All posts filed under: Writing

Author Photographs, a not-so-evil necessity

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Just as we have a tendency to literally judge a book by its cover, we humans subconsciously judge an author, and their work, by their photo. This knowledge is primarily what made me avoid getting head shots taken. Ever. You can’t use Snapchat filters on a professional photograph, I told myself. Anyway, I’m self-publishing, I just won’t include an author photo and bio in my book. Then I remembered marketing is a thing. If I want to post blurry #writerlife selfies on Twitter that’s my business, but if ever want to be considered for a book signing event at Waterstones, I’d likely be needing something a little less casual for their promotional material. Advertisements

Investing in the future; upgrading the blog

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If you want to be taken seriously as an author, you have to invest in a decent website. This is what I told myself as I clicked ‘purchase’ on a £70 yearly subscription to upgrade my hosting. Yeah, £70 ain’t a bad price, but as someone who has yet to earn a penny from her writing, it’s a statement. A commitment. It’s £70. I neglected my blog for about a year. It just wasn’t pleasing me. I was no longer satisfied with just a blog. I wanted a website. I wanted it to look swish and aesthetically fabulous; a site I could be proud of, the face of my ‘business’. I tried multiple times to make the best of the free WordPress themes; I cannot tell you how many hours I spent wrestling with its appearance. Nothing was good enough. Nothing made me happy. Still, I didn’t upgrade. A custom domain name and access to themes beyond my wildest dreams, all available for me to code devoutly and make entirely my own. All within my …

How A Novel Is Edited

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Step 1: Sit down at desk. You spent £150 on this desk and assembled it yourself. You bloody well should use it productively. Step 2: A clean work space is a productive work space. Tidy away clutter and select a scented candle for today’s activities. Meticulously groom your writing playlist on iTunes while you’re at it. Step 3: You’ve forgotten your cup of tea. Make one. Debate for 2 mins whether or not to bring biscuits back with you too. Step 4: Document your hilarious lack of progress so far on Twitter. #amwriting / #amediting Step 5: Open up your manuscript. Feel guilty about how long it’s been since you’ve looked at it. It may be a .doc file but you feel compelled to literally blow the dust and cobwebs off it. Step 6: Tell Twitter this. #amwriting / #amediting