Tag Archives: fiction

Review of Havisham by Elle Machray

It was with both anticipation and trepidation that I began reading Havisham, a novel which undertakes to tell the story of Miss Havisham in a new way, while also promising that she will ‘exceed all expectations’ (sigh). As someone who has spent many years of my life devoted to the study and enjoyment of Dickens,Continue reading “Review of Havisham by Elle Machray”

Reviewing Your Own Novel

Here we go again: putting a finished novel out on submission, hoping against all hope that somehow, it manages to find the right home. The novel in question has been a work of passion for me, written as I finished off my PhD, the story somehow never managing to leave me, even as the pressuresContinue reading “Reviewing Your Own Novel”

Wintering

January has started out slowly for me, as I had both intended and hoped it would. Life can be so hectic, and making a conscious choice to slow down and take time for myself has proven to be a wise one. The Danes call it hygge, a cultural concept which encourages a calm and relaxingContinue reading “Wintering”

A Christmas Story – Part 2

In many ways, it is more than a little bit cheeky to call this a Christmas story, when what I am really doing is extracting out two chapters of my unpublished novel, both of which happen to be set during Christmas. What is interesting for me as a writer, is that both of these chaptersContinue reading “A Christmas Story – Part 2”

A Christmas Story (in two parts)

Part One – but first some background… In the days before Christmas, I thought I would have a bit of festive fun, and return to my unpublished first novel that still sits in the metaphorical drawer that every author knows all too well – the file full of writing which is destined to languish inContinue reading “A Christmas Story (in two parts)”

Pathway to Publication? Let’s Talk About Agents

I have been talking about my writing journey on my way to publication, and today I want to focus on that thorny topic for many aspiring novelists – agents. I’ve been in the query trenches, and I have been wounded, again and again, by the rejection letter. I know what it is to feel thatContinue reading “Pathway to Publication? Let’s Talk About Agents”

Writing Dickens – Week 3

I don’t know how Dickens did it. Right now, I am on week 3 of writing in instalments, exactly as Dickens did, 170 years ago. So far, I have written chapters 1 to 6, publishing them in the same increments as Dickens did: 1 April 1854 1–3 Book I 8 April 1854 4–5 15 AprilContinue reading “Writing Dickens – Week 3”