. Keep to your plans! If you had planned on writing 2,000 words without even a stroke of editing – shut that inner- editor down in the torture chamber and hide the key!

Now, your time is up. The alarm has gone – yes using an alarm is a very good idea. You have to be strict with yourself! If you allowed yourself 2 hours, stick to that. The writing is done, congratulate yourself and walk away. Shut down your mind and completely relax for the rest of the night. I know it’s very hard for a writer to shut down but everything has to be balanced! Just take a deep breath. Enjoy your favourite treat, then go spend some quality time else where. This is the best way to keep yourself fresh, organised and on the top of your game.

The key points -

Be organised.

Be strict.

Remain positive! Stay calm!

Enjoy what you’re doing and keep the balance.

It’ll be hard, especially at first. It’ll be worth it in the long run.

Who do you write for…?

I’ve been on a break from for a while now – for a time there I seriously wanted to quit. I just didn’t want to write ever again; I’d lost any and all pleasure I gained from it. After plenty of friends telling me I absolutely, under no circumstances can quit writing I reluctantly started poking at the idea again.

This week just gone has been a mix of fantastic and thoroughly bleh! The weather has been glorious with clear blue skies and temperatures between 75 – 90F! I don’t think I’ve ever known such a fantastic April! On top of that, I got my first horse! The logical and sensible choice would have been a nice ‘been there done everything’ schoolmaster. Instead, Ziggy is (we think) a 2 year old wild colt (stallion). On the bleh side of things – I contracted a chest infection which resulted in me not sleeping all week due to coughing. I then got heatstroke while sat on the beach Friday and my hayfever was ridiculous Saturday!

However, I am coming round to the title and point of this post! A friend actually kind of hit it on the head for me about 10 days ago. He told me to stop worrying and just write for me! I had been pushing myself to try and write various things effectively for other people that I’d lost the love of writing for myself.

I don’t think I’m the first and I’m certainly not the last writer to fall into that trap. Particularly when we start pushing to try and get published. Once you’re published and you’re being paid – there’s a lot more pressure and you have to write for your audience rather than just for your own pleasure. You can’t forget that if you don’t enjoy it, neither will your readers. The simple fact remains you have to write for yourself first and foremost – if you really love that story/poem the chances are you’ll put more of yourself into it thus producing a much better product.

Now personally – I’ve got a few stories on the go in the back of my mind. I did a collab on a poem with Tommy which was a lot of fun. Although my erotica looks as though it’s going to be picked up by the publisher I’m quite chilled. I’m enjoying taking time for me, pottering about and recovering from these stupid illnesses!

Yes, when you’re published you’re turning writing into a job but remember to keep it fun and write for yourself! The moment you start loosing that is when it’ll all go wrong and you’ll crash. Keep switching things around, try something new, do something frivolous and purely for yourself. Also, take a break! You’re still human not a machine, you cannot push through and demand too much of yourself – it’ll only bite you on the ass!

While you’re at it, remember to help out your fellow writers. A few helpful and honest reviews go a long way, taking the time to beta read for someone or even play around with a fun collaboration. Give a newbie a shoulder to cry on and help them learn from your mistakes – we’re all in this together and that support network is so important. If nothing else, and you really are icy of heart – think of it as networking rather than offering help!

Remember to write for yourself, enjoy it, and keep it fresh. The rest will follow from there.

Write what you know..

That’s one of those adages which writers get drilled into them pretty early on. However – it soon becomes quite apparent that if everyone did that we’d never have sci-fi, fantasy, historical fiction or horror!

So where does the line get drawn? Part of the point of writing is to be creative and use your imagination to create something new. As with most things you just have to be logical and sensible about all this. Lets start with those things which you can get away with. Elves – everyone loves a nice elf! The chances are you’ve never met one but if you use simple logic and knowledge of humans you can form yourself a pointy eared human – sorry.. elf.

This same approach can be applied to so many things. So you’ve never been in a sword fight? Head outside and play with a garden cane or longish stick. Swing it around, see how you alter your weight and use all that. It’s not exactly the same but it’ll help keep that realism within your work. Don’t forget, your readers will suspend disbelief but don’t push it!

The concept and ideas are quite simple. Do your research – you can’t effectively write about something you don’t truly understand. That to my mind is most likely where this entire adage came from, if you haven’t experienced it how can you write about it properly?

