I knew a woman on Staten Island who had a knack for finding coins. She, being a devout Catholic, thought it was some kind of telepathy / magnetism thing rather than any mystical ability (and no, she didn’t have a metal detector walking-stick). By all accounts, she racked up a tidy sum over the years …
Month: January 2010
… and relax
It’s hard for any novelist to convey the full magnitude of relief and satisfaction when that work-in-progress reaches the final full stop. It can be a long courtship – you and your novel starting out as strangers, uncertain if that spark of possibility will grow into something more meaningful. Then getting to know them over …
all change
Someone I know once likened computers to children. They do what they’re told, most of the time. They demand your attention when you have better things to do. And you can never truly relax your guard with them. Did I mention that he’s divorced now?In December I decided that waiting 15 minutes – for my …
Should writers be more like plumbers?
What’s the difference between a writer and a plumber? Many would say that a writer works more unsocial hours and a plumber is seen as having a more noble profession. But, for me, the main difference is that you wouldn’t ask a plumber to work for free. Writers though, particularly at the start of their …
Reader, I parried them!
Rejection, as every published author tells us, is part and parcel of the process from the first draft to that magical copy on the book shelf. While rejections can be galling, confounding and sometimes amusing, what matters most is whether there is anything we can learn from them to improve our work or our approach.Often, …