Letting go
Last week I wrote about ‘completion fear’ and was then asked if I’d ever thought it worthwhile letting go of a manuscript. The person asking…
Fear of finishing
Have you ever worried about finishing your manuscript? a student asked me recently. He should have completed his reworking of a first draft in March…
Writing a memoir
Writing a memoir, especially when it involves the famous, friends, family or foes, can be tricky. Do you get legal advice before you start? Do…
Best practice writing tips 3
While reading Len Deighton’s Spy Sinker this week I came across a passage which well illustrates what not to do when writing dialogue. And because…
Best practice writing tips 2
An interview with the literary website LitNet last week, brings me to the second of my writing tips thanks to a reader. I was asked…
Best practice writing tips 1
One of the best writing tips I’ve ever been given, and one I’ve lived by, is: if you think you’ve got a story start writing…
Writing rewards
Rewards often come gradually for writers. It took me a decade and five failures before number six got published. But fortunately, for some, this happens…
When celebrities are fair game
Last week there was a brief spat in the media about the reissue of an updated biography of the Springbok rugby captain, Siya Kolisi. In…
Writing courses and Drum magazine
One wild and wet Saturday morning back in June, I chatted to Jenny Crwys-Williams on Kaya FM about my writing courses, about success-stories such as…
Creating new worlds
A few weeks ago I had a chat with Jenny Crwys-Williams on KayaFM about my creative writing courses. She ran a competition during her programme…