That brings me round to those things which you just can’t write about without having experienced them. Love and sex. It really does make me smile when flash writers and attention seekers try and write about those two topics. You can read about them both as much as you like but until you’ve actually been there and felt them – you’re not going to be able to do it justice. However that brings me round to the interesting trend I’ve found within erotica writing. There are a good number of women writing fantastic Yaoi or male/male erotica. This to me shows how you can take what you have experienced and twist it into something else in a realistic and effective manner. Women can take their experiences of penetrative sex and move it into what they do.

Think about it, research it, twist it and make it your’s.

Positive reinforcement and writers

Positive reinforcement is a technique used to increase the occurance of desired behaviour.

 

I’m a dog trainer – predominantly a clicker trainer. This means that I use positive reinforcement and related concepts and techniques to train and communicate with the dogs. Now don’t be put off by that, they’re all techniques and theories which can be (and often are) applied to people too.

The basis is this – reward what you like, ignore what you don’t. So you’re sat there thinking “How the hell… does that possibly relate to me and writing!?”

Well; I’m coming to that.

Let’s say you’ve set yourself a deadline for that latest short story, you have an editor breathing down your neck, the stress is mounting. When everything crashes down around your ears, you panic, throw a hissy and the stress gathers even because you missed your deadline on top of everything else. You find yourself feeling tired, drained, writing has lost it’s fun and passion. You’re even considering quitting and saying “Sod it!”.

That’s an example of negative reinforcement. This is where you add something negative into the environment to reinforce the point that that behaviour was wrong – i.e you beat yourself up because you missed your deadline thus making yourself feel like crap.

Now let’s go back to the original scenario. This time, you congratulate yourself for getting down 2,000 words out of the 3,000 word short story. Yes, you’ve still missed the deadline but you have a fantastic start that won’t even need too much polishing. You give your editor the heads up and take a bit of time to relax and soak up the joy of having that awesome start. So, you’re in the same position but you feel a hell of a lot better about yourself. You rewarded yourself for all the hardwork you’ve done rather than punishing yourself for the goal you missed. It wasn’t your fault your bath-tub randomly caught fire while your budgie keeled over!

Use this all to your advantage. Focus on the positive and push yourself to achieve sensible goals. Once you’ve achieved them reward yourself with something of worthy value. For example writing 500 words could get you a bit of chocolate where as completing that story a day ahead of schedule could bring you a nice takeaway and a DVD. You’ll find more pleasure in writing, less pressure and stress upon yourself and hell, you might even smile!

Breeds of writer

Writers come in a variety of shapes and sizes. This guide is designed to help you identify them and their habbits. If you see any of them please approach with caution; chocolate and caffeine are usually good distractions to allow safe passage.

First we have the cafe writer; these are very closely linked to attention seekers.

Cafe writer -
These are probably the easiest to identify and the first thing which comes to mind when someone mentions a writer. Their preferred territory is that of coffee houses. They place themselves at a table which is visible from the majority of the shop; and furiously scribble away on their notepad or type on their laptop while drinking a few gallons of coffee. There is a strong chance they’re writing their shopping list but their goal is to draw in unsuspecting prey. Do Not approach – unless you wish to be berated and scalded, before they drag you down into the murky depths of false writers and wannabes.

Attention seekers -
Contrary to popular belief these don’t just come in teenage forms, there are many much older writers who failed to evolve from this state. Attention seekers use a wide range of lures to drag people into their little world. They’re drawn to writing poetry but shouldn’t be confused with poets. You will most likely hear their sobs and screams before you see them, as they claim that the entire world is against them and no-one bothers to look at their work. Some more mature and experienced writers have been known to try and aid these creatures. Unfortunately they lost limbs when they attempted to give constructive criticism and help them to improve their craft.

Poets -
Poets are a curious and interesting species – they have evolved an entirely different view on the world from the rest of humanity. You’re most likely to find a poet in some obscure place out in nature muttering about metaphors and meter. Prose writers should be aware that although stepping into the world of the poet is a magical experience – it will soon turn into an addiction. Where as before a tree was a tree it will transform into a solidified life-force fighting for it’s place in the sky. You don’t need drugs people; just a little of what those poets are having! Oh wait..

