9 Great Scripts

The following is an article from the collection I published Off Script (available for free on Kindle Unlimited and for £1.99 in regular Kindle format). As well as four original screenplays and some short stories, the book contains some suggestions for further reading if you're a film fan or interested in writing yourself.  * These... Continue Reading →

A Review of Amazon Reviews…

I spent the last two years actively trying to improve my Amazon Reviewer ranking. So from starting at a ranking of something like 2.656.832 I've now (as of November 2021) reached the dizzying heights of 526. That gets me a little badge, and, recently, entry into the Vine Voice programme. (For those of you not... Continue Reading →

Writing Resources: 14/100: Marketing Yourself on Amazon

Not much to read here...it's all in the 28-page handout you can download below. The handout follows on from the Publishing Workshop I've presented at various writers' groups and looks at some of the ways you can start promoting your work on Amazon and through Kindle. It considers some of the different ways of advertising... Continue Reading →

Writing Resource 13/100: Misdirection

In this series, I've referred to writing materials, platforms, and issues. In this one, I'm going to be quoting quite liberally from a session I attended at Newcastle Noir: a crime writing festival that was held this weekend in my home town of Newcastle. I'll be writing more extensively about different aspects of the festival... Continue Reading →

Writing Resource 12/100: Develop a Thick Skin

This one's a tough one: and if you don't get it, you can just f**k off. Offended by that directional suggestion? You're in the right place...   The first bout of indignant outrage I remember feeling about criticism of my writing probably dates back to being about 11. (You can see already I don't handle... Continue Reading →

My Writing Space- a selection of authors

In a recent article in my Resource for Writers series I talked about the importance (or not) of having a regular writing space. After writing that I reached out to a few fellow writers about their own creative spaces and, with their permission, I’m sharing them with you today. First off, a couple of my... Continue Reading →

Writing Resource 11/100: a safe place

There was a minor kerfuffle a while back when Arron Banks (dodgy Brexit backer - no, don't bother looking him up, you'll just feel as if you need a shower afterwards) accused JK Rowling of being 'pretentious' for mentioning she had a writing room. The response was pretty amusing with the good and the great... Continue Reading →

Writing Resource: 9/100 – Marketing 101

As some of you reading these posts might know, my background is in Marketing. (The good sort, not the sort Bill Hicks talked about.) I worked for 25 years at one of the most respected publishers in the world. During that time I ran or managed hundreds...actually, probably getting into the thousands, of marketing campaigns... Continue Reading →

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