What the Blog?!

     Why the blog? Why now?

     I've been writing poetry now for over fifteen years, Children's and Young Adults novels for three years, and blogging for ... well zero. So why am I picking up my proverbial 'pen' now and sharing my thoughts on writing and the writing process in the form of a weekly blog?
     Well, there are four distinct reasons. First of all, I figure that any kind of writing is good for the writing process. The more I write, the better it will be in both the short and long-term for my overall writing fluency, whether I am writing novels, poems, or (if something really goes wrong with my writing career) essays. Every time you write something it's like building a house, but instead of bricks you have words and grammar and the more you use these the better you get at writing just like the builder gets more accomplished at building with every house they build.
     Second of all, since I have just published my debut novel "Jack Strong and the Red Giant" on Amazon, I figure that by establishing some kind of platform online that it may help me shift more of my e-books from the huge, sprawling warehouse that is Amazon.com.uk.whatever to the walking, mobile libraries that are people's kindles.
    Thirdly, as I'm a writer I find that when I'm writing I think about all sorts of ideas about the writing process - ideas about narrative, character, setting, dialogue, colour, sound, and smell etc - you name it I've thought about it. So I want to use this blog as a way to unlock the ideas within my own brain and then share them with you.
    Indeed, this brings me onto the fourth and final point: as a part-time writer I have, like the vast majority of part-time, wannabe writers, a real full-time job that, rather like a pet dog, demands my full and complete attention if not 24/7 then certainly going on 12/7. So since I have had a great deal of experience balancing my time and jumping from my novel one minute to my full-time job the very next I feel that I have some good, worthwhile advice to offer those of you who find themselves in a similar situation.

    Final Word

    Oh and one more thing that I think is really, really important. You don't have to agree with me. At all. Writing is the very definition of SUBJECTIVE and since we are all different people with different ideas and different tastes it makes sense that we will also have different ideas about what makes a good piece of writing. If there is one thing that I can't stand it is writers who claim that there is only one way - their way - and if you don't follow them then you're going to fail and never get published. They are wrong of course - there is no correct template, no singular course to follow, no road map to success available to buy at your local book store (well it's Amazon now I suppose). All that we can do is write as much as we can, read as much as we can, get people to read our stuff and give honest, constructive feedback, and hope that someone out there in the confines of some vast (advance-paying) publishing house finds our work decent enough and worthy enough to publish. After that it is all down to the reader ...

For more info on my debut novel, Jack Strong and the Red Giant about a bullied boy's adventures in space check out the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LLHFZTM