Weekend warriors -
This particular species act and appear to be normal folk until the stroke of 5pm on a Friday evening. Once their day job comes to an end for the week the transformation begins! Notebooks spring from hidden places, and they become glued to the computer as they get down the ideas streaming from their minds at a frightening pace. It is best not to go near the sacred space of these critters until 9am Monday morning when they return to normal.

Serious author -
A dark and devious bunch. They have been known to hoarde secret stashes of note-books and pens. They can sneak off away from work to scribble down ideas on anything closely resembling paper. Be wary around them, anything you say or do could well be taken and placed into a story or poem! Although they’re rarely away from their computers or notebooks, when on their research expeditions no-one is safe!

The paranoid –
These are absolutely determined that everyone is out to steal their fantastic ideas. The majority of their time is spent argueing with people about copyright and claiming theft of their work, as they try to find fresh and new ways to protect their precious. It’s best to avoid these completely at all costs. If you were to mention the existance of another blonde haired blue eyed woman, you would find yourself suffering a lawsuit for theft of one of their characters! ….You have been warned.

Haters –
A rather sad and pathetic bunch. They live in an alternate world where by they are the most gifted and wonderful writers ever born to this Earth. As such they believe it is their duty to cut down and criticise anyone, and everyone who dares also attempt to write. Unfortunately; they’re usually lacking in any form of talent or intellect – just walk away. You can’t fight them; they’ll just drag you down to their level and beat you with experience!

The Author –
The holy-grail within the writers. These are those who have ‘made it’. They are often considered in a god-like manner amongst other writers. Don’t be suprised to see them turning lead to gold and walking on water!

Groupies –
Where there is any sign of aclaim there will always be groupies. Writing is no different. These are small collections of writers who stalk fellow writers, often authors which they admire. They hope desperately that by following them, and being within some sort of close proximity -  the fame and talent will rub off on them. Do not speak badly of their chosen idol around them – they think nothing of fighting to the death.

Copy-Cats –
These are writers who lack imagination; and believe that copying fellow writers ( particularly the classics) will make them good writers too. They often feel they’re the leading expert on their chosen range from which they copy. They’re best given a wide berth – throw a collection of classics at them and run!

Undercover writer –
Potentially the most dangerous of the lot! These creatures camoflage themselves so as to appear like normal people. They could be your next door neighbour, your teacher, your milkman.. Keep your eyes peeled for any mistakes and slip-ups, have you ever heard them mumbling under their breath about main characters or iambic pentameter? Beware! You can never be too sure!

Flash Writers -
A curious form of writer who produce a huge number of books with remarkably short chapters (often no longer than 50 words). They have a tendency to write the same story with different names – each book being along the lines of a young teenage couple breaking up before getting back together again. Technicalities such as grammar are thrown out of the window  – as they don’t need such ‘restrictions’  for their masterpieces. They’re quite often found with flocks of baby groupies who gush over their ‘books’. Each flock of baby groupies usually being formed of fellow flash writers.

Prose writers -
These can be truly scary if you dare mention the unspeakable concept – that their characters aren’t in fact real. Not only are the characters and world real to these writers; but they are waging war upon their poor writer. They’re quite often found wearing wigs after having torn their hair out, over the on going debate whether to be to the point and keep the flow – or risk the flow and add in some description. Don’t even get them started on dialogue, and the fights they’ve had with their characters over the plot and outlines!

The genres -

Erotica -
These funny little folk will be found anywhere linked to sex. Did you see that mousy little woman tucked up the corner of your local fetish club last weekend? The one peering around before writing down things on a pink notepad? Yes! She’s one of them! What about the time you thought you saw the curtains twitch last time you made love to your sweetheart? Don’t think they’re below looking through people’s bedroom window. If there’s sex there they won’t be far away!

Horror -
A dark and gory breed. They’re most likely to be found deep in dungeons, or bullying a geneticist for the latest progress towards forming super zombies. Forever on the hunt for the biggest, scariest thing ever known to man – they will stop at nothing. They’re often on the look out for fresh victims to try out new torture methods, and scary new ways to kill normal people. Don’t follow the trail of chocolates… it is a trap!

Fantasy -
Fantasy writers live in their own little world. They’re not such a threat to people as they don’t frequent this plane of existance very often. They far prefer their own created universe to this one. Wear armour when trying to approach these folk, and brush up on your elvish!

