I’ve always loved to write and back in the mid 2010s the idea began to evolve.

We all have regrets, and we can never know how things would have turned out if we didn’t have them, but here are a few of my writing regrets in the hope you do not repeat them.

Contrary to popular belief, most people who become travel writers (or bloggers) did not study journalism at university or decide at an early age that this was what they would do. Instead, they travelled first — and the writing came second. Whatever the reason for this travel — work, illness, retirement, relocation, or a long trip being the most common examples — the end result was often a story worth telling.

We all know that being an author these days isn’t as simple as sending off your manuscript to a publisher then waiting for the royalties to roll in.

Taste? Sorry, ‘The juicy steak tasted delicious’ doesn’t cut the mustard. Mustard?

I am someone who has cried over a PDF more than once. I’ve needed help to get over the line, felt completely incompetent, and seriously questioned my life choices while trying to publish my first book.

As we all know, the very best stories spring from the motivations, needs, strengths and weaknesses of the Central Character.

You’ve done it. You’ve typed 'The End', closed your laptop, and maybe even told a few people you’ve finished your book

After several years deep in nonfiction – editing books on stress, depression and other serious (but important) topics – I decided to take on fiction for a change of pace. Surely it would be lighter, freer, maybe even fun.

When I first started writing, I had no platform, no agent, and no idea whether anyone would care what I had to say. Most days, I felt like I didn’t even know how to write, let alone what to write.

In recent years, writing software has become a popular tool for both emerging and established authors, promising to simplify the process by offering ways to plot, research, and organise stories. But is writing software truly the game-changer it claims to be? Below, we explore the advantages and drawbacks of using these tools, with particular attention to how they save time, create order, and provide the flexibility to adjust chapters with ease.

You’ve poured your heart into your manuscript. Maybe spent months (or years!) writing, rewriting, and rethinking every word. Now you’re standing at the edge of the publishing world thinking, 'Surely it’s just a matter of clicking upload?' I wish it were that simple.

I do have a few quotes I can share – scribbled down, torn from one of the bright-covered, ColourHide notebooks populating my writing space, and sticky taped by a jagged edge to the hutch above my desk.

When I was asked to write a blog post on how I manage to juggle writing books with family, work, and other commitments my first thought was – when am I going to fit that into my already hectic schedule?

You’ve written the final chapter, wrapped up your article or typed ‘The End’ on your manuscript. Congratulations! But before you hit send to a beta reader, competition or editor, there’s one more step: copyediting.

The first meeting of GCWA I attended was in 2024. I loved the vibe immediately and joined with a sense that I would meet good people and learn a lot, and I was right.

I know writing is something many of us take for granted – until we have to sit down and actually do it.

I got pretty lucky when it came to getting traditionally published … I mean, yes it was hard work, but there is also a great deal of luck, and ‘right place, right time’ in the publishing industry. I certainly feel very lucky to be in the position I’m in.

Creativity. A most elusive concept. Where does it originate? I don’t pretend to have an answer that more intelligent minds than mine have failed to adequately address over the eons, but still, the wonderment of creating perplexes me.

At some stage as a writer, you will need to write numbers.