Romance -
Often surrounded by chirping birds and random floating hearts, these are harmless. They walk around with rose-tinted glasses and see the beauty in everything. If you’re having a bad day sitting near one of these airy romantics may cheer you up.

Sci-Fi -
Most likely to be found trying to figure out how to form a nanobot army, or graft a cyborg limb onto themselves. Look out for new and unusual strains of aliens, randomly appearing black-holes and don’t believe them if they say it’ll feel like a pin-prick! They’re like horror writers, and always looking for new victims to experiment on. If you like yourself in a human body – then I strongly suggest you steer clear.

Beta readers

Beta reader – a kindly soul who reads through a writer’s manuscript, for free and gives them constructive feedback.

A beta reader usually isn’t as harsh as a professional editor but they give thorough feedback on where ever you need it at that time. They’re a writer’s best friend, incredibly illusive and often not truly appreciated! These people are an absolute god send to writers particularly those of us who’re mad enough to be trying to get novels published. They take a lot of their free time to sift through our insane manuscripts and give us the feedback we crave so badly.

Finding a good beta reader can be a nightmare! You need someone who will give you appropriate and thorough feedback, within a sensible amount of time while not completely destroying your manuscript and confidence. There lies part of the problem, the best beta readers are quite often writers themselves so they understand exactly what you need from them. There’s no point having someone shred your grammar and technical points when you present them with a first draft! That’s when you need to know the bones of the piece work before you start polishing it. Do the characters seem believeable? Does it flow? Is the pace ok? They’re the kind of things the beta reader needs to have in mind.

However, on the other side of the coin the writer needs to remember that beta reader is worth their weight in gold! They’re most likely taking time off from their own busy writing schedule to read and re-read your manuscript so they can best help you improve it and produce a top quality piece. A lot of time, effort and thought goes into a beta reader’s analysis – be appreciative of that. Don’t try and push them and bully them into reading it faster! So what if they haven’t read your 12th chapter and it’s been an entire 4 days, give them a chance!

Do you know the best thing you can offer your beta reader in return for all their effort? Be their beta reader in return. The chances are they’ve got some manuscript which they’ve been dying to find another set of eyes for but just haven’t found a suitable person yet. If we all help each other out, take some time to read and review each other’s work and help everyone around us progress then this whole thing will be far easier, more fun and you’ll make some awesome friends along the way! So the next time you’re stomping around whining and grumping that no-one reads your work and you desperately need a beta reader just think – when was the last time you took the time to read and review other people’s work?

That’s something I’ve seen quite a lot on the amateur writer’s community I’m a member of. People whine and throw hissy fits because no-one reviews their work and yet they make no effort to go out and review other people. It’s all part of the cycle people! At the end of the day, you get what you give. Also remember, it’s self promotion. By reviewing other people in a constructive and friendly manner you’re getting your name out there and encouraging them to review you in return. Win win!

To sum up -

A good beta reader is worth their weight in gold. Make sure they know how much you appreciate them!

If you want reviews and feedback, offer others the same thing!

Pain vs pleasure

We’ve already established writers are an odd little sub-species but do we have faulty wiring when it comes to pain and pleasure? I’ve noticed that we have this peculiar habbit of pushing ourselves to the very limits and then gleefully jumping on that final straw which breaks our back!

I’ll try and put this into perspective. Two writer friends are like myself, they do jobs, have an outside life and also have their writing. That alone is difficult enough, however – the three of us have entered into doing an erotica anthology along with a number of other fantastic writers. Thus, adding to our own pressure. We’re also all trying to get published, keep up with our own writing and yet we insist on adding yet more projects and side-lines to our overflowing schedules!

Writers may and quite often do complain that they hate those plot bunnies, that they have far too much work on their plate but behind closed doors they’re dancing round with a huge goofy grin on their face! To put it simply, if we’re being pushed past our limits and writing 3 million projects all at once we’re doing what we love. It’s when we’re forced to sit twiddling our thumbs because we can’t write that we break. You see, writing is an addiction, a need.

Like any addict, we’re all far happier and easier to live with when we have a good supply of our ‘fix’ close to hand. So just remember – a writer without any work is a very dangerous creature. Do not approach unless you have a fantastic muse, a breeding pen of plot bunnies or a publishing contract. We pose great risk to your health when we’re without our fix.